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Hebrew Verbs and Verbals

CausaEve | ResultaEve | Simple

Binyan

Qal (ac0ve)

Perfect

Imperfect

Impera0ve

Inni0ve

Par0ciple

bbb

bbb5P3

bbb

con bbb
abs bWbb

act bbWb
pas bObb

con bbB2h3
abs bbB2h3
3 bbbn#

Nifal (passive/

bbbn#

bbB2P3

bbB2h3

Piel (ac0ve)

bBb3
bBb7

bBb1P5
bBb7P5

bBb1

reexive)

Pual (passive)
Hitpael
(reexive)

bBbt5h3 bBbt5P3 bBbt5h3

Hil (ac0ve)

bbbh3

byb3bP1

bb4bh1

Hofal (passive)

bbbh7

bbbP7

bBb1
bBb7

bb2bn#
bBb1m5
bBb7m5

bBbt5h3 bBbt5m3
con byb3bh1
abs bb4bh1

bbbh7

Vowels under red le/ers represent their class (b2 a-class, b4 i-class, bo u-class)
Jussive: same as Imperfect (but 4at R2 in Hil)
CohortaEve (1CS, 1CP): same as Imperfect with added h 2sux
long
ImperaEve (2S, 2P): same as Imperfect without prex (but 4at R2 in Hil)
- passive binyanim (Pual, Hofal) do not have imperaEves
short
InniEve: same as 2MS ImperaEve (no axes) (but y 3 at R2 in Hil construct)
ParEciples: follow Imperfect & use noun/adjecEve construct & absolute endings short

byb3bm1
bbbm7
i(e) u(o)

b2

b4

bo

b1

b3

b7

b6

b2

Jerrell Hein 11/1/2012

Hebrew Verb and Noun Axes

Qal Perfect Endings

Pronomial Suxes

Qal Imperfect Endings

Type 1

Type 2

Person/
Num.

English
Pron.

English
Ending

Hebrew
Ending

Person/
Num.

English
Pron.

English
Ending

Hebrew
Ending

English
Ending

Hebrew
Ending

English
Ending

Hebrew
Ending

3MS

he

3MS

he

yi

o/hu

W/Oh

ayv

wy 2

3FS

she

ah

h 2

y3

3FS

she

ah

H 2/h2

eyah

h2y 6i

2MS

you

ta

T2

T3

2MS

you

ka

]2

eyka

]2y 6i

2FS

you

te

T5

T3

2FS

you

0_iy

ke

ayik

\y# 1i

1CS

yT3

y 3_ T3

1CS

iy/niy

y 3/yn3

ay

y 1

3CP

they

a6

3MP

they

yi_u

hem/am

.h6/. 2

eyhem

.h6y 4

2MP

you

tem

.T6

O_ y3

3FP

they

0_nah

hen/an

,h6/, 2

eyhen

,h6y 4

2FP

you

ten

,T6

hn2_ T3

2MP

you

0_u

kem

.k6

eykem

.k6y 4

1CP

we

nu

On

O_ T3

2FP

you

0_nah

hn2_ T3

ken

,k6

eyken

,k6y 4

1CP

we

ni

n#

nu

On

eynu

Ony 4i

Vav ConsecuEve: w% before verb changes

aspect of verb or marks subordinate clause

Red suxes used

in imperaEve.

Noun (includes Dual)/Adjec0ve/Par0ciple Endings

Absolute

Construct

Gend

Sing

Plur

Dual

Sing

Plur

Dual

Masc

.y 3

.y# 1

y 4

y 4

Fem

h 2*

tW

.y#t1i 2

t 1 *

tW

yt4 5

* t 6 alternate ending for parEciples

Type 1: sing. nouns & some preps. & verbs

Type 2: plural nouns & some preposiEons

Other Notes:
1. BeGaDKeFaT le/ers take dagesh qal
2. Gu/erals: e a h j + (r) cannot take dagesh chazaq
3. Vowel Le/ers: h 2 y 4 y 3 W O
4. Qamets Chatuf (long o): only for closed, unstressed syllables

Jerrell Hein 11/25/2012

Hebrew GuXural and Weak Verbs

GuXural Verbs (a, h, j, e, (r))
1. Cannot take a dagesh chazaq
2. Prefer a-class vowels
3. Usually have a compound sheva
I-Gu/ural Verbs
No dagesh chazaq in R1 (lose Nil triangle)
II-Gu/ural Verbs
Piel, Pual, Hitpael lose dagesh chazaq in R2
III-Gu/ural Verbs
Ohen no eect
I-Alef Weak Verbs (R3R2a)
1. Most I-Alef verbs behave as I-Gu/ural verbs
2. Five I-Alef roots: He said: I am willing to eat
what I bake even if I perish!
3. IniEal a loses its consonantal status
(does not carry a vowel beneath it)
4. IniEal a drops out in 1CS Imperfect
III-Alef Weak Verbs (aR2R1)
1. Final a loses its consonantal status
(does not carry a vowel beneath it)
2. The vowel preceding the nal a lengthens
I-Nun Weak Verbs (R3R2n)
1. IniEal n may assimilate (drop out with dagesh
chazaq added to R2)
2. IniEal n may drop out (Qal ImperaEve & InniEve)
3. jq1l2 also acts like I-Nun weak verb
4. Final , in ,t1n2 may assimilate into following sux
5. Qal InniEve Construct of ,t1n2 is tT4

I-Vav/Yod Weak Verbs (R3R2w or R3R2y)

1. IniEal w or y contracts with preceding vowel
2. IniEal w or y may drop out in Qal ImperaEve
& InniEve Construct
3. Either w or y may appear as R1 for original I-Vav verbs
4. IniEal y may assimilate in I-Yod-Tsade verbs (R3xy)
III-He Weak Verbs (hR2R1)
1. Final h drops out with vocalic (vowel) sux
2. Final h contracts (to y 3or similar) with consonantal sux
3. Final h drops out in Past NarraEve or Jussive with no sux
II-Vav/Yod Weak Verbs (R3wR1 or R3yR1)
1. Middle w or y may drop out
2. Middle w or y may contract with a preceding or following vowel
(no longer a consonant)
3. Linking vowels (W,y 6) connect the root to consonantal suxes
II-III Weak Verbs (R3R2R1 where R3=R2)
1. R2 assimilates into R3 or R1 usually with dagesh chazaq added
2. Instead of Piel, Pual, Hitpael, most have Po`el, Po`al, Hitpo`el
Doubly Weak Verbs
1. Common Types: hR2a, hR2y, aR2y, aR2n, hR2n, ayR1, hyR1
(w y interchangable)
2. Weak Consonants That Drop Out: h (R3 only) w y
3. Weak Consonant That Assimilates: n (R1 only except ,tn)
4. Three Step Process to Determine Verb Root:
a. Remove inecEonal axes to isolate remainder of root.
b. IdenEfy possible weak consonants that could have been dropped.
c. Use lexicon to nd which possible roots actually exist.
5. Very common doubly weak verb: \Y!w! - HI smite, strike
Jerrell Hein 3/14/2012

Hebrew Vowel Rules

1. An accented syllable must have a full vowel.
2. An open unaccented syllable vowel is long or reduced, never short.
3. A closed unaccented syllable vowel is short.
4. An open pretonic syllable vowel is usually long.
5. An open distant syllable vowel usually reduces to a shewa or reduced/composite shewa half vowel.
6. An open distant syllable with an unchangeable long vowel will not reduce.
7. If the distant syllable vowel will not reduce, then an open pretonic syllable vowel may reduce.
8. Gu/erals (a, h, j, e) and resh (r) will not double. When a gu/eral or resh ought to double, the preceeding vowel is ohen lengthened to
compensate for the lost doubling, called compensatory lengthening. A vowel made long by compensatory lengthening
is an unchangeable long vowel.
9. SomeEmes aleph (a) will quiesce the aleph will have no vowel and the preceeding vowel will be lengthened. The vowel
before a quiescent aleph is an unchangeable long vowel.
10. Hebrew has two vowel combinaEons that readily contract to single vowels.
Vowel Class
ContracEon occurs when the vowels lose their accents.
First case: ,y#e1i => ,ye4
Second case: tw^m2i1 => tWm
Type
a i(e)
i u(o) u

Deni0ons
Open syllable syllable ending in a vowel
Closed syllable syllable ending in a consonant
Pretonic syllable syllable preceding accented syllable
Distant syllable syllable(s) preceding pretonic syllable
Full vowel short or long type vowel
Half vowel reduced/composite shewa type vowel
Unchangeable long vowel vowel le/er, vowel long due
to compensatory lengthening or quiescent aleph

b2

Long

qamets

Short

patach

Reduced
(Composite
Shewa)

Long

(Vowel
Le/ers)

b1
b8

chatef
patach

h 2

qamets
-he

b4

tsere

b6

segol

b0

chatef
segol

y 4

tsere-
yod

y 3

chireq-
yod

b3

chireq

bo

cholem

b2

qamets
-chatuf

shureq

b7

qibbuts

bu

chatef
qamets

cholem
-vav

Jerrell Hein 9/28/2012