Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Review-of-Verbs

Hebrew Grammar → Grammar Review → Review of Verbs

As a Hebrew language teacher with 20 years of experience, I know that learning the intricacies of Hebrew grammar can be challenging. However, reviewing the concepts we have covered so far is crucial to mastering the language. In this lesson, we will review the concepts of verbs, including conjugation in present, past, and future tenses, and the use of auxiliary verbs.

Verbs

Verbs are one of the most important parts of Hebrew grammar. Verbs describe actions, events, and states of being. In Hebrew, verbs change based on the tense, number, and gender of the subject.

1. 1. 1. Types of Verbs ###

There are two main types of verbs in Hebrew: weak verbs and strong verbs. Weak verbs are verbs that follow a regular conjugation pattern, while strong verbs do not follow a regular pattern and must be memorized individually.

1. 1. 1. Conjugation of Verbs ###

In Hebrew, verbs are conjugated based on the tense, number, and gender of the subject. There are three main tenses in Hebrew: present, past, and future.

1. 1. 1. 1. Present Tense ####

The present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or happen regularly. To conjugate a verb in present tense, we take the root of the verb and add a set of endings based on the person, number, and gender of the subject. Here is an example of the conjugation of the root “למד” (to learn) in present tense:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי לוֹמֵד	ani lo-med	I learn
אַתָּה לוֹמֵד	ata lo-med	you (masculine singular) learn
אַתְּ לוֹמֶדֶת	at lo-medet	you (feminine singular) learn
הוּא לוֹמֵד	hu lo-med	he learns
הִיא לוֹמֶדֶת	hi lo-medet	she learns
אֲנַחְנוּ לוֹמְדִים	anachnu lo-medim	we learn
אַתֶּם לוֹמְדִים	atem lo-medim	you (masculine plural) learn
אַתֶּן לוֹמְדוֹת	aten lo-medot	you (feminine plural) learn
הֵם לוֹמְדִים	hem lo-medim	they (masculine) learn
הֵן לוֹמְדוֹת	hen lo-medot	they (feminine) learn

1. 1. 1. 1. Past Tense ####

The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened. In Hebrew, past tense verbs are conjugated based on the gender and number of the subject. Weak verbs follow a regular pattern, while strong verbs do not follow a regular pattern and must be memorized individually. Here is an example of the conjugation of the regular weak verb “לָמַד” (to learn) in past tense:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי לַמְדְתִּי	ani lamadeti	I learned
אַתָּה לַמַּדְתָּ	ata lamadta	you (masculine singular) learned
אַתְּ לַמְדְתְּ	at lamadet	you (feminine singular) learned
הוּא לָמַד	hu lamad	he learned
הִיא לָמְדָה	hi lamda	she learned
אֲנַחְנוּ לַמַּדְנוּ	anachnu lamadnu	we learned
אַתֶּם לַמַּדְתֶּם	atem lamadtem	you (masculine plural) learned
אַתֶּן לָמַדְתֶּן	aten lamadten	you (feminine plural) learned
הֵם לָמְדוּ	hem lamdu	they (masculine) learned
הֵן לָמְדוּ	hen lamdu	they (feminine) learned

1. 1. 1. 1. Future Tense ####

The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. In Hebrew, future tense verbs are conjugated based on the gender and number of the subject. Here is an example of the conjugation of the root “למד” (to learn) in future tense:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי אֶלַּמֵּד	ani elammed	I will learn
אַתָּה תֶּלַמֵּד	ata telammed	you (masculine singular) will learn
אַתְּ תִּלְמְדִי	at tilmedi	you (feminine singular) will learn
הוּא יִלְמַד	hu yilmed	he will learn
הִיא תִּלְמַד	hi tilmed	she will learn
אֲנַחְנוּ נֶלַמֵּד	anachnu nelammed	we will learn
אַתֶּם תִּלְמְדוּ	atem tilmedu	you (masculine plural) will learn
אַתֶּן תִּלְמַדְנָה	aten tilmedna	you (feminine plural) will learn
הֵם יִלְמְדוּ	hem yilmedu	they (masculine) will learn
הֵן יִלְמַדְנָה	hen yilmedna	they (feminine) will learn

1. 1. 1. 1. Irregular Verbs ####

There are many irregular verbs in Hebrew that must be memorized individually. Here are a few examples:

• "לָכַד" (to catch)
• "לָקַח" (to take)
• "עָשָׂה" (to do)
• "הָיָה" (to be)
• "יָצָא" (to go out)
• "בָּא" (to come)

1. 1. 1. Auxiliary Verbs ###

Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used to form compound tenses or to express modality. In Hebrew, the most common auxiliary verb is "הָיָה" (to be). It is used to form the past tense in Hebrew. For example, to say "I ate," we would say "אָכַלְתִּי" (akhal-ti). However, to say "I was eating," we would use the auxiliary verb "הָיָה" (haya). So, "I was eating" would be "אָכַלְתִּי הָיִיתִי" (akhal-ti hayiti).

1. 1. Conclusion ##

Verbs are an essential component of Hebrew grammar. To master Hebrew, it is important to review and understand the concepts we have covered, including the conjugation of verbs in present, past, and future tenses, and the use of auxiliary verbs.

Sources

• Biblical Hebrew Grammar Review: Verb St… - by Xenolinguiphile ...
• Book Review: A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew & Workbook ...
• Level 8 - Hiphil - Biblical Hebrew Grammar Review: Verb Stems ...

Table of Contents - Hebrew Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Hebrew Alphabet

• Consonants
• Vowels
• Nikkud
• Reading Practice

  ---

Everyday Hebrew Vocabulary

• Greetings
• Numbers
• Family Members
• Colors, Shapes, and Sizes
• Food and Drink
• Clothing
• Transportation and Travel
• Weather
• Time and Calendar

  ---

Hebrew Grammar

• Nouns
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Verbs
• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Israeli Culture

• Jewish Holidays
• Israeli Society
• Famous Israelis
• Israeli Cuisine

  ---

Hebrew Expressions

• Common Phrases
• Slang
• Idioms

  ---

Hebrew Numbers

• Ordinal Numbers
• Fractions and Decimals

  ---

Hebrew Geography and Landmarks

• Cities and Regions
• Landmarks

  ---

Hebrew Literature and Language

• Hebrew Poetry
• Hebrew Proverbs

  ---

Grammar Review

• Review of Nouns and Pronouns
• Review of Adjectives
• Review of Verbs

Related Lessons

• Ordinal Numbers
• Nouns
• Verb to Have
• Conditional Mood
• Consonants
• 0 to A1 Course
• Future Tense
• Review of Nouns and Pronouns
• Questions
• Personal pronouns