Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אולי נוכל להשיג שולחן ליד החלון אם נבוא מוקדם. - Maybe we can get a table by the window if we come early.

Breakdown of אולי נוכל להשיג שולחן ליד החלון אם נבוא מוקדם.

What does אולי mean, and why is it at the beginning of the sentence?

אולי means maybe or perhaps.

It often comes at the beginning of a sentence because it sets the tone for the whole statement:

It can sometimes appear in other positions too, but sentence-initial position is very common and natural.

What form is נוכל?

נוכל is the future tense, first person plural form of יכול / יָכֹל, meaning to be able to.

So:

In this sentence, future tense makes sense because the speaker is talking about a possible future situation.

Why doesn’t the sentence use אנחנו for we?

In Hebrew, the verb itself usually already shows who the subject is.

So נוכל already means we will be able, and נבוא already means we will come.

Because of that, אנחנו is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.