האמא והאבא יושבים בסלון, והשולחן הקטן ביניהם.

Because ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• אמא = mom / a mother
• האמא = the mom / the mother
• אבא = dad / a father
• האבא = the dad / the father

In Hebrew, family words like mom and dad are often used without the article in everyday speech, especially when speaking directly or casually. But using האמא והאבא is still perfectly possible when talking about a specific mother and father in a scene or description.

So this sentence sounds a bit like describing a picture: the mother and the father are sitting in the living room...

Because the Hebrew word for and is the prefix ו־, which attaches directly to the next word.

So:

• ו + האבא → והאבא
• ו + השולחן → והשולחן

This is completely normal in Hebrew. Many short function words attach to the following word, including:

• ו־ = and
• ב־ = in / at
• ל־ = to / for
• כ־ = as / like

Because the subject is plural: האמא והאבא = the mother and the father.

Since two people are doing the action, Hebrew uses a plural form:

• יושב = sitting / sits (masculine singular)
• יושבת = sitting / sits (feminine singular)
• יושבים = sitting / sit (masculine plural)
• יושבות = sitting / sit (feminine plural)

A mixed-gender group in Hebrew normally takes the masculine plural, so mother + father becomes יושבים.

Because in present-tense Hebrew, there is usually no separate word for am / is / are.

So Hebrew often says things like:

• הוא עייף = he is tired
• הם בבית = they are at home
• האמא והאבא יושבים בסלון = the mother and the father are sitting in the living room

The idea of are is understood without saying it.

Yes, but it comes from the Hebrew present tense participle system.

Hebrew present-tense forms often look like adjectives, but they function as verbs in sentences:

• יושב = sitting / sits
• אוכל = eating / eats
• כותב = writing / writes

So יושבים here means are sitting / sit.

English distinguishes sit and are sitting, but Hebrew present tense often covers both, depending on context.

בסלון means in the living room.

It is made from:

• ב־ = in
• הסלון = the living room

When ב־ attaches to a definite noun with ה־, the forms combine. In normal unpointed writing, you get:

• ב + הסלון → בסלון

So although English has two words, Hebrew writes it as one.

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• שולחן קטן = a small table
• השולחן הקטן = the small table

This is the normal Hebrew word order: noun + adjective

Because Hebrew adjectives agree with the noun in definiteness as well as gender and number.

So if the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite:

• שולחן קטן = a small table
• השולחן הקטן = the small table

You cannot normally say השולחן קטן if you mean the small table.
That would instead mean something like the table is small in a different kind of sentence.

Because this is another example of a Hebrew present-tense sentence without a present-tense form of is.

Literally, the structure is something like:

• and the small table between them

But it means:

• and the small table is between them

This is called a nominal sentence in Hebrew. In the present tense, Hebrew often just places the subject and the description next to each other without is.

ביניהם means between them.

It comes from:

• בין = between
• ־יהם = them (masculine plural suffix)

So:

• ביניהם = between them

Since the two people are mother and father, Hebrew uses the plural them.

Because Hebrew normally uses the masculine plural for a mixed group.

So for mother + father, Hebrew treats the pair as a mixed-gender plural group, and the default plural pronoun ending is masculine:

• ביניהן would be between them for an all-feminine group
• ביניהם is used for a masculine group or a mixed group

No. Once the subject is a mixed-gender plural group, standard Hebrew uses the masculine plural form.

So:

• האמא והאבא יושבים = correct
• האמא והאבא יושבות = not standard

You would use יושבות only for an all-feminine plural subject, for example:

• האמא והבת יושבות = the mother and the daughter are sitting

Yes. אמא is the everyday word for mom, while אם is more formal or literary for mother.

So:

• האמא והאבא sounds more everyday and natural in casual description
• האם והאב sounds more formal, written, or elevated

Both are correct Hebrew, but they belong to different registers.

Hebrew often marks definiteness directly on each definite noun, and on adjectives too.

So in this sentence you get:

• האמא = the mother
• האבא = the father
• השולחן הקטן = the small table

In English, this can feel repetitive if translated word-for-word, but in Hebrew it is completely normal.

Yes. Hebrew could also use a verb such as נמצא or עומד, depending on the exact meaning.

For example:

• והשולחן הקטן נמצא ביניהם = and the small table is located between them
• והשולחן הקטן עומד ביניהם = and the small table stands between them

But the version in your sentence is very natural and compact. Hebrew often prefers the simpler verbless present-tense structure.

The first clause follows a common Hebrew pattern:

• האמא והאבא = subject
• יושבים = verb/predicate
• בסלון = place

So: subject + predicate + location

The second clause is a present-tense nominal sentence:

• והשולחן הקטן = subject
• ביניהם = predicate/location

So Hebrew is being very economical here: The mother and father are sitting in the living room, and the small table is between them.