בדרך כלל אמא מעירה את הילדים לבית הספר, אבל היום הם קמו לבד.

Yes. בדרך כלל is a very common fixed expression meaning usually, generally, or as a rule.

Learners often try to translate it word by word, but it works best as one chunk:

• בדרך כלל = usually

So in this sentence, it tells you that the first clause describes a habitual action, not just something happening right now.

Because the subject is אמא (mom), which is feminine singular.

In Hebrew present tense, verbs agree with the subject in gender and number. So:

• מעיר = masculine singular
• מעירה = feminine singular
• מעירים = masculine plural
• מעירות = feminine plural

Since אמא is feminine singular, the sentence uses מעירה.

מעירה comes from the verb להעיר, which means to wake someone up.

That is different from לקום or להתעורר, which mean to get up / to wake up yourself.

So there is an important contrast in the sentence:

• אמא מעירה את הילדים = Mom wakes the children up
• הם קמו לבד = They got up by themselves

In other words, the first verb is causative: someone causes another person to wake up.

את marks a definite direct object.

Here, הילדים means the children, which is definite, so Hebrew uses את:

• אמא מעירה את הילדים

You do not translate את into English here. It is a grammar marker, not a separate word with meaning like with in this sentence.

A very common pattern is:

• I see the boy → אני רואה את הילד
• Mom wakes the children → אמא מעירה את הילדים

Because the sentence is talking about the children, not just children in general.

• ילדים = children
• הילדים = the children

Since the object is definite, Hebrew uses both:

• ה on the noun: הילדים
• את before it: את הילדים

So את הילדים is a very normal combination meaning the children as a direct object.

Here לבית הספר means something like for school or to school, depending on how naturally you translate it in English.

Breakdown:

• ל־ = to / for
• בית הספר = the school (literally the house of the book)

In this sentence, אמא מעירה את הילדים לבית הספר means:

• Mom wakes the children up for school

It does not necessarily mean she physically takes them to school. The idea is that school is the purpose or destination connected with waking them up.

This is because בית הספר is a construct phrase in Hebrew.

Literally:

• בית = house of
• הספר = the book

Together:

• בית ספר = school
• בית הספר = the school

In Hebrew construct phrases, the definiteness often appears on the second word, but the whole phrase becomes definite:

• בית ספר = a school
• בית הספר = the school

Then with the prefix ל־, it becomes:

• לבית הספר = to/for the school

In this kind of sentence, אמא is being used like Mom, almost like a name or family title, so Hebrew normally does not put ה־ on it.

So:

• אמא מעירה את הילדים = Mom wakes the children

Using האמא would usually sound different, more like the mother, not Mom.

For example:

• האמא של דני = Danny’s mother
• אמא באה = Mom is coming

Because the sentence contrasts a usual habit with a specific event today.

• בדרך כלל אמא מעירה... = Usually Mom wakes...
  • Hebrew often uses the present tense for habitual actions.
• אבל היום הם קמו לבד = but today they got up by themselves
  • היום points to a specific occasion, so the past tense is natural.

So the tense change is meaningful:

• present = what usually happens
• past = what happened today

קמו is the past tense, 3rd person plural form of לקום (to get up / to rise).

So:

• הוא קם = he got up
• היא קמה = she got up
• הם קמו = they got up

Here הם קמו means they got up.

Hebrew could also use a verb meaning woke up, but קמו focuses on the fact that they got up. In many everyday contexts, English may translate this naturally as woke up or got up, depending on context.

לבד means alone or by oneself / by themselves.

In this sentence, הם קמו לבד means:

• they got up by themselves
• or they got up on their own

That is the contrast with the first clause:

• usually Mom wakes them up
• but today they managed without help

So לבד is very important to the meaning.

Hebrew often can leave subject pronouns out, because the verb already shows person/number/gender. So קמו לבד could be understood as they got up by themselves.

But Hebrew also often includes the pronoun for clarity or contrast. Here הם helps emphasize:

• אבל היום הם קמו לבד
• But today they got up by themselves

It makes the contrast a little clearer and more natural in context.

Hebrew word order is flexible, and time expressions often come early in the clause.

So:

• היום הם קמו לבד = Today they got up by themselves

Putting היום near the start highlights the contrast with בדרך כלל:

• Usually Mom wakes them up,
• but today they got up by themselves.

This is a very natural Hebrew way to organize the information.

Yes. הילדים is grammatically masculine plural, and the pronoun הם matches that.

So:

• הילדים → הם
• קמו is also the masculine plural past form

In Hebrew, a mixed group of boys and girls is normally referred to with the masculine plural. So הילדים / הם / קמו is exactly what you would expect unless the group were specifically all feminine.