Questions & Answers about אם יהיה בונוס בסוף השנה, נוכל לצאת לחופשה קצרה.
Why does Hebrew use יהיה after אם? In English we usually say If there is..., not If there will be...
This is a very common point of confusion.
In Hebrew, after אם (if), it is normal to use the future tense when talking about a real future possibility:
אם יהיה בונוס...
literally: if there will be a bonus...
That is the standard Hebrew way to express a future condition. So even though English prefers If there is a bonus, Hebrew naturally says אם יהיה בונוס.
So:
- אם יהיה = if there is / if there will be
- not usually אם יש here, unless you mean a present situation
What exactly does נוכל mean here?
נוכל is the future tense of יכול (can / be able to), in the 1st person plural:
- אני אוכל = I will be able to
- אנחנו נוכל = we will be able to
So נוכל לצאת means:
- we will be able to go out
- more naturally in English here: we’ll be able to go
It expresses possibility or ability in the future.
Why is there no word for we in the sentence?