Lesson 35: Adverbial subordinate clauses — time, purpose, cause, concession

Part 1: The main thing about adverbial subordinate clauses

An adverbial subordinate clause is a "subordinate clause of circumstance": it answers when?, why?, for what?, despite what?. English uses a conjunction and conjugates the verb by context:

• When he arrived, we were eating.
• I'm studying so that I can pass the exam.
• I'm tired because I worked.
• I'll go, although it's raining.

Hebrew does the same thing, but almost all these conjunctions are compound: a meaning-word + she- ("that/which"). This is the same particle as in relative clauses from L29 and in complement clauses from L31. By L35 you already recognize she- as the universal "hook of subordination".

The main idea of the lesson: the Hebrew subordinating conjunction is almost always two-part — kshe-, kedei she-, mipnei she-, lamrot she-. Memorize the principle — and you've learned all four groups at once.

Architecture: where does she- attach?

Type	Meaning word	+ glue	= conjunction
Time	ka'asher / kshe-	ש-	when
Purpose	kedei	ש-	so that
Cause	mipnei / biglal	ש-	because
Concession	lamrot / af al pi	ש-	although

In written Hebrew they're often written as one word: כש־, כדי ש־, מפני ש־. By ear you always hear two syllables: "k-she", "kedei-she", "mipnei-she", "lamrot-she".

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Part 2: Time — ka'asher / kshe- ("when")

Two forms — one meaning

Hebrew	Translit	Register	English
כאשר	ka'asher	bookish, formal	when
כש-	kshe-	everyday, conversational	when

ka'asher is the literary form, you'll meet it in a newspaper, an essay, an instruction. kshe- is the form you'll hear in a café, on the radio, in a family. Semantically they're identical, choose by register.

Rule: in study-Hebrew and in speech, stick with kshe-. In writing — ka'asher is fine, but kshe- also passes.

What matters for the English speaker

Hebrew sets the tense of the verb in the subordinate clause by the actual time of the event, without the "sequence of tenses" English imposes:

• When I came (past), he was sleeping (past) → kshe-bati, hu yashan.
• When I come (pres.), he sleeps (pres.) → kshe-ani ba, hu yashen.
• When I come (fut.), he will sleep (fut.) → kshe-avo, hu yishan.

Examples

Hebrew	Translit	English
כשהוא בא, אכלנו	kshe-hu ba, achalnu	When he came/comes, we ate
כשאני קם בבוקר, אני שותה קפה	kshe-ani kam ba-boker, ani shote kafe	When I get up in the morning, I drink coffee
כשתבוא, נדבר	kshe-tavo, nedaber	When you come, we'll talk
כאשר התחיל הגשם, ברחנו	ka'asher hitchil ha-geshem, barachnu	When the rain started, we ran for cover
כשהייתי ילד, גרתי בחיפה	kshe-hayiti yeled, garti be-Haifa	When I was a child, I lived in Haifa

Notice: in Hebrew kshe-tavo is future ("when you will come"), unlike English "when you come" (which uses the present). Hebrew keeps the actual time of the event.

Neighboring time conjunctions

Hebrew	Translit	English
לפני ש-	lifnei she-	before
אחרי ש-	acharei she-	after
מאז ש-	me'az she-	since
עד ש-	ad she-	until
בזמן ש-	bi-zman she-	while
כל זמן ש-	kol zman she-	as long as

All are built on the same scheme: time-word + she-.

Hebrew	Translit	English
לפני שאכלתי, התקלחתי	lifnei she-achalti, hitkalachti	Before I ate, I took a shower
אחרי שגמרנו, הלכנו הביתה	acharei she-gamarnu, halachnu ha-bayta	After we finished, we went home
מאז שעברתי לכאן, אני שמח	me'az she-avarti le-kan, ani sameach	Since I moved here, I'm happy
נחכה עד שיגיע	nechake ad she-yagia	We'll wait until he arrives

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Part 3: Purpose — kedei she- vs. kedei + infinitive ("so that / to")

This is the most important point of the lesson for the English speaker, because English uses "to" or "so that" but Hebrew splits into two constructions, and the choice is strict.

Choice rule

Subjects in main and subordinate	Construction	Tense
The same	kedei + infinitive	—
Different	kedei she- + future	future

Remember: kedei she- always requires the future in the subordinate clause, even if English has the present or "would". Same subject → throw out she-, use the infinitive.

Case 1: subjects match → kedei + infinitive

I'm studying, so that I pass the exam → the subject is the same ("I") → drop "I" from the subordinate, put the infinitive.

Hebrew	Translit	English
אני לומד כדי להצליח	ani lomed kedei lehatzliach	I'm studying to succeed
אני לוחץ כדי להצליח	ani lochets kedei lehatzliach	I'm pushing in order to succeed
באתי כדי לראות אותך	bati kedei lir'ot otkha	I came to see you
הוא חוסך כדי לקנות דירה	hu chosech kedei liknot dira	He's saving to buy an apartment
אנחנו נוסעים כדי לנוח	anachnu nos'im kedei lanuach	We're going in order to rest

Logic: "I'm studying to succeed" — the same person studies and the same person succeeds. Kedei lehatzliach is more compact and natural than kedei she-ani atzliach.

Case 2: subjects differ → kedei she- + future

I teach him, so that he passes the exam → subjects differ ("I" teach, "he" passes) → kedei she- + future.

Hebrew	Translit	English
אני מלמד אותו כדי שיצליח	ani melamed oto kedei she-yatzliach	I'm teaching him so that he succeeds
התקשרתי כדי שתדע	hitkasharti kedei she-teda (f. "that-she-might-know")	I called so that you would know
הוא בא כדי שנדבר	hu ba kedei she-nedaber	He came so that we'd talk
אני שותק כדי שיוכלו לישון	ani shotek kedei she-yuchlu lishon	I'm keeping quiet so they can sleep
כדי שתבוא מחר, צריך לקנות כרטיס	kedei she-tavo machar, tsarich liknot kartis	For you to come tomorrow, you need to buy a ticket
כדי שהילדים יבינו, אסביר לאט	kedei she-ha-yeladim yavinu, asbir le'at	So that the children understand, I'll explain slowly

Critical: in the subordinate clause the verb is always in the future. Not kedei she-hem mevinim (present), not kedei she-hayu mevinim (past) — only kedei she-yavinu (future).

Related conjunctions of purpose

Hebrew	Translit	English	Note
על מנת ש-	al menat she-	in order that	formal synonym of kedei she-
על מנת + inf.	al menat + inf.	in order to	formal synonym of kedei + inf.
למען	lema'an	for the sake of	bookish-pathetic
בשביל ש-	bishvil she-	so that (colloquial)	everyday speech, replaces kedei she-
בשביל + inf.	bishvil + inf.	in order to	colloquial counterpart of kedei + inf.
שלא	she-lo	so that not	negative purpose: amarti lo she-lo yavo — "I told him not to come"

Register: al menat she- — declaration, article, legal text. Kedei she- — neutral, everywhere. Bishvil she- — café, friends, everyday speech.

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Part 4: Cause — mipnei she- / biglal she- / ki ("because")

Main cause conjunctions

Hebrew	Translit	English	Register
מפני ש-	mipnei she-	because	standard
מכיוון ש-	mikeyvan she-	since	standard
בגלל ש-	biglal she-	because of the fact that	colloquial, technically "non-literary"
כי	ki	because	universal, the most frequent in speech
היות ש-	heyot she-	since, given that	bookish

Register hierarchy:

• In speech and in school writing — ki.
• In neutral text — mipnei she- or mikeyvan she-.
• In a newspaper/document — mikeyvan she- / heyot she-.
• biglal she- is often heard, but in writing a strict editor will correct it to mipnei she-.

Important pair: biglal + noun vs. biglal she- + clause

biglal alone is the preposition "because of", requiring a noun: biglal ha-geshem — "because of the rain". If you want to put a whole clause, attach she-: biglal she-yarad geshem — "because of the fact that it rained". The same dilemma applies to mipnei: mipnei ha-zman ("because of the time") vs. mipnei she-ein zman ("because there's no time").

Hebrew	Translit	English
לא באתי מפני שהייתי חולה	lo bati mipnei she-hayiti chole	I didn't come because I was sick
אני עייף כי עבדתי הרבה	ani ayef ki avadeti harbe	I'm tired because I worked a lot
בגלל הגשם נשארנו בבית	biglal ha-geshem nish'arnu ba-bayit	Because of the rain we stayed at home
בגלל שירד גשם נשארנו בבית	biglal she-yarad geshem nish'arnu ba-bayit	Because it rained, we stayed at home
מכיוון שאין לי זמן, אדבר קצר	mikeyvan she-ein li zman, adaber katsar	Since I have no time, I'll be brief
היות שהוא מנהל, הוא מחליט	heyot she-hu menahel, hu machlit	Since he's a manager, he decides

ki as the universal "cause"

ki is short, handy, without she-. It's a cause inside one word. The verb after ki — in any tense by real logic.

Hebrew	Translit	English
אני לומדת עברית כי אני גרה בישראל	ani lomedet ivrit ki ani gara be-Yisrael	I'm studying Hebrew because I live in Israel
הוא צוחק כי זה מצחיק	hu tsochek ki ze matschik	He's laughing because it's funny
לא אבוא כי אני עסוק	lo avo ki ani asuk	I won't come because I'm busy

Notice: ki in L31 you met as "that" (after verbs of thought: amarti ki ze tov — "I said that it's good"). That's one and the same word in two functions — "that" (complement) and "because" (cause). Tell them apart by context: if it stands between two predicates, it's cause.

Related cause conjunction: thanks to

Hebrew	Translit	English
בזכות	bizchut	thanks to (+ noun)
בזכות ש-	bizchut she-	thanks to the fact that

Bizchut is a positive cause, biglal is neutral or negative. Bizchutkha hitslachti — "thanks to you I succeeded". Biglalkha haftadnu — "because of you we got fired".

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Part 5: Concession — lamrot she- / af al pi she- ("although")

"Although" is the toughest connector for the English speaker, because the choice of phrase "depends on the texture", and there are many forms.

Hebrew	Translit	English	Register
למרות ש-	lamrot she-	despite the fact that	standard, neutral
אף על פי ש-	af al pi she-	although	formal
אף ש-	af she-	although	literary, short
על אף ש-	al af she-	contrary to the fact that	bookish
למרות + noun	lamrot + noun	despite	"despite the rain"
אף על פי כן	af al pi chen	nonetheless	a separate-clause connector
בכל זאת	be-chol zot	all the same, anyway	colloquial counterpart of af al pi chen

Main rule: a concession in Hebrew does not require a subjunctive mood. The verb sits in the real tense of the event: lamrot she-ani ayef, ani lomed — "although I'm tired, I'm studying". Past, present, future — all in the ordinary form.

Examples

Hebrew	Translit	English
למרות שהיה גשם, יצאנו לטייל	lamrot she-haya geshem, yatzanu letayel	Although it was raining, we went for a walk
אף על פי שהוא צעיר, הוא חכם	af al pi she-hu tsa'ir, hu chacham	Despite the fact that he's young, he's smart
למרות הגשם, יצאנו לטייל	lamrot ha-geshem, yatzanu letayel	Despite the rain, we went for a walk
אני אבוא, למרות שאני עייף	ani avo, lamrot she-ani ayef	I'll come, although I'm tired
היא צודקת, אף שלא תמיד נעימה	hi tsodeket, af she-lo tamid ne'ima	She's right, though not always pleasant
ירד גשם. בכל זאת יצאנו	yarad geshem. be-chol zot yatzanu	It rained. We went out anyway

Contrast vs. concession

Distinguish:

• Contrast (aval, akh) — two ideas side by side: "I'm tired, but I'm studying" = ani ayef, aval ani lomed.
• Concession (lamrot she-, af al pi she-) — one idea, despite another: "although I'm tired, I'm studying" = lamrot she-ani ayef, ani lomed.

In English this is often a free choice ("tired but/though studying" — both are fine). In Hebrew lamrot she- builds subordination (a subordinate clause), while aval is coordination (two independent clauses).

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Part 6: Full set of subordinating conjunctions — the map

Remember that she- is the universal "hookery" (like English "the fact that"). Here's the map of all adverbial subordinators you'll deal with:

TIME:
  כאשר / כש-       ka'asher / kshe-        when
  לפני ש-          lifnei she-              before
  אחרי ש-          acharei she-             after
  מאז ש-           me'az she-               since
  עד ש-            ad she-                  until
  בזמן ש-          bi-zman she-             while
  כל זמן ש-        kol zman she-            as long as

PURPOSE:
  כדי ש- + fut.    kedei she- + future      so that (different subjects)
  כדי + inf.       kedei + inf.             in order to (same subject)
  על מנת ש-        al menat she-            in order that (formal)
  בשביל ש-         bishvil she-             so that (colloquial)
  שלא              she-lo                   so that not (negation)

CAUSE:
  כי               ki                       because (universal, speech)
  מפני ש-          mipnei she-              because (neutral)
  מכיוון ש-        mikeyvan she-            since
  בגלל ש-          biglal she-              because of the fact that (colloq.)
  היות ש-          heyot she-               since, given that (bookish)
  בזכות ש-         bizchut she-             thanks to the fact that

CONCESSION:
  למרות ש-         lamrot she-              although, despite the fact that
  אף על פי ש-      af al pi she-            although (formal)
  אף ש-            af she-                  although (short)
  על אף ש-         al af she-               contrary to the fact that
  אף על פי כן      af al pi chen            nonetheless (not a conjunction, a connector)
  בכל זאת          be-chol zot              all the same (not a conjunction, a connector)

Notice: anything that starts with a meaning-word + she- is a full conjunction. It requires no special verb form in the subordinate clause, with one exception: kedei she- and al menat she- (purpose) always want the future.

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Part 7: Word order — subordinate before or after main?

In Hebrew both orders are allowed, as in English:

Hebrew	Translit	English
כשהוא בא, אכלנו	kshe-hu ba, achalnu	When he came, we ate
אכלנו כשהוא בא	achalnu kshe-hu ba	We ate when he came

The distinction is informational: whatever is fronted becomes the "theme". In writing, before an adverbial subordinate clause at the start of a sentence a comma is mandatory. After a main clause, the comma is often not placed, especially with short subordinates.

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Part 8: A few typical constructions of modern Hebrew

"When I was little…"

Hebrew	Translit	English
כשהייתי קטן	kshe-hayiti katan	When I was little (m.)
כשהייתי קטנה	kshe-hayiti ktana	When I was little (f.)

This is the most frequent "everyday" framing of the past. Memorize it as a block.

"So as not to forget…"

Hebrew	Translit	English
כדי לא לשכוח	kedei lo lishkoach	So as not to forget (same subject)
כדי שלא ישכחו	kedei she-lo yishkechu	So that they don't forget (different subject)

Negation lo is placed either before the infinitive, or after she-.

"Because not…"

Hebrew	Translit	English
כי לא הבנתי	ki lo hevanti	Because I didn't understand
מפני שלא היה זמן	mipnei she-lo haya zman	Because there was no time

"Although there's no time…"

Hebrew	Translit	English
למרות שאין זמן, אני בא	lamrot she-ein zman, ani ba	Although there's no time, I'm coming

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