Table of conjugations of Hebrew verbs with transliteration. Self-study of Hebrew is free. Verbs. Infinitive, future tense and imperative

Verbs (words denoting actions or states) in Hebrew, as in Russian, have the categories of gender, number, person, mood and tense. Hebrew verbs also have an unusual (absent in Goyish languages) and extremely interesting grammatical category בִּנייָן (“binYan” - structure, building), which plays a key role in understanding the nature of Hebrew verbs, their patterns of behavior and the application of grammatical rules.

Verbs in Hebrew change according to next times:
עָבָר - past tense;
הוֹוֶה - present tense;
עָתִיד - future tense.

Just like in Russian, Hebrew verbs have three moods - דֶרֶך (“dErekh”):
דֶרֶך הַחִיווּי - indicative mood, denoting a real action in a certain time (past, present, future);
דֶרֶך הַצִיווּי - imperative mood expressing a request, advice, order, encouragement to action. In modern Hebrew, the imperative mood is practically not used in colloquial speech, and instead the forms of the second person of the future tense are used (sometimes with the discarding of prefixes). The negative form of the imperative mood of all Hebrew verbs without exception is formed by combining the particle אַל and the corresponding form of the future tense;
דֶרֶך הַתנַאי - conditional (subjunctive) mood, denoting the desirability of an action, the possibility of performing an action under certain conditions.

Binyan is a grammatical category that unites verbs with a similar semantic focus and a common pattern of behavior. There are seven main binyans in Hebrew. The names of binyans are the third person masculine singular forms of the past tense of verbs derived from the root פעל ("to act"). Actually, the word "verb" in Hebrew is derived from the root פעל and is written as פּוֹעַל. It is customary to use the letters of the root פעל in Hebrew textbooks as abbreviations for the letters that make up any other root. Accordingly, the first letter in any root of any word in grammatical formulations is designated as פּ, the second - עַ and the third - ל. Thus, the abbreviation ל""ה literally means: "a verb with the third letter of the root - ה". A verb with the first guttural letter of the root is denoted as פ""גר (the accepted abbreviation of the word גרוֹנִי - “guttural” is used). The semantic content and relationship of binyans is given in the table below on this page.

Formally, Hebrew verbs are distributed among binyans approximately as follows:
30% - binyan פָּעַל,
22% - binyan פִּיעֵל,
18% - binyan הִפעִיל,
15% - binyan הִתפַּעֵל,
8% - binyan נִפעַל,
3.5% - binyan פּוּעַל,
2.5% - binyan הוּפעַל.

You should also know (a hint for dividing your effort in learning Hebrew verbs) that in real life more than half of them belong to binyan פָּעַל total number the most commonly used Hebrew verbs (the so-called “verbs of essentials” - go, know, say, sleep, eat, think, etc.).

The vowels in the names of binyans are common to all verbs of a given binyan in the main dictionary form - 3rd person singular husband. kind of past tense. Thus, any binyan verb פָּעַל in the 3rd person singular is husband. The gender of the past tense has the form: , where the squares indicate the letters of the root.

Depending on which consonants are included in the root, in Hebrew there is such a concept as גִזרָה - “a type of root”, “pattern, blank”, which defines a subgroup of binyan.

To thoroughly understand the rules for using a Hebrew verb, it must be accurately classified, i.e. determine belonging to a specific binyan and within the binyan - to the corresponding subgroup. Only after this can you assign the correct vowels in a word, deletion or replacement of consonants, etc. In authoritative Hebrew textbooks, most of the rules associated with the use of verbs are formulated in terms of binyans and their subgroups. Small practical experience and minimal knowledge of grammar usually allows you to identify a binyan by appearance verb.

Conjugation of Hebrew verbs in all tenses is carried out by adding standard prefixes and endings to the basic, tense-dependent form of the verb, giving the verb the categories of person, gender and number. The possible replacement of vowels in the stem of a verb during conjugation is determined by a system of rules based on the formal classification of the verb (identifying membership in a certain group within a certain binyan).

The present tense of verbs is formed on the basis of the singular masculine form of the present tense. In the present tense, verbs take the gender and number endings characteristic of nouns and adjectives: masculine, plural. number - ending ים, feminine singular. number - ending ת (in some cases - ה), and plural. number - ending וֹת.

Since endings in the present tense do not differ by person, in sentences before the verb there must be a noun or pronoun that clearly designates the person with whom the indicated action is associated.

The endings of verbs in the present tense are shown in the table below, the symbols □□□ indicate the present tense stem - the singular masculine form of the present tense.

				Face
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	1
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	2
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	3

The past tense is based on the 3rd person singular form. masculine past tense. By the way, in most dictionaries verbs are given in this form (which is the main difficulty for newcomers to Hebrew when searching in dictionaries).

Verbs in the past tense are conjugated using standard past tense endings. The endings of verbs in the past tense are shown in the table below, the icons □□□ indicate the basis of the simple tense - the 3rd person singular form. masculine past tense.

				Face
□□□נוּ	□□□תִּי	□□□נוּ	□□□תִּי	1
□□□תֶּן	□□□תְּ	□□□תֵּם	□□□תָּ	2
□□□וּ	□□□ה	□□□וּ	□□□	3

Verbs in the future tense are conjugated using standard prefixes (prefixes) and future endings. Prefixes and prefixes are added to the stem of the future tense of the verb, specified in the dictionary. The prefixes and endings of future tense verbs are shown in the table below, with □□□ indicating the future tense stem.

				Face
נ□□□	א□□□	נ□□□	א□□□	1
ת□□□וּ	ת□□□י	ת□□□וּ	ת□□□	2
י□□□וּ	ת□□□	י□□□וּ	י□□□	3

In an interrogative sentence beginning with a question word, the present tense verb must come after the subject, while in the past or future tense the verb can come before the subject.

More than 1000 conjugation tables for the most commonly used Hebrew verbs, including all tenses and forms with vowels, as well as the imperative mood, are given. The search is carried out using the indefinite form of the verb in Russian. To practice conjugating Hebrew verbs, you can use an interactive simulator. I definitely recommend that owners of mobile gadgets install mobile app"Verbs in Hebrew". In addition to searching in Russian, in the application you can search for a verb in any of its forms (tense, gender, person, number) in Hebrew. The application includes an interactive simulator for exercising the conjugation of the selected verb. All tables are fully vocalized; information about the root and binyan is provided for the selected verb. No Internet connection is required to operate; the database is initially integrated into the application. Details. You can download the application from this link.

The main Hebrew binyans are listed in the table below, I suggest you memorize them. The task of the test is to accurately drag the names of all binyans with the mouse to their “rightful” places in the table. A decent result - no more than 30 seconds of time spent with complete absence errors.

Verbs in Hebrew vary according to the following tenses:
עָבָר - past tense;
הוֹוֶה - present tense;
עָתִיד - future tense.

Just like in Russian, Hebrew verbs have three moods - דֶרֶך (“dErekh”):
דֶרֶך הַחִיווּי - indicative mood, denoting a real action in a certain time (past, present, future);
דֶרֶך הַצִיווּי - imperative mood, expressing a request, advice, order, encouragement to action. In modern Hebrew, the imperative mood is practically not used in colloquial speech, and instead the forms of the second person of the future tense are used (sometimes with the discarding of prefixes). The negative form of the imperative mood of all Hebrew verbs without exception is formed by combining the particle אַל and the corresponding form of the future tense;
דֶרֶך הַתנַאי - conditional (subjunctive) mood, denoting the desirability of an action, the possibility of performing an action under certain conditions.

You should also know (a hint to the distribution of efforts in learning Hebrew verbs) that in real life, more than half of the total number of the most commonly used Hebrew verbs (the so-called “verbs of essentials” - go, know, say, sleep, eat, think, etc.).

Depending on which consonants are included in the root, in Hebrew there is such a concept as גִזרָה - “a type of root”, “pattern, blank”, which defines a subgroup of binyan.

To thoroughly understand the rules for using a Hebrew verb, it must be accurately classified, i.e. determine belonging to a specific binyan and within the binyan - to the corresponding subgroup. Only after this can you assign the correct vowels in a word, deletion or replacement of consonants, etc. In authoritative Hebrew textbooks, most of the rules associated with the use of verbs are formulated in terms of binyans and their subgroups. With a little practical experience and minimal knowledge of grammar, you can usually identify a binyan by the appearance of the verb.

The endings of verbs in the present tense are shown in the table below, the symbols □□□ indicate the present tense stem - the singular masculine form of the present tense.

				Face
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	1
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	2
□□□וֹת	□□□ת	□□□ים	□□□	3

				Face
□□□נוּ	□□□תִּי	□□□נוּ	□□□תִּי	1
□□□תֶּן	□□□תְּ	□□□תֵּם	□□□תָּ	2
□□□וּ	□□□ה	□□□וּ	□□□	3

				Face
נ□□□	א□□□	נ□□□	א□□□	1
ת□□□וּ	ת□□□י	ת□□□וּ	ת□□□	2
י□□□וּ	ת□□□	י□□□וּ	י□□□	3

In an interrogative sentence beginning with a question word, the present tense verb must come after the subject, while in the past or future tense the verb can come before the subject.

More than 1000 conjugation tables for the most commonly used Hebrew verbs, including all tenses and forms with vowels, as well as the imperative mood, are given. The search is carried out using the indefinite form of the verb in Russian. To practice conjugating Hebrew verbs, you can use an interactive simulator. I definitely recommend that owners of mobile gadgets install the “Verbs in Hebrew” mobile application. In addition to searching in Russian, in the application you can search for a verb in any of its forms (tense, gender, person, number) in Hebrew. The application includes an interactive simulator for exercising the conjugation of the selected verb. All tables are fully vocalized; information about the root and binyan is provided for the selected verb. No Internet connection is required to operate; the database is initially integrated into the application. Details. You can download the application from this link.

Now we will study the conjugation of verbs in Hebrew and the formation of binyan forms.

In each binyan there are six different grammatical categories, which, in fact, all together constitute one verbal binyan. First, there are three times:

Past - “did”
Present - “does”
Future - “will do”

Secondly, it is an infinitive (indefinite form) - “to do”. Further, this is the imperative mood or imperative (from the Latin " imperare" - “command"), in Hebrew this form is called צִוּוּי - “do / do.” And finally, the form of the name of action (שֵׁם פְּעֻלָה “shem peula”), which denotes the process of action - “doing”. This is nothing more than a verbal noun, but since each binyan has its own form of forming the action name, it is convenient to consider it together with the binyan. So, each binyan has five verb forms and one nominal form. True, this is the maximum number; in some binyans there are fewer, which we will talk about later.

Formation of conjugation forms

How are these forms formed? Conjugation, i.e. changing the verb by person (“I do/you do/he does/we do”) in Hebrew is the same for all binyans. What is the difference between the different binyans? First of all, in the stem, to which endings or conjugation prefixes are attached. If you know the basis, then you can construct all forms of the verb in more or less the same way. It is clear that there are much fewer basics than forms, and therefore it is best to start studying by considering the basics, and then “dance” from there each time.

The maximum number of stems in each binyan is less than the number of grammatical categories. The point is that regular verbs(and now we are working on regular three-letter verbs) the basics of the future tense, infinitive and imperative always match. This is due to the logic of these fundamentals. The imperative mood corresponds to the future tense: “do”, i.e. you don't do it yet, I ask you to do it. And the Hebrew infinitive with the preposition ל like לִכְתֹב (“likhtov” - to write) has the original meaning “to do, to write,” for example: אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לִכְתֹב (“ani rotse likhtov” - I want (to) write), i.e. here we are also talking about action that takes place in the future.

So, the bases of the future tense, imperative and infinitive coincide and, therefore, the maximum number of different bases in the binyan is only four (out of six possible, two coincide, leaving four). Most binyans have fewer than four stems, which makes memorizing them even easier. Let's consider them sequentially in all binyans:

1. פָּעַל “paal” (worker)

The basis of the past tense is announced by the vowels “a-a”, for example: כָּתַב (“katav” - wrote), עָמַד (“amad” - stood), חָשַׁב (“hashav” - thought). This form coincides with the third person singular masculine form - “he did”, that is, the stem כָּתַב is also the form “he wrote”.

By the way, the name of any binyan is formed from the root פעל, meaning “to act”, and therefore is nothing more than the past tense stem of this verb. In the first binyan we have as the name the form פָּעַל “paʹal”, literally it means “he acted.” At the same time, since the bases of the past tense are very clearly different in all binyans, we simultaneously “kill two birds with one stone” - firstly, we get the name of the binyan, and secondly, the base of the past tense. One could say - the first binyan, the second or the third, but the name could immediately demonstrate the basis of the past tense. Therefore, if you are asked what is the basis of the past tense of binyana פָּעַל, you answer ־ָ־ַ־ “a-a” (כָּתַב), binyana פִּעֵל “piel” - ־ִ־ֵ־ “ee” (דִבֵּר), and binyana הִפְעִיל “hifil” - הִ־ְ־ִי־ “hi-b-i” (הִדְלִיק)

Past tense

So, let's return to פָּעַל. Let's take the basis of the past tense כָּתַב (“katʁav” - wrote). The form “I did” is formed by adding the unstressed suffix תִי “ti”. אֲנִי כָּתַבְתִי (“ani katavti” - I wrote or I wrote) - in Hebrew perfect and imperfect species differs only in context. Let's look at the conjugation of the verb "katav" with other pronouns:

“You” is formed using the suffix תָ “ta” - to rhyme with the pronoun אַתָה (“atá” - you are a plural): אַתָה כָּתַבְתָ (“atá kataʹta” - you wrote/you wrote). IN feminine with the suffix תְ “t”: אַתְ כָּתַבְתְ (“at kataʹvt” - you wrote/you wrote).

“He” - הוּא כָּתַב (“hu katʁav” - he wrote/wrote). The ending is added for "she" female“a” and the stem is shortened - instead of כָּתַבָה “katava”, כַּתְבָה “katvaʁ” is formed.

“We” - ending נוּ “well”: אָנוּ כָּתַבְנוּ (“anu katavnu” - we wrote/wrote).

“You” - ending תֶם “tem”: אַתֶם כָּתַבְתֶם (“atem katavtem” - you wrote/wrote)

“They” - the ending is “u” and the form sounds כָּתְבוּ (“katvu” - they wrote/wrote)

It can be seen that all these forms are clearly distinguished by their endings. Please note the abbreviation of the forms: כַּתְבָה (“katva” - wrote) and כָּתְבוּ (“katvu” - wrote) instead of כַּתַבָה “katava” and כָּתַבוּ “katavu”. Since these forms are abbreviated, we do not say that they have a different basis, but we believe that in the forms כַּתַבָה “katava” and כָּתַבוּ “katavu” the same basis כָּתַב “katav”, as in the form כָּתַבְתִי (“katavti”) " - I wrote).

Present tense

We continue to consider the forms פָּעַל. Let's move on to the present time. In the present tense of all binyans there are no verb forms that would be conjugated in Hebrew in the same way as in Russian: “I do, you do, he does,” but there is the so-called active participle, i.e. form indicating actor, for example: “writing, reading, speaking.”

The familiar forms כּוֹתֵב “kotev” and עוֹמֵד “omed” are nothing more than a participle. In פָּעַל the stem of the participle is formed by the vowels “o” and “e”, which are placed between the consonants of the root, i.e. כּוֹתֵב ("kotev" - writing), עוֹמֵד ("omed" - standing), יוֹשֵׁב ("yoshev" - sitting). The feminine gender is formed by adding the ending ־ֶת “et”: כּוֹתֶבֶת (“kotevet” - writing), עוֹמֶדֶת (“omedet” - standing), יוֹשֶׁבֶת (“yosheʹvet” - sitting).

In plural the endings ־ִים “im” in the masculine gender, וֹת “from” in the feminine are added and the stem is shortened - instead of כּוֹתֵבִים “kote vim”, כּוֹתְבִים “kotvim” is formed, and instead of כּוֹתֵבוֹת “kote here” » is formed כּוֹתְבוֹת “kovot”.

The participle is often found in independent use and this can cause difficulties when . For example: אָדָם הַיוֹשֵׁב עַל הַכִּסֵא (“adam hayoshev al hakise” - a person sitting on a chair), הָאָדָם יוֹשֵׁב עַל הַכִּסֵא (“haadam yoshev al haqise” - a person sits on a chair), although the literal translation is the same: “a person is sitting on a chair.” But here - הָאָדָם , stands next to the word אָדָם and thus, this is the starting point of the statement, and then it is reported about it: יוֹשֵׁב עַל הַכִּסֵא "sits on a chair." But in the first case it’s different: אָדָם הַיוֹשֵׁב עַל הַכִּסֵא , the article הַ stands next to the participle “sitting”, which indicates the continuation of the original information (what kind of person?).

Future

The future tense of binyan פָּעַל is formed from brief basics, which has “shva” in the first place, and “o” in the second place (כְּתֹב “whoʹv”). The same applies, of course, to the infinitive and imperative mood.

Infinitive

Let's start with the infinitive for simplicity. The infinitive in any binyan is formed from the stem by adding the prefix ל, simply the consonant “l” in its pure form. If we add the consonant ל to the stem כְּתֹב, then we will naturally have to put “and” under ל for euphony, because the two vowels of “shva” at the beginning of the word are difficult to pronounce, and we will get the form לִכְתֹב (“likhtov” - to write).

Future tense of regular verbs

The future tense of regular verbs is formed by rhyming with the infinitive. For this purpose, prefixes (prefixes) are used. These prefixes are the same for all binyans and consist only of consonants that characterize a particular person and number:

א “alef” corresponds to the first person singular – “I”
נ "nun" plural - "we"
ת “tav” corresponds to the pronoun “you” in the masculine and feminine, as well as “you” and “she”
י “yud” - “he”, “they”

What happens if we add one of these consonants to the stem כְּתֹב “who”? Let's start, for example, with the second person. Putting תְ and כְּתֹב together, we get תְכְתֹב. Two vowels of “schwa” at the beginning of a word sound ugly, and just as in the case of the infinitive, we vowelize the first consonant, i.e. consonant prefix, with the sound “and”: תִכְתֹב “tikhtov”. This word means “you will write.” “He” is י, and again, replacing the first “shva” with “and” we get: יִכְתֹב (“ichtov” - he will write/he will write). We - נ with the stem כְּתֹב forms נִכְתֹב (“nikhtov” - we will write/will write). In the form of the first person singular (“I”) א receives the vowel not “and”, but “e”, so that this form differs audibly from the form of the 3rd person יִכְתֹב “he will write” even with fast speech and not very careful. So, אֶכְתֹב (“ehtoʹv” - I will write). “She will write” sounds תִכְתֹב “tikhtov”, and this form coincides with the form תִכְתֹב (“tikhtov” - you will write). This applies to all binyans. The forms “you” (m.r.) and “she” in the future tense are identical, they differ only in context or by the addition: אַתָה תִכְתֹב (“ata tikhtov” - you will write), הִיא תִכְתֹב (“hi tikhtov” - she will write) .

Other conjugation forms in Hebrew are formed using endings. “You will write” in the feminine gender is formed from the masculine form תִכְתֹב by adding the ending “and” and shortening the stem - instead of תִכְתֹבִי “tikhto vi”, תִכְתְבִי “tikhtevi” is formed. The second “schwa” is pronounced, because is obtained by shortening the vowel “o” and should always be pronounced as a short “e”.

In the plural, “you will write” is formed by adding the ending “u” to the form “you will write” - תִכְתְבוּ “tikhtevu”. The ending “u” has already been found in the past tense, in the plural of verbs, remember: כָּתְבוּ (“katvu” - they wrote). “They will write” is formed from the form “on” - יִכְתֹב “ichtoʹv” by adding the same ending “u” - יִכְתְבוּ “ichtevu”.

In modern spoken language There is no distinction between masculine and feminine for the forms “you will write” and “they will write,” but in literary Hebrew there is a feminine form. In order not to confuse you, we did not give this form as an example.

Imperative mood

It is formed from the second person future tense form “you” and “you” by dropping the prefix. Let’s take the form תִכְתֹב (“tikhtov” - you will write) and discarding the prefix “ti”, we get כְּתֹב (“who” - write/write). This is nothing more than the basis of the future tense in its pure form.

In the feminine gender we take the form תִכְתְבִי “tikhtevi” and again drop the “ti”, leaving כְּתְבִי “ktevi”. Since this form is dissonant - two vowels of “shva” at the beginning of a word are unacceptable, we add an auxiliary “and”: כִּתְבִי (“kitvi” - write zh.r.)

The plural form תִכְתְבוּ “tikhtevu” gives after dropping “ti” and adding the vowel “and” כִּתְבוּ (“kitvu” - write).

It must be said that in modern Hebrew you can most often hear the forms of the future tense as an imperative mood: תִכְתֹב (“tikhtov” - write m.r.), תִכְתְבִי (“tikhtevi” - write j.r.), תִכְתְבוּ (“tikhtevu” - write). These forms sound less categorical, something like “write it down, write it down,” but the forms כְּתֹב, כִּתְבִי, כִּתְבוּ - This is more of an order.

Action name

And finally, the name of the action (designation of the process) in פָּעַל is formed as follows: under the first consonant - “shva”, under the second - “and” and the feminine ending “a”: כְּתִיבָה (“ktiva” - scripture), יְשִׁיבָה (“yeshiva” - sitting/meeting), פְּתִיחָה (“bird” - opening/opening). Thus, we have considered all forms of conjugation of the verbal binyan פָּעַל.

Let's move on now to the rest of the binyans. Here everything will be simpler, since we already know the principles of conjugation, which, as stated, apply equally to all binyans.

2. פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker/teacher)

Here, the basis of the past tense, as is clear from the very name of the binyan, is a form with the vowels “i” and “e”: דִבֵּר (“diber” spoke), לִמֵד (“limed” — taught). Let's compare the basis of the past tense with the basis of the present tense. The first vowel “and” changes to “a” and forms the forms: דַבֵּר “daber” and לַמֵד “lamed.” The same stem is used to form the forms of the future tense, infinitive and imperative. Thus, there is one less stem here than in פָּעַל. And finally, the name of the action has a stem with the vowels “and” and “u” and an invariable root, for example: דִבּוּר (“dibur” - conversation/speech), לִמוּד (“limud” - learning/teaching). If you remember these three basics, you can easily form all the forms of binyan פִּעֵל. How?

Past tense

Let's start with the past tense. “He talked” - דִבֵּר “diber”, “she talked” - you need to add the feminine ending “a” and shorten the stem - דִבְּרָה “dibra”. “They”, as you might guess, is דִבְּרוּ “dibru”. The first two persons are formed using endings with consonants. “I talked” is the ending of תִי “ti” - דִבֵּרְתִי, however, before ending with a consonant, the sound “e” changes to “a” and this form sounds דִבַּרְתִי “dibarti”. Similarly, “you” - דִבַּרְתָ “dibarta”, in the feminine gender - דִבַּרְת “dibart”, “we” - דִבַּרְנוּ “dibarnu”, “you” - דִבַּרְתֶם “di Bartham." You see that these endings are no different from the endings in binyan פָּעַל.

Present tense

In the present tense פִּעֵל the stem דַבֵּר is used with the present tense prefix. In פָּעַל there was no such prefix, in פִּעֵל there is one, and it is present in most binyans. This is the prefix מ (consonant “m”). Let's take the base דַבֵּר "daber" and add the prefix מְ - we get מְדַבֵּר "medaber". It means "speaker", a form that is used as the present tense. Feminine - מְדַבֶּרֶת “medabaret”. מְדַבְּרִם “medabrim”, מְדַבְּרוֹת “medabrot” - plural.

Infinitive, future tense and imperative

The infinitive has the stem דַבֵּר “daber” and the prefix לְ “le”, it sounds - לְדַבֵּר (“ledaber” - to speak). The future tense is formed to rhyme with the infinitive, replacing the prefix “le” with a prefix corresponding to the person. תִדַבֵּר (“tidaber” — you will speak), יְדַבֵּר (“idaber” — he will speak), נְדַבֵּר (“nedaber” — we will speak), אֲדַבֵר (“idaber” — I will speak). In the feminine gender in the 2nd person, the ending “and” is תְדַבְּרִי (“tedabri” - you will speak (addressing a woman). תְדַבְּר (“tedaber” - she will speak), let us remind you, coincides with the form “you will speak” (m .r.). דַבְּרִי ("dabri" - say zh.r.), דַבְּרוּ ("dabru" - say).

Action name

The name of the action is דִבּוּר (“dibur” - conversation). Exists additional form name of the action פִּעֵל with vowels “a” - “a” and a feminine ending like קַבָּלָה (“kabala” - reception), בַּקָשָׁה (“bakasha” - request), but it is not productive in modern Hebrew, i.e. you can find in a dictionary what has already been formed over the course of centuries, but new forms are formed according to this model relatively rarely. The “i”-“u” form, on the contrary, is very productive and is a common pattern for this binyan.

3. הִפְעִיל “hifil” (chief)

Past tense

The basis of the past tense is הִפְעִיל, for example: הִדְלִיק (“hidlik” - he lit), הִדְלִיקָה (“hidlik” - she lit), הִדְלִיקוּ (“hidlik” - they lit). “I lit” is the ending of תִי “ti”, but instead of הִדְלִיקְתִי “hidlikti” - הִדְלַקְתִי “hidlakti”. “You lit” - הִדְלַקְתָ “hidlakta”, “you lit” - הִדְלַקְתְ “hidlakt”, “we lit” - הִדְלַקְנוּ “hidlakna”, “you lit” - ה ִדְלַקְתֶם “hidlaktem.”

Present tense

The basis of the present tense is הַדְלִיק “hadlik”. From this base the present tense is formed with the addition of the prefix מְ, example: מְהַדְלִיק. However, the ה of prefixes tends to disappear after a consonant. Therefore, instead of מְהַדְלִיק it turns out מַדְלִיק (“madlik” - kindling). In the feminine gender in this binyan the ending “a” is מַדְלִיקָה “madlika”, מַדְלִיקִים “madlikim”, מַדְלִיקוֹת “madlikot” - plural.

Infinitive and future tense

For the infinitive we have in הִפְעִיל the same basis as in the present tense, and it sounds לְהַדְלִיק (“lehadlik” - to light). In this form the ה does not disappear. In the future tense, prefixes “eat up” ה in the same way as a present tense prefix does. Instead of the form אֲהַדְלִיק, אַדְלִיק is formed ("adlik" - I will light), instead of תְהַדְלִיק, תַדְלִיק is formed ("tadlik" - you will light). “You will light” in the feminine gender תַדְלִיקִי “tadliki.” “He will light” - יַדְלִיק “yadlik”, “she” - תַדְלִיק “tadlik”, “we will light” - נַדְלִיק “nadlik”, “you will light” - תַדְלִיקוּ “tadlik” ́ku”, “they will light” - יַדְלִיקוּ “yadliku”.

Imperative mood

The imperative mood is formed by discarding the prefix: הַדְלִיק (“hadlik” — light the m.r.), הַדְלִיקִי (“hadlik” — light the l.r.), הַדְלִיקוּ (“hadliq” light). These forms are categorical, and in colloquial Hebrew you can hear תַדְלִיק “tadlik”, תַדְלִיקִי “tadliki”, תַדְלִיקוּ “tadliku”.

Action name

The name of the action in הִפְעִיל has the form הַ־ְ־ָ־ָה - example: הַדְלָקָה (“hadlaka” - ignition). Note the parallelism of the forms פִּעֵל and הִפְעִיל. Compare the past tense: in פִּעֵל the form is דִבֵּר "diber", in הִפְעִיל - the form הִדְלִיק "hidlik". The present tense in פִּעֵל is the form דַבֵּר “daber”, and in הִפְעִיל – the form הַדְלִיק “hadlik” (replacing the first “i” with “a”). The same goes for the future tense, imperative and infinitive. In the past tense before the end of the first two persons: דִבַּרְתִי “dibarti”, instead of דִבֵּרְתִי “diberti” and הִדְלַקְתִי “hidlakti”, instead of הִדְלִיקְת ִי “hidlikti”.

Passive binyans

We looked at three active binyans. Now let's move on to the passive ones - נִפְעַל "niphʹal", פֻּעַל "pual", הֻפְעַל "hufʹal" and the reflexive הִתְפַּעֵל "hitpael". First, let's look at the forms of binyan פֻּעַל. It has one single stem - פֻּעַל and only (in modern Hebrew, according to at least) three forms - past, present and future tense. Let’s take the verb דֻבַּר “dubar” (from לְדַבֵּר “ladaber” - to speak), which means “to be spoken by someone/about something.”

דֻבַּר “dubar” is the stem and at the same time the singular form of the masculine third person: זֶה כְּבָר דַבֵּר (“ze kvar dubar” - this (about this) was said). הִיא דֻבְּרָה (“hi dubra” - it was said about her), “you” - דֻבַּרְתָ “dubarta”. In the present tense there is the same stem and prefix מְ, example: מְדֻבָּר (“medubar” - they say).

In the future tense there are forms: אֲדֻבָּר (“adubar” - about me will be spoken), יְדֻבָּר (“idubar” — will be spoken about him), תְדֻבָּר (“tedubar” — about her), נְדֻבָּר (“neduba”) r" - about us), תְדֻבְּרוּ ("tedubru" - about you (you will be discussed) and יְדֻבְּרוּ ("idubru" - about them (they will be discussed). There are no other forms in פֻּעַל.

הֻפְעַל “hufal” also has only one single stem הֻפְעַל and three tenses, i.e. the parallelism between פֻּעַל and הֻפְעַל continues in their passives. For example, הֻדְלַק (“hudlak” - was lit), in the feminine gender - הֻדְלְקָה ("hudleka" - lit), in the plural - הֻדְלְקוּ "hudleku", etc.

In the present tense, we add מְ to the base הֻדְלַק and after leaving ה, as before, we get - מֻדְלָק (“mudlak” - lit), מֻדְלֶקֶת “mudleket”, מֻדְלָקִים “mudlakim” ", מֻדְלָקוֹת "mudlakot".

In the future, accordingly, after the departure of ה, it turns out תֻדְלַק (“tudlak” - you will be lit), תֻדְלְקִי “tudleki” - in the feminine gender, יֻדְלַק (“yudlak” - it will be lit), תֻדְלַק (“tudla ́к" - it will be lit) , יֻדְלְקוּ (“yudleku” - they will be lit). It can be seen that the principle of conjugation of these forms is quite simple.

Binyan נִפְעַל “niphʹal.” He has all six forms and two various bases. Past tense stem: נִפְעַל “niphʹal”. For example: נִכְתַב ("nikhtav" - was written), נִכְתְבָה ("nikhteva" - it was written), נִכְתְבוּ ("nikhtevu" - they were written). The stem has the same sound in the present tense: נִכְתָב “nikhtav”. Strictly speaking, נִכְתַב in the past tense is voweled with a short “a”, and in the present tense with a long “a”, but in modern pronunciation the difference between both forms is erased.

The basis of the conjugation of the future tense, imperative and infinitive is completely different and has the form הִפָּעֵל “hipael”, that is, it is sharply different from נִפְעַל “niphal”. The infinitive of the root כּתב sounds לְהִכָּתֵב (“lehikateʹv” - to write). In the future tense, ה is “eaten” and the forms אֶכָּתֵב “ekateʹv”, תִכָּתֵב “tikatʁv”, יִכָּתֵב “ikatʹev”, etc. appear.

Do you love Hebrew and have been studying it for several days? Have you finished ulpan or studied with a teacher? Perhaps you had practice communicating with native speakers? But you are still afraid that you are making the mistakes Russian speakers make when using Hebrew verbs. Test yourself!

Hebrew verbs - mistakes Russian speakers make when using Hebrew verbs

Part 3 is on air today. I called this part “Hebrew verbs and what is connected with them.” Every second student made these mistakes when completing assignments. And they are accepted by the majority of Russian speakers when they come to me not completely from scratch, but with a small baggage of knowledge of Hebrew.

1. Rule MINERAL מינרל for reading the SHVA vowel ְ

We are all accustomed to the fact that the vowel of a seam is, as a rule, unreadable. However, in verbal nouns, binyan Paal at the beginning of a word in combination with the letters מ,י, נ,ר,ל - read shvaAlways like [uh].

מ [me]
י [e]
נ [ne]
ר [re]
ל [le]

For example:

sale [ meh hirA] מְ כירה;
seat [ e shiva] יְ שיבה;
driving [ ne-igA] נְ היגה;
list [ re shimA] רְ שימה;
studying [ le midA] לְ מידה

2. Translation into Hebrew of the Russian preposition “NA” verbatim

Preposition על translated as about (something), on (the surface of something), above (something). But it is not translated literally from Russian every time we hear “na”.

Let's look at examples:

I'm going to work - yes.

In the Russian version we hear the preposition “on”, but we translate (preposition of direction) ל.

I'm on vacation - yes.

Here again we hear “on”, but not in the meaning - on the surface. Therefore in in this case the preposition ב is used, describing a static state somewhere.

As you have already noticed, when translated into Hebrew, the meaning of some words, in particular prepositions, changes. To avoid mistakes, try not to transmit literal translation from Russian.

It is important to understand the relationship of the preposition to the following word and translate not the word itself, but its relationship (connection). This is probably why prepositions in Hebrew are called relationship words מלות-יחס

3. Home, home, home in Hebrew

Let's look at three expressions that are found in speech every day. They are needed in connection with verbs of movement - go, go, come, arrive.

These phrases are popular and quite simple, but at the same time they are often confused. All you need to do is just remember:

at home (static) - בבית ;
home (dynamics) - הביתה
to the house (dynamics) - לבית

4. How not to confuse את(et)/ את(at)?

In the first caseאת is a preposition and is read as [et]. In a sentence, [et] usually comes immediately after the verb and indicates a connection with the next word. As a rule, [et] acts as the accusative case.

In the second case, את [at] is translated asYou female. [At] usually comes first in a sentence, acting as the subject.
For example:

Have you read this book? — ?את קראת את הספר הזה

Etc Note: In this example, you can omit the subjects. See point 9.

5. Headache when consuming passive binyans. How can you even understand them?!!

One of the main problems when translating from Russian into Hebrew arises when using the passive voice. This grammatical construction baffles almost everyone. First, we need to understand what the passive and active voices are.

Active voice indicates a person who performs some action on an object, For example:

Masha writes a letter - משה כותבת מכתב .

The passive voice, in contrast to the active voice, indicates an object or person who experiences the action, for example:

The letter is written (that is, it is not he who writes, but it is written) - המכתב נכתב .

The binyans used to express the passive voice in Hebrew are Nif'al, P'al, and Uf'al. However, often even after full analysis this grammar causes some confusion and fear of translating incorrectly. Especially among those who are just getting acquainted with the language.

My advice to you is to try to avoid passiveness. Translate all sentences into active actions until you gain confidence in spoken Hebrew. Believe me, your speech will not be impoverished if you use only active binyans.

Moreover, many Israelis practically do not use the passive voice. I am sure that when you start speaking Hebrew fluently and want to understand the passive, it will seem completely harmless to you.

6. Incorrect word order in Hebrew

The list of errors in Hebrew is also supplemented by incorrect word order. For a more precise analysis, we will divide this point into two subgroups:

1. Order of words in phrases of a noun and an adjective:

adjective + noun = good teacher(Russian variant);
noun + adjective = good teacher המורה טוב — (Hebrew version);

2. Word order in verb phrases with the pronominal form of prepositions:

a pronoun in Russian, like a noun, has the property of being inflected. There is no such option in Hebrew.

To change the case form of a pronoun, prepositions come to the rescue. Conjugate preposition + pronoun, by analogy with the Russian language, I want to put in first place in the sentence. But this doesn't happen.

In Hebrew, the conjugate form: preposition + pronoun comes immediately after the verb it refers to, for example:

Should I tell you? (Russian variant).

Tell you? (Hebrew version). - What about?

By the way, for better understanding and more practice, I specially developed the “Phrase Constructor” program, which you can find on the website of the “Ivrika” school. This program will help you practice word order in Hebrew until it becomes automatic.

7. Incorrect reading of the letter י [yud] in future tense prefixes

For many, this has become almost the norm.
י is not a vowel sound [and].
י - short consonant sound [th].
In order for י to be truly pronounced as a vowel [and] it needs the vowel of hirik. For example, as in the word: Inna - אינה.

8. Pronunciation [ל]

One of the most common mistakes in spoken Hebrew, and not just among beginners, is pronunciation of the letter ל lamed.

ל is softened by almost everything, starting with the word לא - “no”, ending with the preposition -ל. The sound ל in Hebrew is neither soft nor hard at the same time. Therefore, it is not possible to write it correctly in Russian transcription.

Try to pronounce something between hard and soft [l]. Another option correct pronunciation: Try to pronounce a soft vowel without softening the consonant that precedes it. For example, in the word: ללמוד.

9. Using personal pronouns in the future and past tenses

This point is not an error in itself, but it raises many questions. To avoid confusion, I suggest you sort it out too.

When do we have the right to omit personal pronouns?
Does this apply to all times?
Can all pronouns be omitted or some, etc.

The answer is very simple. You need to remember that personal pronouns 1st and 2nd person: Iאני , Weאנחנו , Youאת/אתה , Youאתם/אתן can be omitted in the past and future tense. If you are still afraid of getting confused, just always use personal pronouns. Then you definitely won't make a mistake.

For example:

(את) קראת את הספר הזה? -Have you read this book?

10. How not to confuse prepositions of direction - ל And אל ?

Preposition -ל used in combination with nouns, For example:

I'm coming V Moscow. — אני נוסע למוסקבה

I'm coming To to a friend. — אני נוסע לחבר

I'm coming To mom. — אני נוסע לאמא

Preposition אל used together with pronouns, For example:

I'm coming To you. — אני נוסע אליך

I'm coming To her. — אני נוסע אליה

We have reviewed the TOP 20 mistakes among beginners and those already practicing Hebrew. I believe that by carefully reading this material, you risk saying goodbye to the fear of making one of the mistakes listed above once and for all. After all, you see, in reality everything is not so complicated.

If, after reading the article, you realized that your knowledge on the topic of Hebrew verbs is still far from ideal, I suggest you take the Sprint and Marathon course on Hebrew verbs from the online Hebrew school “Ivrika”.

Today this is the only complete, practical online course of Hebrew verbs for reading and communication.

What mistakes have Russian speakers made when using Hebrew verbs? Write in the comments, we’ll figure it out together!

Repost the article and like it! And see you again on air! Happy Hebrew to you! Good luck!

— verbal binyan system. Usually, binyans cause the greatest difficulties in perception and even by their very name they scare away those starting to study Hebrew. However, in this matter, as in others, everything depends on the approach. You can look at the binyans from such a perspective when they represent a system, harmonious and beautiful in its own way. This will allow you to look into the very essence of the Hebrew verb and understand the system of verb forms in the play of colors, and not suffer, driving a frozen, lifeless scheme into your head.

Difference between Russian and Hebrew verbs

First of all, let’s ask ourselves the question: what semantic connection exists between the different binyans, what is the meaning of the fact that in Hebrew, instead of one single form of the verb, seven are used? To do this, we note that there is a certain analogy between the Jewish binyan system and Russian prefixed verbs.

Consider, for example, the verb “to run.” You can attach a whole series of prefixes to it and we get: “run, run away, run out, run in, run up.” Each of them is a completely independent verb - it has a past, present and future tense, an infinitive, and an imperative mood. However, it is clear that these parallel rows of verbs are connected with each other in a certain way, and this connection is precisely determined by the meaning of the prefixes.

Similarly, in Hebrew there is a certain original binyan, and others are variations on this original theme with certain semantic additions. In each binyan, the verbal root forms completely independent verbs, parallel series of forms that are connected in a certain way in meaning. This is where the analogy between Russian prefixed verbs and Hebrew binyans ends, since prefixed verbs often give a variation of meaning according to the spatial and temporal relationships between actions, and Hebrew binyans convey other semantic shades. Which ones exactly? This is what we will do in detail in this lesson.

Relationship between man and work

But first, let’s digress from grammar and talk about a seemingly completely unrelated topic. What relationships exist between a person and the work in which he is engaged, as well as between people in society, depending on their attitude towards the work performed? This may be a person’s neutral attitude towards the action being performed, so to speak, the technological aspect of work. Let's call such a person an “employee.” The “worker” deals with “material”, his energy is transferred to the “material of labor”. So, the “worker” and his “material”.

By our definition, a “worker” is “just a performer”, without any emotions, without any inspired attitude towards the work performed. If someone approaches work creatively, tries to improve the process, expand the scope of application, and perform it in the most complete and detailed way, then we will call such a person a “creative worker.” There are three options for a creative approach:

Involving others in this activity, helping them master it, teaching (“teacher”)
Expanding the application of an action, achieving with the help of a given action useful results, process implementation (“implementer”)
Maximum deployment of a process, execution in which the possibilities of an action are exhausted to the end (“developer”)

Who is affected by the “creative worker”? On a certain field of activity, the purpose of his work is to expand the field of this activity, the scope of application of the process in question, to improve its implementation. It is clear that the teacher’s sphere of activity is the students. So, we have a pair - “creative worker” and “field of activity”.

Now let’s imagine that someone wants to achieve the result of labor without making direct efforts, or more precisely, without communicating with the “material of labor.” To do this, he must force other performers to work for him. We will call such a person “boss”. The “boss” does the work with the hands of others, with his “material”, i.e. “field of application of forces” is “subordinate”. If we talk about the relationship between the “boss” and the “material of labor,” then here the distance between “man” and “material of labor” turns out to be much greater than in the first pair. There we had a “worker” and “material” with which the “worker” works directly, he feels it, the “material” is filled with energy for him and evokes an emotional attitude. Here, the “boss” and the “material” are detached from each other, for him it is a kind of abstraction, he does not see it in person, he simply gives orders to transform the “material” into “results of labor” in a certain way. We will call such “material”, perceived with a cold mind, “raw materials”. So, we have looked at the relationship between “worker” and “material” on the one hand, and “boss” and “raw materials” on the other.

In addition, one more category can be distinguished. When we talk about a “creative worker,” we do not specify whether this person is interested in the results of the work he performs, or whether he does this work “out of love for art.” There are two options here:

A person who does work for the sake of work
A person who, in addition to a creative approach, is also interested in the immediate result, i.e. what he does, he does for himself. We will call such a person a “creative individual”

All this is shown in the table:

In this table, the seven items described are arranged in three columns. The first includes the "worker" and his "material". In the second there is “creative worker (teacher)”, “field of activity (student)” and at the bottom - “creative individual”. The third column is the “boss” and his “subordinate” (or “raw materials”).

In principle, this scheme expresses all possible types of relationships of a person to work and people to each other, depending on participation in the labor process, if, of course, they are perceived in general outline, without going into specific details. If we look closely at the arrangement of these categories, we will find a structure that follows the Binan system. Each of these states corresponds to a specific Hebrew binyan, namely:

“Worker” is nothing more than פָּעַל “paal”
The “material” of his work is נִפְעַל “nifil”
“Creative worker, teacher” - פִּעֵל “piel”
“Student” or “field of activity” - פֻּעַל “poʹal”
“Creative individual” - הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael”
“Chief” - הִפְעִיל “hifil”
“Subordinate” or “raw material of labor” - הֻפְעַל “hufal”

This is a very harmonious, clear diagram that conveys a person’s attitude to activity. And if we remember that the verb is the designation of activity, the labor process, then it is clear that the Jewish system of Binyan conveys the most fundamental properties of the implementation of the idea of action in human society.

Active and passive binyans

The non-randomness of each of the binyans (and, thereby, their number), the clear delineation of the place they occupy in common system becomes especially clear in the following approach. The seven binyans are divided into two categories:

Active, which talk about the activity of the subject, that he himself is engaged in some kind of action.
Passive, conveying certain objects, objects, material of action, field of activity, etc.

It is clear that פָּעַל “paal” (worker), פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker) and הִפְעִיל “hifiel” (boss) are active binyans and, in principle, הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael” (creative) belongs to the same category individual) - he is also active, but only in his own interests. But נִפְעַל “nif'al” (material), פֻּעַל “pual” (field of activity) and הֻפְעַל “huf’al” (subordinate, raw material) - undoubtedly convey objects of action and are passive. Thus, the four active binyans, as it were, define the crystal lattice of the entire binyan system, since the passive binyans are attached to the corresponding active ones. Therefore, if we find a strict relationship between the four active binyans, then we will justify the entire system as a whole.

Relationships between the four active binyans

Note that each work has two aspects:

The labor process, the action itself
The result of labor, the purpose for which this action is performed

In the process of labor, a person may be interested or indifferent to the action itself, the labor process, or the appropriation of its result. Let’s conventionally denote clearly expressed interest as 1, and not expressed in any way as 0. Accordingly, we have four different combinations in the approach:

interest in action
interest in appropriating the result of an action
disinterest in either one or the other
interest in one and disinterest in another

Each of these combinations corresponds to one of our active binyans:

פָּעַל "paal" (worker)

He is not interested in the action or the result, he just does the job (0/0). The semantics of binyan פָּעַל itself does not emphasize this interest. A person who looks at something, sees something, writes something, may be interested in this, however, in the binyan פָּעַל itself this is not expressed in any way by means of grammar.

פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher)

This is undoubtedly an interest in action, since we are talking about a creative approach, but at the same time the attitude towards appropriating the result is completely indifferent (1/0). We have already said that this is a kind of idealistic approach to activity.

הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael” (creative individual)

But הִתְפַּעֵל is an interest both in the action and in appropriating its result (1/1).

הִפְעִיל “hifiel” (chief)

As for הִפְעִיל, it is clear that there is an interest in the result, but the boss has no interest in the action itself. He should not be involved in the execution process, he only needs finished result (0/1).

Scheme (process/result)

Practical study of the binyan system

Active

It can be seen that פָּעַל “paal” (worker) is the initial idea, it “sets the tone” for all Hebrew verbs of the system, and the remaining binyans are peculiar overtones, representing the imposition of some additional semantic shades on the idea פָּעַל. What are these shades and how to correctly translate this particular root placed in a particular binyan?

Let us first compare פָּעַל “paal” (worker) and הִפְעִיל “hifiel” (boss), since the difference between them is especially great. They are polar and it’s easier to start with them. So, “employee” and “boss”. Suppose we mean “to sit” in פָּעַל, in הִפְעִיל it would mean: “to make someone sit/make someone sit/encourage someone to sit.” In Russian, of course, this corresponds to the verb “to plant.” And if we choose the meaning “to stand” as פָּעַל, then in הִפְעִיל we get: “to force to stand/to induce to stand,” i.e. "put". A similar example: the meaning “eat/eat” in פָּעַל will turn into הִפְעִיל the meaning “to feed”, i.e. "to encourage someone to eat."

A great way to translate הִפְעִיל is to take פָּעַל the corresponding root, add the word “force” or “induce”, and then think about how to translate this combination into Russian: is there one verb for this, or do you need to use a phrase that is exactly the same or slightly different? . For the above examples, we had one word, although a comparison of the verbs “eat” and “feed” shows that a change of root may occur here.

Let us now take the verb כָּתַב (“katav” - to write) in פָּעַל, it corresponds in הִפְעִיל to the form הִכְתִּיב “hihtiv”, which means “to encourage to write.” The dictionary gives the meaning of this verb "dictate". To dictate is nothing more than to encourage a person to write.

The verb רָקַד “rakad” means “to dance”, הִרְקִיד “hirkid” - “to make someone dance/make someone dance.” פָּגַשׁ “pagash” - “to meet”, הִפְגִישׁ “hifgish” - “to arrange a meeting”. In each specific case, we make up a pair of “force to do” (“force to write”, “force to dance”, “force to meet”), and then decide how to convey this in the most natural way in Russian.

We examined the case when the action of הִפְעִיל extends to an object, which, in turn, is the subject of the action of פָּעַל. Indeed, you can force someone to dance who is able to dance himself. Thus, in פָּעַל - he is the subject, he dances (רָקַד), and in הִפְעִיל - he is the object, he is forced to dance (הִרְקִיד). In this case, it is clear that we have a pair here - “boss” and “subordinate”. The boss gives orders, the subordinate carries out the action. What action? The same one that corresponds to פָּעַל of a given root. From הִרְקִיד we extract the root (רקד), which in פָּעַל means “to dance.” הִרְקִיד - “boss”, רָקַד - “subordinate”.

And what will happen if the action הִפְעִיל extends to performing a certain procedure. “Pasting” - in principle, perform the same procedure, but with the goal of achieving an additional effect: “pasting a room with wallpaper”, i.e. the action of “pasting” turns out to be richer than “gluing”. In addition to the “gluing” procedure itself, there is also a purpose for this action. This expediency of action is very typical for the binyan פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher) in the variant of the meaning we called “realizer.” A creative worker expands the scope of his activity and uses the action of פָּעַל to achieve some additional goal.

Let's take, for example, יָשַׁב (“yashav” - sit), which also means “to live”, i.e. to constantly be, “sit” in some place. In פִּעֵל the verb יִשֵׁב “isheʹv” means “to inhabit the earth/populate it.” We see that this or that territory becomes a place of residence and is involved in action in this capacity. Or, for example, in פָּעַל the verb חָשַׁב “khashav” means “to think”, in פִּעֵל it sounds: חִשֵׁב “khishav” - “to calculate/calculate”, i.e. there is a certain object that becomes the sphere of action of thinking (as if, a place in a figurative sense). This corresponds to the Russian word for “to consider” or “to calculate/calculate.”

The third translation option פִּעֵל is the performance of one or another action in the most complete, perfect manner, in its expanded form. In other words, we are talking here about the exhaustion of the potential opportunities inherent in this action. We call this creative aspect “developer.” For example, שָׁלַח “shalakh” (פָּעַל) means “to send,” but שִׁלֵח “shileh” (פִּעֵל) means “to take on the road/send/send.” Here we see the action being brought to its most developed form. Another example that has become classic: שָׁבַר “shavar” - “to break”, take and break somewhere in one place, שִׁבֵּר “shiber” - “to break/smash into pieces”, i.e. bring the breaking action to its logical conclusion.

Let us finally consider the fourth of the active binyans - הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael” (creative individual). It is usually called a reciprocal binyan, meaning that an action performed by someone on himself, as it were, returns to the one who does it. The subject of the action itself is its object. Compare: “to shave (someone)” and “to shave (yourself).” The Hebrew verb “to shave” - הִתְגַלַח “hitgalakh” in binyan הִתְפַּעֵל says that someone acts and is the object of this action - an action on oneself.

Similarly: הִתְלַבֵּשׁ “hitlabesh” - “to dress/dress oneself”, הִתְרַחֵץ “hitrahets” - “to wash/wash oneself”. In a more general sense, we can say that the action הִתְפַּעֵל is performed for oneself, in one’s own interests, as we called it the “creative individual.” A special case of this is an action extended to oneself. For example, הִתְלַמֵד “hitlamed” - “learns.” Here we can talk about self-education or the fact that a person is studying somewhere. לוֹמֵד “lomed” - it’s just sitting and studying, maybe under pressure, maybe not, nothing like that is indicated in the word לוֹמֵד, but the word מִתְלַמֵד “mitlamed” emphasizes precisely the fact that a person does this consciously, understanding your interest. This is the specificity of הִתְפַּעֵל - awareness of interest.

If we are talking about an inanimate object, then in binyan הִתְפַּעֵל it seems to be animate, we assume metamorphically that it has its own interest, its own goals, and then it strives to achieve them, “pretending” to be inanimate. For example, galgol הִתְפַּשֵׁט “hitpashet” (“to spread”) is something, a certain phenomenon spreading to some territory. One would like to say that it has set goals for itself and is now busy achieving them. Some element of animation is present in any הִתְפַּעֵל. And, indeed, this is a binyan of interest, and interest is naturally associated with animation.

It is clear that this refers to the awareness of binyan, and not to the actual translation. For example, the verb לְהִתְפָּרֵק “lehitparek” means “to be divided into component parts.” It is returned to the verb לְפָרֵק “lefarek” - “to dismantle/divide” (compare: פֶּרֶק “perek” - “head/part”). If something inanimate, a certain system, a structure is divided into its component parts, then it is as if the internal will of this system is implied - for some reason it decided to split up!

Mottos of active binyans

You can also use the so-called Binyan mottos - capacious words that seem to encode different shades of meaning. For the motto פָּעַל “paal” (worker), we choose the word “to act.” For פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher) there will be three such mottos:

“Assist”, in the case when we are talking about help, for example, a teacher - a student (לִמֵד “limed” - to promote learning/teach)
“Act”, i.e. extend an action to a certain territory, locality, sphere (the word “to act” sounds unusual in Russian, but it very accurately designates this aspect of the binyan פִּעֵל in Hebrew)
“Exhaust the possibilities of action” - if we are talking about an action performed in its entirety, in an expanded form

It is clear that the purpose of the motto is to serve only as a hint at one or another option, and the choice specific words for this translation depends on the meanings of the root in each individual case. For הִפְעִיל “hifiel” (boss), the motto can be the word “to engage” in the case of motivating someone to action, or “to act with someone else’s hands” when we are talking about the relationship “boss-raw materials”.

The motto of the binyan הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael” (creative individual) may be “to act in one’s own interests.”

Let us summarize the meaning of the studied active binyans by choosing a general formulation for the meaning of each of them. If for the original פָּעַל “paal” we are talking about “action”, then in פִּעֵל “piel” is “deployment of action” (in the three described directions), in הִפְעִיל “hifiel” is “control of action”, and הִתְפַּעֵל “hitpael” - “acting in one’s own interests.”

Passive

In addition to the four binyans discussed above, there are three more that can be called passive, with some nuances that will be discussed below.

נִפְעַל “nif'al” (material) - passive to פָּעַל “paal” (worker)

פֻּעַל “pual” (student or field of activity) - passive to פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher)

הֻפְעַל "huf'al" (subordinate or raw material of labor) - passive to הִפְעִיל "hif'il" (boss)

Sounds indicating passivity or activity of binyans

The passivity of פֻּעַל “pual” (student or field of activity) and הֻפְעַל “hufal” (subordinate or raw material of labor) is indicated by the sound “u” contained in their bases. In Hebrew verbs, “u” is a sign of passivity, and “i” or “e” are signs of activity. Compare פִּעֵל "pi" uh l" (creative worker, teacher) - פֻּעַל "p at al" (student or field of activity), הִפְעִיל "h And f'il" (chief) - הֻפְעַל "h at f'al" (subordinate or raw material of labor).

Passive phrase structure

Above we already talked about the structure of a passive phrase, a passive (or passive) construction. Let us briefly recall: אֲנִי מְלַמֵד אֶת הַתַלְמִיד (“ani malamed et hatalmid” - I teach a student). This phrase is active, and it uses the active binyan פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher). I am the source of this action, I am the subject, and the phrase begins with me, and the object of this phrase, (the one towards whom this action is directed), the student, is the complement.

We can rearrange the phrase if we are primarily interested in the fate of the object of action - the student. We put it in first place in the phrase, make it the subject, and start the phrase with it. We say הַתַלְמִיד (“hatalmid” - student), then we must place the verb in “reflected”, passive form, translate from binyan פִּעֵל “piel” (creative worker, teacher) into binyan פֻּעַל “pual” (student or field of activity): מְלֻמָד (“melumad” - studying/trained). Then it is indicated by whom - עַל-יָדַי (“al-yaday” - by me). We get: הַתַלְמִיד לֻמַד עַל-יָדַי (“hatalmid lumad al-yaday” - the student was taught (or we are teaching) by me).

For the meaning of הֻפְעַל “hufal” (subordinate or raw material of labor), the following example can be given: הַצֶ’ק הֻחְתַם אֵצֶל הַמְנַהֵל (“hachek huhtam etzel hamenahel” - the check was signed by the boss). It is clear that we are talking about the fact that the check was not easily signed, but that it was taken for signature, i.e. indirect “action by someone else’s hands”

Let us now consider the binyan נִפְעַל "nif'al" ("material of work" binyan פָּעַל "paal" (worker). It can be assumed that נִפְעַל has a slightly different meaning than just a passive to פָּעַל. The meaning of נִפְעַל is broader than simple passivity To explain this, we note that that all verbs in Hebrew can be divided into two groups:

Action verbs
State verbs

פָּעַל refers to action verbs, for example: דוֹלֵק (“dolek” - burns). But נִפְעַל refers to verbs of state: נִדְלָק (“nidlak” - “lights up”, i.e. goes into a state of combustion), נִרְתַח (“nirtah” - boils), etc.

In the next lesson we will look at many practical examples illustrating the disassembled binyan system.