Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Verbs

Hebrew Grammar → Hebrew Grammar → Verbs

Learning Hebrew verbs can be a daunting task for those who are new to the language, but it doesn't have to be. In this lesson, we will cover everything you need to know about Hebrew verbs, including present tense, past tense, and future tense, and how to use them in sentences. Let's get started!

Hebrew Verb Basics

A verb is a word used to express an action, occurrence, or state of being. In Hebrew, verbs are conjugated to indicate the subject of the sentence, as well as the time period in which the action took place. Hebrew verbs come in three tenses: present, past, and future.

Present Tense

The present tense in Hebrew is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that are habitual. To form the present tense in Hebrew, you usually add specific suffixes to the root of the verb. Let's take the root "k-t-v" (כָּתַב) from the verb that means "to write" as an example:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי כּוֹתֵב	ani kotev	I write
אַתָּה כּוֹתֵב	atah kotev	you (masculine) write
אַתְּ כּוֹתֶבֶת	at kotevet	you (feminine) write
הוּא כּוֹתֵב	hu kotev	he writes
הִיא כּוֹתֶבֶת	hi kotevet	she writes
אֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹתְבִים	anakhnu kotvim	we write
אַתֶּם כּוֹתְבִים	atem kotvim	you (masculine plural) write
אַתְּן כּוֹתְבוֹת	aten kotvot	you (feminine plural) write
הֵם כּוֹתְבִים	hem kotvim	they (masculine) write
הֵן כּוֹתְבוֹת	hen kotvot	they (feminine) write

The present tense can also be formed using irregular verbs, such as "l'hitpalel" (לְהִתְפַּלֵּל) which means "to pray", "haya" (הָיָה) which means "to be", or "lir'ot" (לִרְאוֹת) which means "to see". These irregular verbs will need to be memorized, as their conjugation patterns do not follow the same rules as regular verbs.

Past Tense

The past tense in Hebrew is used to describe actions that have already happened in the past. To form the past tense in Hebrew, you usually add specific suffixes to the root of the verb. Let's take the root "k-t-v" (כָּתַב) from the verb that means "to write" as an example:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי כָּתַבְתִּי	ani katavti	I wrote
אַתָּה כָּתַבְתָּ	atah katavta	you (masculine) wrote
אַתְּ כָּתַבְתְּ	at katavt	you (feminine) wrote
הוּא כָּתַב	hu katav	he wrote
הִיא כָּתְבָה	hi katvah	she wrote
אֲנַחְנוּ כָּתַבְנוּ	anakhnu katavnu	we wrote
אַתֶּם כְּתַבְתֶּם	atem katavtem	you (masculine plural) wrote
אַתֶּן כְּתַבְתְן	aten katavten	you (feminine plural) wrote
הֵם כָּתְבוּ	hem katavu	they (masculine) wrote
הֵן כְּתַבְנָה	hen katavna	they (feminine) wrote

Just like the present tense, some verbs have irregular patterns in the past tense. For example, the verb "to be" is irregular in the past tense:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי הָיִיתִי	ani hayiti	I was
אַתָּה הָיִיתָ	atah hayita	you (masculine) were
אַתְּ הָיִית	at hayit	you (feminine) were
הוּא הָיָה	hu haya	he was
הִיא הָיְתָה	hi haytah	she was
אֲנַחְנוּ הָיִינוּ	anakhnu hayinu	we were
אַתֶּם הָיִיתֶם	atem hayitem	you (masculine plural) were
אַתֶּן הָיִיתֶן	aten hayiten	you (feminine plural) were
הֵם הָיוּ	hem hayu	they (masculine) were
הֵן הָיוּ	hen hayu	they (feminine) were

Future Tense

The future tense in Hebrew is used to describe actions that have not yet happened, but will happen in the future. To form the future tense in Hebrew, you usually add specific suffixes to the root of the verb. Let's take the root "k-t-v" (כָּתַב) from the verb that means "to write" as an example:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי אֶכְתּוֹב	ani ekhtov	I will write
אַתָּה תִּכְתּוֹב	atah tiktov	you (masculine) will write
אַתְּ תִּכְתְּבִי	at tiktvi	you (feminine) will write
הוּא יִכְתּוֹב	hu yikhtov	he will write
הִיא תִּכְתֹּב	hi tikhtov	she will write
אֲנַחְנוּ נִכְתּוֹב	anakhnu nikhtov	we will write
אַתֶּם תִּכְתְּבוּ	atem tiktvu	you (masculine plural) will write
אַתֶּן תִּכְתְּבֶנָה	aten tiktvena	you (feminine plural) will write
הֵם יִכְתְּבוּ	hem yikhtvu	they (masculine) will write
הֵן יִכְתָּבְנָה	hen yikhtavena	they (feminine) will write

Just like in the past and present tenses, some verbs have irregular patterns in the future tense. For example, the verb "to do" is irregular in the future tense:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה	ani e'eseh	I will do
אַתָּה תַּעֲשֶׂה	atah ta'aseh	you (mascul 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