לא, הבוקר זרחה השמש, ועכשיו התחילו להתענן.

[Ali Smith]

שלום!

Could someone tell me what line three of the attached text says? Here's what I've been able to figure out:

לא, הבוקר זרחה השמש, ועכשיו התחילו להתענן.
However, this cannot be entirely correct, for a verb cannot occur before its subject. So, it can't be זרחה השמש (the sun shone).

Thanks!

 

[shalom00]

The second word is probably בבוקר.

 

[Ali Smith]

But then it would mean "in the mornings", wouldn't it? I think הבוקר works better, for it means "this morning". What do you think?

 

[shalom00]

Either is possible.

 

[GeriReshef]

שלום!

Could someone tell me what line three of the attached text says? Here's what I've been able to figure out:

לא, הבוקר זרחה השמש, ועכשיו התחילו להתענן.
However, this cannot be entirely correct, for a verb cannot occur before its subject. So, it can't be זרחה השמש (the sun shone).

Thanks!

להתענן, מתעננים- It is not incorrect, but we don't use this verb. We say השמיים מעוננים, התחיל להיעשות מעונן.
לא, הבוקר זרחה השמש, ועכשיו התחיל להיות מעונן- The verb התחיל in singular.
There is no problem with the verb before the subject (eg בראשית ברא אלוהים את השמים ואת הארץ - the first sentence in the Bible), but in spoken language it is generally after.

 

[Ali Smith]

But if התחיל were in the singular, what would its subject be? It could not be השמים, could it?

 

[GeriReshef]

But if התחיל were in the singular, what would its subject be? It could not be השמים, could it?

This is a good question..
If you had mentioned explicitly the השמיים it should have been in plural השמיים התחילו להיות מעוננים.
Otherwise it is an unknown subject. I'm not sure about the formal formulation but I guess it happens also in English. For example, when we say "it is cold now", what does the subject "it" refers to? (the day? the air? the world? the temperature?..)