Questions & Answers about אם תתפשרו קצת על השעה, יהיה לכולנו קל יותר להיפגש.
Why does Hebrew use the future tense after אם here? In English we would usually say If you compromise..., not If you will compromise...
That is a very common question.
In Hebrew, after אם in a real condition, the future tense is completely normal:
אם תתפשרו קצת על השעה, יהיה לכולנו קל יותר להיפגש.
So Hebrew often uses:
- אם + future
- and then future again in the main clause
English works differently and usually uses the present tense after if, so this is something you should not translate word-for-word from English grammar.
What exactly is תתפשרו?
תתפשרו is the future tense, 2nd person plural form of להתפשר, meaning to compromise.
So it means you all will compromise / you all are willing to compromise.
A few useful points:
- Base verb: להתפשר
- Tense here: future
- Person: 2nd person
- Number: plural
It can address:
- אתם (you plural, masculine or mixed group)
- אתן (you plural, feminine)
In modern Hebrew, this same form works for both plural genders.
Why is the verb להתפשר in this form? Is there anything special about it?