Basic Grammar Rules

CONTENTS (tick when you feel you are confident you know it, write a comment if necessary)

Definite Article
Interrogative ‫ה‬
Locative ‫ה‬
Imperative
Softening ‫ה‬
Jussive
Cohortative
Participle
Mapik ‫ה‬
Construct
Pausal
Preformative ‫מ‬
Gutturals
Vav Conversive
Vav Conjunctive
Weak Dagesh
Strong Dagesh
Gentilic ‫י‬
Infinitive Absolute
Infinitive Construct
Negative ‫מ‬
Prepositions - ‫בכלמ‬
‫ יונה‬letters and geminate
Tense
Pronouns
Sentence structure
Sheva rules
Vowels
Numbers
 Definite Article
‫ ה‬before a word means The – referring to a specific thing.
It is usually vowelled with a ‫פַּתַּ ח‬
The next letter will have a ‫ דָ גֵׁש‬e.g. ‫הַּ ִּמטָ ה‬
If the next letter is a guttural (which cannot take a ‫ )דָ גֵׁש‬then the vowel under
the ‫ ה‬changes to a ‫( קָ מַּ ץ‬and sometimes to a ‫ )סֶ גֹול‬e.g. ‫ הָ עִּ יר‬or ‫הֶ חָ כָם‬
The definite article and preposition (‫מ‬,‫ב‬,‫ל‬,‫ )כ‬are often joined together
e.g. ‫ לְ הַּ בַּ יִּ ת‬becomes ‫ לַּבַּ יִּ ת‬to the house or: ‫ בְ הָ עִּ יר‬becomes ‫ בָ עִּ יר‬for a guttural

Interrogative ‫ה‬

‫ ה‬in front of a word can be used to change the word or phrase into a question.
It’s like putting a ? after it. E.g. ‫ הֲׁשֹומֵ ר אָ חִּ י אָ נֹוכִּ י‬or ‫ ֲהל ֹא‬- is it not so?
The ‫ ה‬will be vowelled with ‫חַּ טַּ ף פַּתַּ ח‬
The next letter will not have a ‫דָ גֵש‬
If the next letter is a guttural, the ‫ ה‬will have a regular ‫ פַּתַּ ח‬e.g. ‫הַּ עֹוד‬

Locative '‫ה‬
‫ ה‬at the end of a place name means ‘towards’
e.g. ‫צרימָ ה‬
ַּ ‫ – ִּמ‬towards Egypt
e.g. ‫ – הַּ בַּ יתָ ה‬towards the house

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 Definite Article

the is a called a definite article

Now look at these two words:
‫ֶמלֶ ְך‬ a king ‫הַ ֶמלֶ ְך‬ the king

1. How do you write ‘a’ in Biblical Hebrew?

2. How do you write ‘the’ in Biblical Hebrew? Clue: look at the

second letter in the example as well as the first one.

3. This causes a problem when a word begins with a guttural

letter and you want to put a definite article before it. Why?

4. What is the solution to this problem?

Examples:
‫אָ ָדם‬ a man ‫הָאָ ָדם‬ the man (not ‫)הַ אָ ָדם‬
‫הָ ר‬ a mountain ‫הָהָ ר‬ the mountain (not ‫)הַ הָ ר‬
‫הָ ריִם‬ mountains ‫הָהָ ִרים‬ the mountains (not ‫)הַ הָ ִרים‬
‫עָ ם‬ a people ‫הָעָ ם‬ the people (not ‫)הַ עָ ם‬

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Write the following into Biblical Hebrew, using correct vowels and BLOCK letters.

‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת ך ם ן ף ץ‬

1 The house
2 A king
3 The tent
4 The desert
5
A man
6 The man
7
The bull

A preposition tells you the position of the noun in a sentence.

There are three inseparable prepositions in Hebrew. These are letters that are prefixes to the word
rather than being a separate word. They usually have a sheva.

ְ‫ב‬ In/on/at/with ‫ בְ ִּמ ְדבָ ר‬In a desert

ְ‫כ‬ Like/as ‫ כְ סֵ ֶפר‬Like a scroll
ְ‫ל‬ To/for ‫ לְ עִּ יר‬To a city

When the noun has a definite article prefix, the ‫ ה‬drops but its vowel stays.

Changes from…. ….to

‫כְ הַּ מַּ יִּ ם‬ Like the water ‫ַּכמַּ יִּ ם‬
‫לְ הָ עִּ יר‬ To the city ‫ָלעִּ יר‬

Fill in these, don’t forget the dagesh, vowels and block letters.

In the house
In the land
Like the words
To the man
To a man

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For the woman

Interrogative Heh
A question is often introduced by putting ‫ ֲה‬at the beginning of the first
word of the sentence. This heh is called an interrogative heh or
questioning heh.

‫הֲׁשֹומֵ ר אָ חִּ י אֳנֹוכִּ י‬ Am I my brother's keeper?

1. How is the interrogative ‫ ה‬different to the definite article?

a)

b)

Exception: if a word begins with a guttural letter and you want to add an
interrogative ‫ה‬, the ‫ ה‬does not get a chataf-patach. It gets a normal
patach.

Find Examples from the set text. Write the posuk and the word.

Definite article with

guttural (2 examples)
Interrogative ‫ה‬
Definite article with
guttural and preposition
Regular definite article (3
examples)

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 Interrogative ‫ ה‬before
guttural

Imperative
When giving an instruction, instead of saying “You will go” it becomes “Go!”
This will always be in 2nd person future (You will).
NOTE: imperative can look the same as infinitive construct without preposition. e.g.
‫ ְׁשמֹר‬can be either infinitive construct or imperative, you need to look at the context.
For Qal: remove the ‫ ת‬prefix
e.g. ‫ – ִּת ְׁשמֹ ר‬you will guard
‫ – ְׁשמֹ ר‬guard!
NOTE: If there are 2 shevas in a row, e.g. ‫ת ְׁש ְמרּו‬,
ִּ when it becomes imperative the first
vowel becomes a chirik: ‫ִּׁש ְמרּו‬
For Piel: remove the ‫ ת‬prefix
e.g. ‫ – ְתדַּ בֵ ר‬you will speak
‫ – דַּ בֵ ר‬speak!
For Niphal: change the ‫ ת‬prefix to ‫ה‬
e.g. ‫ – ִּתשָ מֵ ר‬you will be guarded
‫ – הִּ שָ מֵ ר‬be guarded! (be safe!)
For Hiphil: change the ‫ ת‬prefix to ‫ה‬
e.g. ‫ – תַּ גְ ִּדיל‬You will make great
‫ – הַּ גְ ִּדיל‬make great!
For Hispael: change the ‫ ת‬prefix to ‫ה‬
e.g. ‫ – ִּת ְתקַּ ְדׁשּו‬you will sanctify yourself
‫ – הִּ ְתקַּ ְדׁשּו‬sanctify yourself!

Softening ‫ה‬
Sometimes a ‫ ה‬is added as a suffix to the imperative to make it more respectful and
not so demanding.
e.g. ‫ – ִּתתֵ ן‬you will give

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‫ – תֵ ן‬give!
‫ – ְתנָה‬please give (note how the first vowel changes)

Decide if each of the words in bold is in the future or the imperative:

Future Imperative
‫בְ נֵי יִּ ְש ָראֵ ל וְ אָ מַּ ְרתָ ֲאלֵהֶ ם‬-‫דַּ בֵּ ר אֶ ל‬
‫ ִּמצְ ֹותָ י‬-‫כָל‬-‫לְ מַּ עַּן ִּתזְכְ רּו ַּוע ֲִּשיתֶ ם אֶ ת‬
‫ִּהשָּׁ ְמרּו ָלכֶם פֶן יִּ פְ תֶ ה לְ בַּ בְ כֶם‬
‫ׁשָ מֹו ַּע ִּת ְש ְמעּו בְ קֹ לִּ י‬-‫ִּאם‬
‫תָּׁ תּורּו אַּ ח ֲֵרי לְ בַּ בְ כֶם וְ אַּ ח ֲֵרי עֵינֵיכֶם‬-‫וְ ל ֹא‬
‫בְ נֵי יִּ ְש ָראֵ ל‬-‫אֵ לֶה הַּ ְדבָ ִּרים אֲׁשֶ ר ְתדַּ בֵּ ר אֶ ל‬
‫ִּה ְתקַּ ְבצּו ּובֹאּו ָעלֶיהָ וְ קּומּו ל ִַּּמלְ חָ מָ ה‬
‫ְשמֹ ר ִּמצְ ֹותַּ י ֶו ְחיֵּה‬

Now look at the set text. Write down five examples of an Imperative

Change the following verbs into imperative/future

Remember to check the binyan.
future imperative future Imperative

‫ִּת ְׁשמַּ ע‬ ‫ְׁשמָ עֵנִּי‬

‫ִּתתֵ ן‬ ‫קּום‬
‫ְתבָ ֵרְך‬ ‫הַּ גִּ ִּידי‬
‫תַּ ְׁש ִּמי ַּע‬ ‫ְׁשתֵ ה‬
‫ִּתנָתֵ ן‬ ‫אֱמֹ ר‬
‫הַּ לְ עִּ יטֵ נִּ י‬ ‫הָ בִּ יא‬

Change these to softened imperative:

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 ‫ִּת ְמכֹ ר‬ ‫תָ ׁשּוב‬
‫תֵ ׁשֵ ב‬ ‫תַּ גִּ יד‬

Jussive
This is used as an encouraging or respectful 3rd person future. i.e. not “he will”
but “he should” or “let him”. It is usually only recognisable from the context,
such as when speaking to G-d or a king. It is often followed by the word ‫נָא‬
(please) or preceded by ‫( אַ ל‬not)
e.g. ‫ – י ֹאמַּ ר‬he will say
‫ – י ֹאמַּ ר נָא‬please let him say
‫ – אַּ ל י ֹאמַּ ר‬let him not say
For the verb ‫ היה‬the 2nd ‫ ה‬is dropped. ‫ י ְִהיֶה‬becomes ‫י ְִהי‬

Cohortative
A respectful way to speak in the 1st person future, or as I request. i.e. not “I
will” but “I want to” or “let me”. For example when speaking to G-d or a king.
‫ ה‬is added to the 1st person future verb.
e.g. ‫ – אֶ בְ חַּ ר‬I will choose
‫ – אֶ בחַּ ָרה‬let me choose

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 Future Tense

I ‫א‬
you (fs) ‫ִּי‬ ‫ת‬ you (ms) ‫ת‬
she ‫ת‬ he ‫י‬
we ‫נ‬
you (fpl) you (mpl) ‫ּו‬ ‫ת‬
‫נָּׁה‬ ‫ת‬
they (f) they (m) ‫ּו‬ ‫י‬

Cohortative means a respectful way of speaking in the f____________ p______________

Instead of ‘I will go’ it becomes ‘______________________________________’

Future Cohortative (Hebrew) Translation

‫אֶ ְׁשמֹ ר‬
‫אַּ דַּ בְ ָרה‬
‫אַּ הַּ לֵל‬
‫אֶ ְׁשלְ חָ ה‬

Jussive
This is for the third person. Instead of ‘He will’ it is ‘He should’ or ‘Let him’

It is usually only recognisable in the context, for example when speaking to Hashem or an
important person. If the word ‫( אַּ ל‬do not) comes before it or ‫( נָא‬please) after it that is also
a clue. Sometimes the letter ‫ ה‬will drop from the end. For example ‫ ִּתהְ יֶה‬- ‫ְתהִּ י‬

Examples:

Future tense root Translation as future Translation as a jussive

‫יִּ ְׁשמֹ ר‬
‫יברכך‬
‫שמח‬ They will rejoice

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‫יַּעְ בָ ר נָא‬
‫יְ הִּ י‬
‫אַּ ל ָיב ֹא‬
Participle
This can be used as a present tense verb for example ‫ ׁשֹומֵ ר‬can mean ‘the man
was guarding’ or as a noun for example ‘the man was a guard’. Note the vowel
patterns:
For Qal: ‫ אֹומֵ ר‬,‫ ׁשֹופֵט‬,‫הֹולְֵך‬
For Niphal: ‫( נִּ ְשמָ ר‬note the difference to a regular niphal)
For Piel, Pual, Hiphil, Hophal and Hispael, use the future vowel pattern and
exchange the ‫ איתנ‬prefix for a ‫מ‬
e.g. ‫ ִּמ ְתקַּ דֵ ש‬,‫ מַּ קְ ִּטיל‬,‫ ְמדֻבָ ר‬,‫ְמדַּ בֵ ר‬
When there is a ‫ ה‬in front then it means ‘the one who’ e.g. ‫ הַּ שֹומֵ ר ׁשַּ בָ ת‬the one
who keeps Shabbos (this is called a relative pronoun).

NOTE: the feminine and plural suffixes.

ms mpl fs fpl
For Qal and Niphal notice the vowel pattern!
Qal ‫ׁשֹומֵ ר‬ ‫ׁשֹומ ִּרים‬
ְ ‫ ׁשֹומֶ ֶרת‬or ‫ׁשֹ ְמ ָרה‬ ‫ׁשֹומרֹ ות‬
ְ
Niphal ‫נִּ ְׁשבָ ר‬ ‫נִּ ְׁשבָ ִּרים‬ ‫נְ ְִּׁשבָ ָרה‬ ‫נִּ ְׁשבָ רֹ ות‬
For all other binyanim, the ‫ איתן‬prefix changes to ‫מ‬
Piel ‫מְֲדַּ בֵ ר‬ ‫ְמדַּ בְ ִּרים‬ ‫ְמדַּ בֶ ֶרת‬ ‫ְמדַּ בְ רֹ ות‬
Hiphil ‫מֲַּקְ ִּטיל‬ ‫מַּ קְ ִּטילִּ ים‬ ‫מַּ קְ ִּטי ָלה‬ ‫מַּ קְ ִּטיל ֹות‬
‫ִּמ ְתקַּ דֶ ׁשֶ ת‬
Hispael ‫מֲִּ ְתקַּ דֵ ׁש‬ ‫ִּמ ְתקַּ ְד ִּׁשים‬
or ‫ִּמ ִּתקַּ ְדׁשָ ה‬
‫ִּמ ְתקַּ ְדׁשֹ ות‬
‫ְמׁשֻ בֶ ֶרת‬
Pual ‫מְֲׁשֻ בָ ר‬ ‫ְמׁשֻ בְ ִּרים‬
or ‫ְמׁשֻ בָ ָרה‬
‫ְמׁשֻ בְ רֹ ות‬
‫מֻגְ דֶ ֶלת‬
Hophal ‫מֲגְ דָ ל‬ ‫מֻגְ דָ לִּ ים‬
or ‫מֻגְ דָ ָלה‬
‫מֻגְ דָ ל ֹות‬

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 ‫‪Circle/highlight the participle‬‬ ‫‪binyan‬‬
‫הִּ נֵה עֵשָ ו אָ חִּ יָך ִּמ ְתנַּחֵ ם לְ ָך לְ הָ ְרגֶָך‬
‫ִּאם‪ֹ-‬לקֵ חַּ ַּיעֲקֹ ב ִּאשָ ה ִּמבְ נֹות‪-‬חֵ ת כָאֵ לֶה‬
‫ַּוי ֹאמֶ ר לָהֶ ן רֹ אֶ ה אָ נֹ כִּ י אֶ ת‪-‬פְ נֵי אֲבִּ יכֶן‬
‫הָ עַּתֻ ִּדים הָ עֹ לִּ ים עַּל‪-‬הַּ צ ֹאן עֲקֻ ִּדים נְ קֻ ִּדים ּובְ רֻ ִּדים‬
‫עַּל‪-‬בְ לִּ י הִּ גִּ יד לֹו כִּ י בֹ ֵרחַּ הּוא‬
‫וְ כֹ ל אֲׁשֶ ר‪-‬אַּ תָ ה רֹ אֶ ה לִּ י‪-‬הּוא‬
‫אתָך‬
‫בָ אנּו אֶ ל‪-‬אָ חִּ יָך אֶ ל‪-‬עֵשָ ו וְ גַּם הֹ לְֵך לִּ קְ ָר ְ‬
‫וְ הָ יָה הַּ מַּ ֲחנֶה הַּ נִּ ְׁשאָ ר לִּ פְ לֵיטָ ה‬
‫ה' הָ אֹ מֵ ר אֵ לַּי ׁשּוב לְ אַּ ְרצְ ָך ּולְ מֹול ְַּד ְתָך‬
‫וַּיִּ קַּ ח ִּמן‪-‬הַּ בָ א בְ יָדֹו ִּמנְ חָ ה לְ עֵשָ ו אָ חִּ יו‬
‫גַּם אֶ ת‪-‬כָל‪-‬הַּ הֹלְ כִּ ים אַּ ח ֲֵרי הָ עֲדָ ִּרים‬
‫כִּ י‪-‬אָ מַּ ר ֲאכַּפְ ָרה ָפנָיו בַּ ִּמנְ חָ ה הַּ הֹ ֶלכֶת לְ ָפנָי‬
‫וְ הּוא צֹ ֵל ַּע עַּל‪-‬יְ ֵרכֹו‬
‫וְ הַּ צ ֹאן וְ הַּ בָ קָ ר עָלֹות ָעלָי‬
‫עֲשֵ ה‪ׁ-‬שָ ם ִּמזְבֵ חַּ לָאֵ ל הַּ נִּ ְראֶ ה אֵ לֶיָך‬
‫וְ אֶ עֱשֶ ה‪-‬שָ ם ִּמזְבֵ חַּ לָאֵ ל הָ עֹ נֶה אֹ ִּתי בְ יֹום צָ ָר ִּתי‬
‫ַּות ֹאמֶ ר לָּה הַּ ְמ ַּילֶדֶ ת אַּ ל‪ִּ -‬ת ְיר ִּאי כִּ י‪-‬גַּם‪-‬זֶה לְָך בֵ ן‬

‫‪Find 5 examples of participles in the set text:‬‬

‫‪Write the Hebrew for these participles: Include the vowels‬‬

‫‪root‬‬ ‫‪Participle - Hebrew‬‬ ‫‪translation‬‬
‫עבר‬ ‫‪Crossing (m/s) qal‬‬
‫נפל‬ ‫‪Falling (f/s) qal‬‬
‫אמר‬ ‫‪The ones who were saying (m/pl) qal‬‬
‫שמע‬ ‫‪Making heard (m/pl) hiphil‬‬

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 ‫ברכ‬ Blessing (f/pl) piel
‫קרב‬ The one who was bringing near (f/s) piel

Mapik ‫ה‬
‫ ּה‬suffix to a noun meaning ‘her’ (or ‘it’ when talking about a land or other
feminine noun) i.e. possessive feminine.
e.g. ‫ ִּאׁשָ ה‬- lady
‫ – ִּאׁשָ ּה‬her man (her ‫) ִּאיׁש‬
‫ – ַּנ ַּע ָרה‬girl
‫ – ַּנ ַּע ָרּה‬her lad (her ‫) ַּנעַּר‬
OR When attached to a verb or preposition then it will be the object. (See
section on pronouns later)
e.g. ‫ לָּה‬to her ‫ לְ ִּר ְׁשתָ ּה‬to inherit it

Construct
When saying ‘of’ for example ‘the house of the king’. Many times there will be
no change in vowels and depends on the context.

e.g. ‫ אֶ ֶרץ‬- land

‫ – אֶ ֶרץ יְ הּודָ ה‬land of Yehuda
If the word begins with a komats it will be shortened to a sheva
e.g. ‫ – דָ בָ ר‬word ‫ – נָהָ ר‬river
‫ – ְדבַּ ר‬word of ‫ – נְ הַּ ר‬river of
‫ – אָ רֹון‬ark ‫ – אֲרֹון הַּ בְ ִּרית‬ark of the covenant (note the ֲ due to the guttural)
Often the komatz is changed to a patach
e.g. ‫ – יָד‬hand ‫ – מַּ לְ אָ ְַּך‬angel
'‫ – יַּד ה‬hand of G-d ‫ – מַּ לְ אַּ ְך אֶ לֹוקִּ ים‬angel of G-d
For masculine plural the suffix changes
e.g. ‫ – בָ נִּ ים‬sons ‫ כֵלִּ ים‬- vessels
‫ בְ ֵני‬- sons of ‫ – כְ ֵלי‬vessels of

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Words ending in ‫ ה‬have a different suffix
e.g. ‫ – פ ָָרה‬cow ‫ – מַּ תָ נָה‬gift ----- ‫ – פ ַָּרת‬cow of ‫ – מַּ ְתנַּת‬gift of

There is no word ‘of’ and no apostrophe in Hebrew. When writing the house of the man , or the
man’s house in BH, the construct is used instead of adding the word “of” or an apostrophe.

The most easily noticeable construct is masculine plural:

e.g. ________________________ = servants
but ‘servants of Hashem’ becomes ___________________________________
e.g. ________________________ = days
but ‘days of the year’ becomes ______________________________________

Feminine singular words ending with a ‫ ה‬e.g. __________________ (queen)

Becomes ________________________________________ (queen of Sheba)
or __________________________ (cow)
Becomes _______________________________________ (the king’s cow)

Often in the singular there is no difference

e.g. ____________________ (land)
_____________________________________(land of Israel)

But sometimes the vowels will change:

e.g. _________(hand)
_____________________________________ (king’s hand)
Or _____________________ (blood)
_________________________________ (your servants’ blood)
Or ______________________ (word)

___________________________________ (word of Torah)

NOTE: What can you see about construct phrases with a definite article? What happens?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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 ‫‪word‬‬ ‫‪translation‬‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫בְ כֹור יִּ ְש ָראֵ ל‬

‫‪2‬‬
‫יֹושבֵ י הָ עִּ יר‬
‫ְ‬

‫‪3‬‬
‫חֹול הַּ יָם‬

‫‪4‬‬
‫פַּרעֹ ה‬
‫עַּבְ דֵ י ְ‬

‫‪5‬‬
‫ִּמ ְׁשפְ חֹות הָ אַּ דָ מָ ה‬

‫‪6‬‬
‫בַּ עַּ לֵי הַּ סּוס‬

‫‪7‬‬
‫דַּ ם עַּבָ דָ יו‬

‫‪8‬‬
‫תֹורת הָ עֹ לָה‬
‫ַּ‬

‫‪9‬‬
‫בְ נֵי אָ דָ ם‬

‫‪10‬‬
‫אֶ ֵרץ הַּ ֶנגֶב‬

‫‪11‬‬
‫נַּחַּ לֵי ִּמ ְדבַּ ר יְ הּודָ ה‬

‫‪12‬‬
‫תֹורה‬
‫ִּמ ְׁשנַּת גְ דֹולֵי הַּ ָ‬

‫‪13‬‬
‫נֹושאֵ י אֲרֹון בְ ִּרית ה'‬
‫ְ‬

‫‪14‬‬ ‫‪©MC‬‬
 Pausal
Words at the ‫ אֶ ת ַּנחְ תָ א‬or ‫ סֹוף ָפסּוק‬when there is a pause in the text will often
have a longer vowel.
e.g. ‫ ִּמצְ ַּריִּ ם‬becomes ‫ִּמצְ ָריִּ ם‬
‫ ַּוי ֹאמֶ ר‬becomes ‫ַּוי ֹאמַּ ר‬
‫ ַּויֵלְ כּו‬becomes ‫ַּו ֵילֵכּו‬

Preformative ‫מ‬
The verb root can be used as a noun by adding a ‫ מ‬as a prefix.
e.g. ‫ – זֶבַּ ח‬offering ‫ – קֹ דֶ ׁש‬holy
ַּ‫ – ִּמזְבֵ ח‬altar (place for offering up) ‫ – ִּמקְ דָ ׁש‬a holy place
Occasionally ‫ ת‬can be a preformative letter as well e.g. ‫ְתׁשּובָ ה‬

Gutturals
Letters ‫ אעהחר‬can cause 2 problems:
(a) cannot take a dagesh (so the vowel under the letter before changes)
(b) cannot take a pronounced sheva (except ‫ )ר‬will usually be replaced by

composite vowels ֱ ֲ ֳ (see vowel section)

Vav Conversive future to past

‫ ַּו‬in front of a future verb, changes it to past
e.g. ‫ יִּ ְׁשלַּח‬he will send ‫ וַּיִּ ְׁשלַּח‬and he sent.
The ‫ ו‬will have a ‫פַּתַּ ח‬
The letter after the ‫ ו‬will have a ‫ דָ גֵׁש‬e.g. ‫ַּנִּׁשמַּ ע‬
ְ ‫ו‬

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If the letter after the ‫ ו‬is a guttural (which cannot have a ‫ )דגש‬then the ‫ ו‬will be
vowelled with a ‫ קמץ‬e.g. ‫וָאֵ ָרא‬
‫ סנקמלוי‬letters may not have a dagesh if they have a sheva

Vav Conjunctive/Conversive (past to future)

ְ‫ ו‬is a connective so it usually means and but sometimes means but if it is
drawing a contrast. Context will tell.
ְ‫ ו‬in front of a verb always has a future meaning.
If the verb is future it remains future
e.g. ‫ ַּיע ְַּמדּו‬they will stand ‫ וְ ַּיע ְַּמדּו‬and they will stand
If the verb is past it will usually change to future (depending on the accent)
e.g. ָ‫ אָ מַּ ְרת‬you said ָ‫ וְ אָ מַּ ְרת‬you will say

Vowels for vav

Rule 1: 2 lip letters next to each other are hard to pronounce. A vav conjunctive
(and) before a ‫ בומפ‬letter cannot be vowelled with a sheva so it changes to ‫ ּו‬this
changes it from a consonant (v sound) to a vowel (oo sound)

2 ‫ בומפ‬letters [fill in the pronunciation] changes to [fill in the pronunciation]

‫וְ מֹולַּד‬ vemolad ‫ּומֹולַּד‬ oomolad
‫וְ בְ הֵ מָ ה‬ ‫ּובְ הֵ מָ ה‬
‫וְ פ ְַּרעֹ ה‬ ‫ּופ ְַּרעֹ ה‬

Rule 2: When there are two letters vowelled with sheva, only the first is pronounced. If the
first letter is also the first letter in the word then it changes to ‘oo’

2 shevas at the beginning [fill in the changes to [fill in the pronunciation]

pronunciation]
‫וְ לְ מֹ שֶ ה‬ velemoshe ‫ּולְ מֹ שֶ ה‬ oolemoshe
‫וְ ְסדֹ ם‬ ‫ּוסדֹ ם‬
ְ
‫וְ ְׁשמּואֵ ל‬ ‫ּוׁשמּואֵ ל‬
ְ

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 If the letter after the ‫ ו‬has a ‫ ְׁש ָוא‬it can also change to chirik. E.g. ‫וִּ ִּיריחֹו – יְ ִּריחֹו‬
If the letter after has a chataf vowel then the ‫ ו‬will match. E.g. ‫ַּו ֲאנ ִָּׁשים – ֲאנ ִָּׁשים‬

Vav Conversive – Future and Past

REMEMBER: When you are asked for the tense of a verb it means without the ‫ו‬

Word Tense (without ‫)ו‬ Translation (with ‫)ו‬

1 ‫ַּויִּ ְׁש ְמעּו‬
2 ‫ַּויְ דַּ בֵ ר‬
3 ָ‫וְ לָקַּ חְ ת‬
4 ‫וְ ַּי ַּע ְמדּו‬
5 ‫וְ יָׁשַּ בְ נּו‬
6 ‫ָואֶ ְׁשמֹ ר‬
7 ‫ֹאמרּו‬
ְ ‫ַּות‬
8 ‫ַּונ ֹאמַּ ר‬
9 ‫וְ יָדַּ עְ ִּתי‬
10 ‫וְ ִּדבַּ ְרתֶ ם‬
11 future you (m s) came
12 past he will eat
13 future I went up
14 future They (f pl) said
15 future she was
16 future you were afraid
17 past I will command
18 past they will see
19 future you (f s) took

Roots Dictionary
be
‫ אכל‬eat ‫ דבר‬speak ‫ ירא‬afraid ‫ עלה‬go up ‫ ראה‬see

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 ‫ אמר‬say ‫ היה‬be ‫ יׁשב‬sit/live ‫ עׂשה‬do ‫ ׁשמר‬guard
‫ בוא‬come ‫ ידע‬know ‫ לקח‬take ‫ צוה‬command ‫ ׁשמע‬listen/hear

Weak Dagesh
A weak dagesh will be found only in ‫ בגדכפת‬letters.
(a) A word starting with ‫בגדכפת‬
e.g. ‫בְ הֵ מָ ה‬, ‫דָ בָ ר‬
(b) ‫ בגדכפת‬in the middle of a word when it follows a closed syllable
e.g. ‫עַּבְ ְדָך‬, ‫ְׁשמַּ ְרתֶ ם‬
If the word before ends in an open syllable then the first letter will often not have a dagesh
as if it was all one word.
e.g. ‫ כִּ י( כִּ י בָ א‬ends in an open syllable)

Strong Dagesh

A strong dagesh can be found in any letter except for the gutturals: ‫אעהחר‬
It comes after a short, open unaccented syllable in order to close it.
It will usually be found in the following cases:
(a) After a definite article
e.g. ‫הַּ דָ בָ ר‬
(b) After a vav conversive future to past
e.g. ‫ו ִַּּתפֹ ל‬, ‫וַּיִּ ְׁשלַּח‬
(c) To replace a missing letter
e.g. ‫( וַּיִּ קַּ ח‬the ‫ ל‬is dropped so dagesh in the ‫)ק‬
(d) after a short unaccented open syllable
e.g. ‫אשָ ה‬,ִּ ‫אַּ תָ ה‬

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(e) Certain conjugations always have a dagesh
e.g. ‫ – ִּדבֵ ר‬piel has a dagesh in middle root letter
‫ – יִּ לָחֵ ם‬niphal has a dagesh in first root letter

Gentilic ‫י‬
Added to the end of a name to mean ‘from that place or family’
e.g. ‫ – כְ ַּנעַּן‬The country of Canaan
‫ – כְ ַּנעַּנִּ י‬Canaanite (a person from Canaan)
‫ – ִּׁש ְמעֹון‬tribe of Shimon
‫ – ִּׁש ְמעֹונִּ י‬a person from the tribe of Shimon
Feminine nouns will end ‫ ית‬e.g. ‫כְ ַּנ ֲענִּ ית‬

Infinitive Absolute and Infinitive Construct

An infinitive is a verb that has no tense, person, gender or number. It is the
concept of the verb, like in English ‘to run’ or ‘running’.
Infinitive absolute has no prefixes or suffixes. It is used either for emphasis by
placing it next to the verb (this is how it usually appears)
e.g. ‫ – שָ מֹ ַּע ִּת ְׁשמַּ ע‬you shall surely listen ( ‫ ׁשָ מֹ ַּע‬is the infinitive absolute)
Or it is used to show continuation e.g.
‫ – הָ לֹוְך‬going
Infinitive construct can have prefixes ‫מ‬,‫ל‬,‫כ‬,‫( ב‬and pronominal suffixes) e.g.
‫ – לִּ ְׁשמֹ ר‬to guard
‫ – ָלצֵ את‬to go out
‫ – בְ צֵ את‬at the time of going out
NOTE: If you see a verb that has a ‫מ‬,‫ל‬,‫כ‬,‫( ב‬preposition) before the root, it is
probably an infinitive.

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Sometimes it will not have a prefix or suffix and sometimes it will have a
possessive suffix as well.
NOTE: When there is a ‫ יונה‬letter in the root – the infinitive construct has an
added ‫ ת‬at the end. e.g ‫לָׁשֶ בֶ ת – ישב‬. ‫ ַּל ֲעֹלת – עלה‬. ‫ָלקַּ חַּ ת – לקח‬

NOTE: For niphal, hiphil and hispael an extra ‫ ה‬is added after the preposition

Qal Piel Niphal Hiphil Hispael

‫לִּ ְרקֹ ד‬ ‫לְ ַּרקֵ ד‬ ‫ה ָרקֵ ד‬
ֲִּ ְ‫ל‬ ‫לְ הֲַּ ְרקִּ יד‬ ‫לְ הֲִּ ְת ַּרקֵ ד‬

‫ב‬ ‫כ‬ ‫ל‬ ‫מ‬

when/ at the time of when/ at the time of to not to

Write the following infinitive construct into Hebrew

English Binyan Root Hebrew
to guard Qal ‫שמר‬
to feed Hiphil ‫אכל‬
to be called Niphal ‫קרא‬
at the time of the reading Qal ‫קרא‬
at the time of being harvested Niphal ‫קצר‬
at the time of being seen Niphal ‫ראה‬
not to make king (crown) Hiphil ‫מלך‬
to see Qal ‫ראה‬
not to see Qal ‫ראה‬
not to show Hiphil ‫ראה‬
to listen Qal ‫שמע‬
to make listen Hiphil ‫שמע‬
at the time of making it heard Hiphil ‫שמע‬

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 when he made heard Hiphil ‫שמע‬
when she was coming Qal ‫בוא‬

Negative ‫מ‬
‫ מ‬before an infinitive construct can give a negative meaning
‫ – ִּמ ְׁשמֹ ַּע‬not to listen
‫ – מֵ עַּשות‬not to do

Preposition ‫מ‬
When ‫ מ‬is a preposition meaning ‘from’ it will be pointed ‫מ‬.
ִּ The next letter will
have a dagesh. If the next letter is a guttural, the vowel will change to ֵ‫מ‬.

Tense

The future tense The past tense

I ‫א‬ I ‫ ִּתי‬
you (fs) ‫י‬‫ת‬ you (ms) ‫ת‬ you (fs) ‫ ְת‬ you
(ms) ָ‫ת‬
she ‫ת‬ he ‫י‬ she ‫ָה‬ he 
we ‫נ‬ we ‫נּו‬
you (fpl)
you
(mpl) ‫ּו‬‫ת‬ you
(fpl) ‫תֶ ן‬ you
(mpl) ‫תֶ ם‬
‫נָה‬‫ת‬
they (f) they (m) ‫ּו‬‫י‬ they ‫ּו‬

NOTE: Future tense always has an ‫ איתנ‬prefix before the root. This is one way to work out the
tense of a verb. ‫ א‬is I, ‫ י‬is he, ‫ ת‬is she or you and ‫ נ‬is we.

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 ‫‪word‬‬ ‫‪tense‬‬ ‫‪M/F‬‬ ‫‪translation‬‬
‫‪1‬‬ ‫דַּ בֵ ר‬
‫‪2‬‬ ‫ׁשָ בַּ ְר ִּתי‬
‫‪3‬‬ ‫תֵ לְ כִּ י‬
‫‪4‬‬ ‫קָ בְ רּו‬
‫‪5‬‬ ‫אתי‬ ‫קָ ָר ִּ‬
‫‪6‬‬ ‫יִּ גְ דָ לּו‬
‫‪7‬‬ ‫ָיצְ אָ ה‬
‫‪8‬‬ ‫לְ כִּ י‬
‫‪9‬‬ ‫ַּו ִּתבְ ֶכי ָנה‬
‫‪10‬‬ ‫תָ ׁשּובִּ י‬
‫‪11‬‬ ‫אֵ ֵלְך‬
‫‪12‬‬ ‫ׁשֹובְ נָה‬
‫‪13‬‬ ‫ַּותֵ ֶרא‬
‫‪14‬‬ ‫ִּתקְ ֶרא ָנה‬
‫‪15‬‬ ‫יתי‬ ‫הָ יִּ ִּ‬
‫‪16‬‬ ‫ָנׁשּוב‬
‫‪17‬‬ ‫ֲע ִּשיתֶ ם‬
‫‪18‬‬ ‫ַּי ֲעשֶ ה‬
‫‪19‬‬ ‫ְמצֶ אנָה‬

‫‪22‬‬ ‫‪©MC‬‬
20 ‫יִּ תֵ ן‬
21 ‫ַּותֵ צֵ א‬
22 ‫ָפקַּ ד‬
23 ‫ׁשָ ְמ ָעה‬
24 ‫ׁשּוב‬
Practice for tenses. Use the Charts to check your work. If it is an imperative
write an I next to it.

Write the following words into Hebrew. Remember that ‫ יונה‬letters go missing from the root.

word root Hebrew

25 They (m) ate ‫אכל‬
26 I will lift ‫נשא‬
27 they (f) will remember ‫פקד‬
28 we will leave ‫עזב‬
29 go! (m) I ‫הלך‬
30 Cry! (f) I ‫בכה‬
31 they (m) went out ‫יצא‬
32 you (f) (pl) said (vav conversive) ‫אמר‬
33 he spoke (vav conversive) ‫דבר‬

‫ יונה‬letters and geminate roots

These 4 letters often drop out of the root when prefixes or suffixes are added.

23 ©MC
 e.g. ‫ הלך‬becomes ‫ בנה ֵילְֵך‬becomes ‫וַּיִּ בֶ ן‬
(‫ ל‬also drops from the root ‫)לקח‬

For each word, give the missing ‫ יונה‬letter from the root:
word missing letter word missing letter

‫וַּיְ הִּ י‬ ‫וַּתָ קָ ם‬

‫ַּו ֵילְֶך‬ ‫וַּתָ ׁשָ ב‬
‫ַּויָבֹ אּו‬ ‫וַּתֵ צֵ א‬
‫ַּויָמָ ת‬ ‫וַּתֵ לַּכְ נָה‬
‫וַּיִּ ְשאּו‬ ‫יִּ תֵ ן‬
‫ַּוי ְֵׁשבּו‬ ‫ו ִַּּתשַּ ק‬

Each ‫ יונה‬letter has a ‘favourite’ position from which it is usually dropped:

‫ – י‬first root letter ‫ – ו‬second root letter ‫ – נ‬first root letter ‫ – ה‬third root letter

The exception is the root ______. This root is very interesting because
although its first root letter is a ____, it behaves as if its first root letter is a ‫י‬.

Some of the ‫ יונה‬letters also have a tendency to change into other letters:
 ‫י‬‫ו‬
 ‫ו‬‫י‬

root translation root translation root translation

‫רעע‬ ‫פלל‬ ‫הלל‬

‫תמם‬ ‫צרר‬ ‫קלל‬
‫סבב‬ ‫מרר‬ ‫דמם‬
 ‫ ה‬ ‫ ת‬or ‫י‬
24 ©MC
 Geminate roots

There is also a type of weak root called a geminate root. This type of root has two
identical letters next to each other – usually the s_________ and th_____ root
letters. In verb with a geminate root, one of the identical letters is often
m___________ – even though it is not a ‫ יונה‬letter.

Look up and fill in the translations of these common geminate roots:

Pronouns: Subject and Object

Verbs have a SUBJECT: who is doing the verb

they often also have an OBJECT: who or what the verb is being done to.

Example: The cow ate the grass. The cow is the SUBJECT, ate is the VERB and grass is the OBJECT.

The suffixes in the tense section above are SUBJECT PRONOUNS. They tell you who the subject of
the verb is.

e.g ‫ יִּ ְׁשמֹ ר‬HE will guard. ‫רתי‬

ִּ ַּ‫שָ מ‬ I guarded

The following chart is OBJECT PRONOUNS. These suffixes, when added to a noun, become
POSSESIVE pronouns and tell you who the object belongs to.

attached to a verb (objective) suffix Attached to a noun

(possessive)
‫ שמרנִּ י‬he guarded me me ‫ִּיֲֲֲנִּ י‬ my

‫ שמרָך‬he guarded you you (ms) ‫ָך‬ your (ms)

‫ שמרְך‬he guarded you you (fs) ‫ְך‬ your (fs)

‫ שמרֹו‬he guarded him him ‫נּו ֲהּו ֹו‬ His

‫ שמרּה‬he guarded her her ‫ה‬/‫ּה‬ her

‫ שמרנּו‬he guarded us us ‫נּו‬ our

‫ שמרכם‬he guarded you you (mpl) ‫ֶכם‬ your (mpl)

‫ שמרכן‬he guarded you you (fpl) ‫ֶכן‬ your (fpl)

25 ©MC
 ‫ שמרם‬he guarded them them (mpl) ‫ָּׁם‬ their (mpl)

‫ שמרן‬he guarded them them (fpl) ‫ָּׁן‬ their (fpl)

Pronouns: Possessive
(Object and possessive pronouns are the same) Possessive pronouns for singular nouns

attached to a noun (possessive) suffix

‫סוסי‬
ִּ my horse my ‫ִּי‬
‫סוסָך‬
ְ your horse your (ms) ‫ָך‬
‫ סוסֵ ְך‬your horse your (fs) ‫ְך‬
‫ סוסֹו‬his horse his ‫ֹו‬
‫ סוסָ ּה‬her horse her ‫ה‬/‫ּה‬
‫ סוסֵ נּו‬our horse our ‫נּו‬
‫סוסכֶם‬
ְ your horse your (mpl) ‫כֶם‬
‫סוסכֶן‬
ְ your horse your (fpl) ‫כֶן‬
‫ סוסָ ם‬their horse their (mpl) ‫ָם‬
‫ סוסָ ן‬their horse their (fpl) ‫ָן‬
Attached to plural nouns. (note the added letter ‫ י‬and some vowel changes)

attached to a noun (possessive) suffix

‫ סוסַּ י‬my horses my ‫ַּי‬
‫ סוסֶ יָך‬your horses your (ms) ‫ֶיָך‬
‫ סוסַּ יְִּך‬your horses your (fs) ‫ַּיְך‬
‫ סוסָ יו‬his horses his ‫ָיו‬
ָ‫ סוסֶ יה‬her horses her ָ‫ֶיה‬
‫ סוסֵ ינּו‬our horses our ‫ֵינּו‬

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 ‫ סוסֵ יכֶם‬your horses your (mpl) ‫ֵיכֶם‬
‫ סוסֵ יכֶן‬your horses your (fpl) ‫ֵיכֶן‬
‫ סוסֵ יהֶ ם‬their horses their (mpl) ‫ֵיהֶ ם‬
‫ סוסֵ יהֶ ן‬their horses their (fpl) ‫ֵיהֶ ן‬

Attached to feminine nouns. Note: The ‫ ה‬changes to ‫ת‬

‫ מֶ לְֶך‬king ‫ מַּ לְ כָה‬queen

‫ מַּ לְ כֵנּו‬our king ‫מַּ לְ כָתֵ נּו‬ our queen
‫ מַּ לְ כִּ י‬my king ‫מַּ לְ כ ִָּתי‬ my queen
‫ מַּ לְ כֹו‬his king ‫מַּ לְ כָתֹו‬ his queen

Word Order
The usual sentence structure in Biblical Hebrew is:

‫וַּיאֹ מֶ ר ה' אֶ ל מֹ ׁשֶ ה‬

VERB – SUBJECT– OBJECT

(Unlike English: Hashem said to Moshe: SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT)

If the word order changes: ‫( ה' אָ מַּ ר אֶ ל מֹ שֶ ה‬SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT) it usually
means that it is pluperfect – Hashem had previously said to Moshe.

Sheva (‫)ׁשוָא‬
ְ rules:
There are 2 types of sheva. ‫( ְׁשוָא נָח‬silent) and ‫( ְׁשוָא נָע‬vocal)
A sheva will be vocal if:
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(a) It is under the first letter of the word
(b) it is the second of 2 adjacent shevas
[if the first letter should have a sheva but the second letter already has a sheva
then it will change depending on various factors]
(c) after a long vowel (‫)פִּ יתּוחֵ י חֹותָ ם‬
(d) under a letter that has a dagesh

Vowels
Long vowels – these can be memorised with the mnemonic ‫פִּ יתּוחֵ י חֹותָ ם‬
Short vowels – the other vowels (besides for sheva)

A vocal sheva (‫ ) ָנע‬under a guttural changes to a chataf vowel: ֱ ֲ ֳ

The vowel before the chataf vowel will change to match – ‫ ַּו ֲע ִּשיתֶ ם‬instead of
‫ וְ ע ֲִּשיתֶ ם‬or ‫ ַּו ֲאנ ִָּׁשים‬instead of ‫וְ ֲא ָנ ִּׁשים‬

Numbers
Numbers can be used in 3 ways:
Cardinal - the number itself, e.g. 1,2,3
Ordinal – the position e.g. 1st, 2nd,3rd
Construct form – usually when referring to a group or set e.g. 7 days – a week
of days.
Note: When referring to masculine, numbers 3 – 10 take on a feminine form
And when referring to feminine they take on the masculine form.
Note: some nouns take a singular form when there are more than 10. e.g.
‫ֶשרים ִּאיׁש‬
ִּ ‫ע‬
NOTE: Dual form means a pair of items and has a special suffix: e.g. ‫= אַּ ָלפִּ ים‬
thousands, ‫ = אַּ לְ ַּפיִּ ם‬2000. ‫ = ְר ָגלִּ ים‬feet, ‫ = ַּרגְ ַּליִּ ם‬a pair of feet
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 ‫‪Cardinal‬‬ ‫‪Ordinal‬‬
‫‪Masculine‬‬ ‫‪Feminine‬‬ ‫‪Masculine Feminine‬‬
‫‪Absolute Construct Absolute Construct‬‬
‫‪1‬‬ ‫אֶ חָ ד‬ ‫אַּ חַּ ד‬ ‫אַּ חַּ ת‬ ‫אַּ חַּ ת‬ ‫‪1st‬‬ ‫ִּראׁשֹון‬ ‫ִּראׁשֹו ָנה‬
‫‪2‬‬ ‫ְׁש ַּניִּ ם‬ ‫ְׁש ֵני‬ ‫ְׁשתַּ יִּ ם‬ ‫ְׁשתֵ י‬ ‫‪2nd‬‬ ‫שֵ נִּ י‬ ‫שֵ נִּ ית‬
‫‪3‬‬ ‫ְׁשֹלשָ ה‬ ‫ְׁשֹלשֶ ת‬ ‫ׁשָ ֹלש‬ ‫ְׁשֹלש‬ ‫‪3‬‬ ‫‪rd‬‬ ‫יׁשי‬ ‫ְׁשלִּ ִּ‬ ‫יׁשית‬‫ְׁשלִּ ִּ‬
‫‪4‬‬ ‫אַּ ְרבָ ָעה‬ ‫אַּ ְרבַּ ַּעת‬ ‫אַּ ְרבַּ ע‬ ‫אַּ ְרבַּ ע‬ ‫‪4‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫ְרבִּ יעִּ י‬ ‫ְרבִּ יעִּ ית‬
‫‪5‬‬ ‫ֲח ִּמׁשָ ה‬ ‫ֲחמֵ ׁשֶ ת‬ ‫חָ מֵ ׁש‬ ‫ֲחמֵ ׁש‬ ‫‪5‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫יׁשי‬ ‫ֲח ִּמ ִּ‬ ‫יׁשית‬ ‫ֲח ִּמ ִּ‬
‫‪6‬‬ ‫ִּׁששָ ה‬ ‫ׁשֵ ׁשֶ ת‬ ‫ׁשֵ ׁש‬ ‫ׁשֵ ׁש‬ ‫‪6‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫ִּׁש ִּׁשי‬ ‫ִּׁש ִּשית‬
‫‪7‬‬ ‫ִּׁשבְ ָעה‬ ‫ִּׁשבְ ַּעת‬ ‫ׁשֶ בַּ ע‬ ‫ְׁשבַּ ע‬ ‫‪7th‬‬ ‫ְׁשבִּ יעִּ י‬ ‫ְׁשבִּ יעִּ ית‬
‫‪8‬‬ ‫ְׁשמֹ ָנה‬ ‫ְׁשמֹ ַּנת‬ ‫ְׁשמֹ ָנה‬ ‫ְׁשמֹ ֶנה‬ ‫‪8‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫ְׁש ִּמינִּ י‬ ‫ְׁש ִּמינִּ ית‬
‫‪9‬‬ ‫ִּת ְׁש ָעה‬ ‫ִּת ְׁש ַּעת‬ ‫תֵ ׁשַּ ע‬ ‫ְתׁשַּ ע‬ ‫‪9‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫ְת ִּׁשיעִּ י‬ ‫ְתׁשיעִּ ית‬
‫‪10‬‬ ‫ֲעשָ ָרה‬ ‫ֲעשֶ ֶרת‬ ‫ֶעשֶ ר‬ ‫ֶעשֶ ר‬ ‫‪10‬‬ ‫‪th‬‬ ‫ֲע ִּש ִּירי‬ ‫ֲע ִּש ִּירית‬

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