אנחנו היינו אמורים לחזק את המדף, אבל בינתיים רק שחררנו את הבורג הישן.

היינו אמורים + infinitive is a very common Hebrew pattern meaning were supposed to + verb or were meant to + verb.

Breakdown:

• היינו = we were
• אמורים = supposed / expected
• לחזק = to strengthen / reinforce / tighten

So היינו אמורים לחזק means we were supposed to strengthen.

You can use the same pattern with other verbs:

• היינו אמורים להגיע מוקדם = We were supposed to arrive early
• היא הייתה אמורה להתקשר = She was supposed to call

Because אמורים is masculine plural. In Hebrew, masculine plural is used:

• for a group of men
• for a mixed group
• sometimes when the gender of the group is not specified

If the speakers were all female, it would be:

• אנחנו היינו אמורות לחזק את המדף

So this sentence either refers to men, a mixed group, or just uses the default masculine plural form.

The ending -נו in the Hebrew past tense means we.

So:

• שחררתי = I loosened / released
• שחררת = you loosened
• שחררנו = we loosened

That means Hebrew often does not need a separate subject pronoun, because the verb already tells you who did the action.

It could be left out.

Hebrew often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear. So this would also be natural:

• היינו אמורים לחזק את המדף, אבל בינתיים רק שחררנו את הבורג הישן.

The speaker may include אנחנו for:

• emphasis
• clarity
• contrast
• a more explicit style

So both versions are correct.

את is the marker of a definite direct object.

Hebrew uses את before a direct object when that object is definite, for example when it has:

• ה־ = the
• a name
• a possessive ending
• some other definite reference

Here:

• את המדף = the shelf → definite
• את הבורג הישן = the old screw → definite

So את is required.

Compare:

• חיזקנו מדף = We reinforced a shelf → no את
• חיזקנו את המדף = We reinforced the shelf → את appears

English has no exact equivalent word for this.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• בורג ישן = an old screw
• הבורג הישן = the old screw

Also, the adjective must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

That is why both words are definite here:

• הבורג = the screw
• הישן = the old

If the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite.

The basic meaning of לחזק is to strengthen. But depending on context, it can also mean:

• to reinforce
• to make sturdier
• to tighten
• to support

With מדף (shelf), the most natural English translation is often reinforce the shelf or secure the shelf, depending on the situation.

So this is a good example of a Hebrew verb that has one core meaning but several natural English translations.

The verb שחרר can mean different things depending on context, including:

• release
• free
• let go
• loosen
• undo

In this sentence, because the object is הבורג הישן (the old screw), the natural meaning is we loosened the old screw.

So yes, the verb can mean freed in other contexts, but here it clearly means something like loosened or released mechanically.

בינתיים usually means:

• meanwhile
• in the meantime
• for now
• so far

In this sentence, it gives the idea of up to this point or for the time being:

• We were supposed to reinforce the shelf, but so far / in the meantime we have only loosened the old screw.

So בינתיים suggests that the intended job has not really been completed yet.

Here רק means only, and its position shows what part of the sentence is being limited.

• אבל בינתיים רק שחררנו את הבורג הישן = but in the meantime we only loosened the old screw

This means that the only action completed so far was loosening the screw.

Hebrew word order can shift for emphasis, so different placements can slightly change the focus. For example:

• רק שחררנו את הבורג הישן = the only thing we did was loosen the old screw
• שחררנו רק את הבורג הישן = we loosened only the old screw, not something else

The sentence you were given is a very natural, neutral way to say it.

Yes. The sentence creates a strong contrast between the intended action and the actual action.

• לחזק suggests making something more secure or stable
• שחררנו suggests loosening something

So the sentence has a mild sense of irony or frustration:

• We were supposed to make the shelf more secure
• but instead, so far, we have only loosened an old screw

That contrast is one reason the sentence sounds natural and meaningful, not just mechanically descriptive.