Questions & Answers about הן הולכות לתחנה, ואנחנו הולכים אחריהן.
Why does the sentence use הן instead of הם?
הן is the feminine plural word for they.
- הם = they, masculine plural
- הן = they, feminine plural
So הן הולכות tells you the first group is female.
A useful note: in everyday spoken Hebrew, many speakers often use הם for mixed groups and sometimes even for all-female groups too. But in standard Hebrew, the distinction between הם and הן is still important.
Why is it הולכות in the first clause but הולכים in the second?
Because Hebrew verbs in the present tense must agree with the subject in gender and number.
- הן הולכות = feminine plural
- אנחנו הולכים = masculine plural
The pronoun אנחנו means we, but by itself it does not show gender. The verb does that:
- אנחנו הולכים = we, masculine plural / mixed group
- אנחנו הולכות = we, feminine plural
So this sentence suggests:
- the first group is female
- the speaker’s group is either male or mixed
Where is the word for are? Why doesn’t Hebrew say something like they are going with a separate verb?