Breakdown of אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר.
Questions & Answers about אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר.
Why is אנחנו included? Doesn’t מסכימים already mean we agree?
Yes. In Hebrew, the verb form מסכימים already shows plural, so the subject can often be omitted.
However, אנחנו is still very natural here. It can:
- make the sentence clearer,
- add a little emphasis to we,
- sound more complete in everyday speech.
So both are possible:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים...
- לא תמיד מסכימים...
The version with אנחנו is especially useful for learners because it is very clear.
Why do מסכימים and מצליחים end in -ים?
The ending -ים marks the masculine plural form in the present tense.
Here:
- מסכימים = agreeing / agree
- מצליחים = succeeding / manage
Because the subject is אנחנו (we), the verb must match it in number and gender.
A few notes:
- If the speakers are all female, you would usually say מסכימות and מצליחות.
- If the group is mixed or unspecified, Hebrew normally uses the masculine plural.
Are מסכימים and מצליחים really verbs? They look a bit like adjectives.
That’s a great question. In Hebrew present tense, verb forms often look like adjectives because historically they come from participles.
So in a sentence like this, מסכימים and מצליחים function as present-tense verbs:
- אנחנו מסכימים = we agree / we are agreeing
- אנחנו מצליחים = we succeed / we manage
They still agree in gender and number with the subject, which is why they may feel adjective-like to English speakers.
Why is there no word for are in the sentence?
Hebrew normally does not use a present-tense form of to be in ordinary sentences.
So where English says:
- We are happy
- We are tired
Hebrew simply says:
- אנחנו שמחים
- אנחנו עייפים
In your sentence, though, the main words are not just adjectives—they are present-tense verb forms:
- מסכימים = agree
- מצליחים = succeed/manage
So there is no need for a separate word meaning are.
What exactly does לא תמיד mean, and where does it go in the sentence?
לא תמיד means not always.
It comes before the verb:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים = We do not always agree
This placement is very natural in Hebrew.
You could think of it as:
- לא = not
- תמיד = always
Together they form one idea: not always.
What does אבל mean, and is the comma necessary?
אבל means but.
So the sentence is divided into two parts:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים
- אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר
The comma before אבל is standard and natural, just like in English before but when joining two clauses.
What does בדרך כלל mean literally, and why does it mean usually?
בדרך כלל is a very common Hebrew expression meaning usually / generally / in general.
Literally:
- ב־ = in
- דרך = way
- כלל = rule / generality / overall principle
But as a fixed expression, you should just learn it as:
- בדרך כלל = usually
So:
- אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר means
- but usually we manage to compromise
Why does מצליחים come before להתפשר?
Because Hebrew often uses מצליח + infinitive to mean manage to... or succeed in...
So:
- מצליחים להתפשר = manage to compromise
This is similar to English:
- We manage to compromise
- We succeed in compromising
The structure is:
- מצליחים = manage / succeed
- להתפשר = to compromise
What does להתפשר mean, and why does it start with להת־?
להתפשר means to compromise.
It starts with להת־ because it is the infinitive form of a verb in the התפעל pattern.
You do not need to fully master verb patterns yet, but it helps to recognize that:
- להתפשר = to compromise
- present tense: מתפשר, מתפשרים, etc.
The ל־ at the beginning is the normal to of the infinitive:
- לכתוב = to write
- ללמוד = to study
- להתפשר = to compromise
Does מצליחים להתפשר mean we succeed in compromising or we manage to compromise?
It can mean either, depending on context. In this sentence, the most natural English meaning is:
- we usually manage to compromise
That is because להצליח + infinitive often means to manage to do something successfully.
So:
- אנחנו בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר can be understood as
- we usually manage to reach a compromise
Why isn’t אנחנו repeated after אבל?
It can be repeated, but it doesn’t have to be.
The full version could be:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל אנחנו מצליחים להתפשר.
That is completely correct.
But Hebrew often omits the repeated subject when it is already obvious:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר.
This sounds natural and avoids unnecessary repetition.
Is this sentence in the present tense, even though it sounds like a general habit?
Yes. Hebrew present tense is often used for:
- things happening now,
- general truths,
- repeated habits,
- typical behavior.
So here it means a general pattern:
- We don’t always agree, but we usually manage to compromise.
It is not about one single moment only. It describes what generally happens.
Does מסכימים need a preposition like עם?
Sometimes yes, but not always.
להסכים can appear in different ways:
- להסכים עם מישהו = to agree with someone
- להסכים ל־ = to agree to something
- להסכים ש־ = to agree that...
But in your sentence, there is no object after it, so it simply means:
- we don’t always agree
That is perfectly natural.
Could the word order be changed?
Yes, Hebrew has some flexibility in word order.
For example, you could also say:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל אנחנו מצליחים להתפשר.
- לא תמיד אנחנו מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר.
These are all understandable, but the original sentence sounds very natural and smooth:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימים, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחים להתפשר.
How would this sentence change if the speakers were all female?
Then the present-tense plural forms would usually be feminine plural:
- אנחנו לא תמיד מסכימות, אבל בדרך כלל מצליחות להתפשר.
Changes:
- מסכימים → מסכימות
- מצליחים → מצליחות
Everything else stays the same.
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