Hebrew Verb Conjugation: Complete Guide with Tables
I spent my first three months of learning Hebrew convinced that verb conjugation was secretly designed to break me.
Present tense, past tense, future tense. Masculine, feminine. Singular, plural. And somehow all of that combines differently depending on which binyan you're in.
Then someone showed me something that changed everything: every binyan has its own pattern, and that pattern is consistent across all verbs in it. Once you learn the pattern, you don't memorize verbs—you construct them.
This guide covers the mechanics: what changes when you conjugate, how the three main tenses work in the most common binyan (Paal), and how that logic extends to Piel and Hifil. Tables included for everything.
Already know what binyanim are? Good, jump straight to the tables. New to binyanim? Quick detour to our Binyanim Complete Guide will pay off in the next 10 minutes.
What Defines a Hebrew Verb Form
Four things determine the exact form of a Hebrew verb:
| Factor | Options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Tense | Past / Present / Future | When the action happens |
| Person | 1st (I/we), 2nd (you), 3rd (he/she/they) | Who performs the action |
| Number | Singular / Plural | One or more |
| Gender | Masculine / Feminine | Hebrew assigns gender to all nouns and pronouns |
The gender distinction catches most learners off-guard: "you write" (masculine) and "you write" (feminine) are different verb forms. It sounds redundant until you realize it removes a huge amount of ambiguity from spoken Hebrew.
Binyan Paal (פָּעַל) — Start Here
Paal contains most common everyday verbs: write, read, go, know, see, eat, drink, come. Master Paal conjugation and you can express almost anything.
We'll use כָּתַב (to write) throughout. Root: כ‑ת‑ב.
Present Tense (הווה — Hoveh)
The big difference from English: Hebrew present tense doesn't conjugate by person. The same form is used for I, you, and he — as long as they're the same gender. It conjugates only by gender and number.
Think of it as a participial form: "writing / writing / writing" rather than "I write / you write / he writes."
| Form | Hebrew | Transliteration | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. singular | כּוֹתֵב | kotév | I (m) / you (m) / he |
| Fem. singular | כּוֹתֶבֶת | kotévet | I (f) / you (f) / she |
| Masc. plural | כּוֹתְבִים | kotvím | we (m) / you (m.pl) / they (m) |
| Fem. plural | כּוֹתְבוֹת | kotvót | we (f) / you (f.pl) / they (f) |
In a sentence:
- אֲנִי כּוֹתֵב מִכְתָּב — ani kotév mikhtáv — I am writing a letter (speaker is male)
- הִיא כּוֹתֶבֶת — hi kotévet — She is writing
- הֵם כּוֹתְבִים — hem kotvím — They are writing (group of men or mixed)
💡 Shortcut: Four forms cover the entire present tense for all persons. That's it.
Past Tense (עבר — Avar)
Past tense does conjugate by person, number, and gender — closer to what you'd expect from Spanish or Russian. Each form has a distinctive suffix:
| Person | Hebrew | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (m/f) | כָּתַבְתִּי | katávti | I wrote |
| You (m) | כָּתַבְתָּ | katávta | you wrote |
| You (f) | כָּתַבְתְּ | katávt | you wrote |
| He | כָּתַב | katáv | he wrote |
| She | כָּתְבָה | katva | she wrote |
| We | כָּתַבְנוּ | katávnu | we wrote |
| You (m.pl) | כְּתַבְתֶּם | ktavtém | you wrote |
| You (f.pl) | כְּתַבְתֶּן | ktavtén | you wrote |
| They (m) | כָּתְבוּ | katvu | they wrote |
| They (f) | כָּתְבוּ | katvu | they wrote |
The suffixes to memorize:
| Suffix | Person |
|---|---|
| ‑תִּי (‑ti) | I |
| ‑תָּ (‑ta) | you (m) |
| ‑תְּ (‑t) | you (f) |
| (no suffix) | he |
| ‑ה (‑a) | she |
| ‑נוּ (‑nu) | we |
| ‑תֶּם (‑tem) | you (m.pl) |
| ‑תֶּן (‑ten) | you (f.pl) |
| ‑וּ (‑u) | they |
💡 These suffixes are the same for every Paal verb in past tense. Learn them once, apply forever.
Future Tense (עתיד — Atid)
Future tense uses prefixes (and sometimes suffixes). This takes more memorization but follows a tight pattern:
| Person | Hebrew | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | אֶכְתֹּב | ekhtóv | I will write |
| You (m) | תִּכְתֹּב | tikhtóv | you will write |
| You (f) | תִּכְתְּבִי | tikhtví | you will write |
| He | יִכְתֹּב | yikhtóv | he will write |
| She | תִּכְתֹּב | tikhtóv | she will write |
| We | נִכְתֹּב | nikhtóv | we will write |
| You (pl) | תִּכְתְּבוּ | tikhtvú | you will write |
| They (m) | יִכְתְּבוּ | yikhtvú | they will write |
| They (f) | תִּכְתֹּבְנָה | tikhtóvna | they will write |
The four key prefixes:
| Prefix | Person |
|---|---|
| אֶ‑ (e‑) | I |
| תִּ‑ (ti‑) | you (m/f) / she |
| יִ‑ (yi‑) | he / they (m) |
| נִ‑ (ni‑) | we |
💡 Notice: "you (m)" and "she" use the same prefix (תִּ‑). Context always makes this clear.
Essential Paal Verbs: Practice Set
These ten verbs appear constantly in everyday Hebrew. Practice conjugating each one using the patterns above:
| Infinitive | Transliteration | Meaning | Present (m) | Past (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לִכְתֹּב | likhtóv | to write | כּוֹתֵב | כָּתַבְתִּי |
| לִקְרֹא | likró | to read | קוֹרֵא | קָרָאתִי |
| לָלֶכֶת | laléhet | to walk/go | הוֹלֵךְ | הָלַכְתִּי |
| לִשְׁמֹעַ | lishmóa | to hear/listen | שׁוֹמֵעַ | שָׁמַעְתִּי |
| לִרְאוֹת | lir'ót | to see | רוֹאֶה | רָאִיתִי |
| לָדַעַת | ladáat | to know | יוֹדֵעַ | יָדַעְתִּי |
| לֶאֱכֹל | le'ehól | to eat | אוֹכֵל | אָכַלְתִּי |
| לִשְׁתּוֹת | lishtót | to drink | שׁוֹתֶה | שָׁתִיתִי |
| לָבוֹא | lavó | to come | בָּא | בָּאתִי |
| לָשֵׁב | lashév | to sit | יוֹשֵׁב | יָשַׁבְתִּי |
Binyan Piel (פִּיעֵל) — Intensive Actions
Piel adds intensity, thoroughness, or sometimes a causative meaning to actions. Many common verbs live here: speak (דִּבֵּר), love (אָהֵב), tell/narrate (סִפֵּר), look for (חִפֵּשׂ).
Example: לְדַבֵּר (ledabér) — to speak
Present Tense (Piel)
| Form | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Masc. sg | מְדַבֵּר | medabér |
| Fem. sg | מְדַבֶּרֶת | medabéret |
| Masc. pl | מְדַבְּרִים | medabrím |
| Fem. pl | מְדַבְּרוֹת | medabrót |
Past Tense (Piel)
| Person | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I | דִּבַּרְתִּי | dibárti |
| You (m) | דִּבַּרְתָּ | dibárta |
| He | דִּבֵּר | dibér |
| She | דִּבְּרָה | dibra |
| We | דִּבַּרְנוּ | dibárnu |
| They | דִּבְּרוּ | dibru |
💡 How to spot Piel: Present always starts with מְ‑ (me‑) and has a "doubled" middle root letter (a dagesh, written as a dot inside the letter). In past tense: the middle root letter is doubled or strengthened.
Binyan Hifil (הִפְעִיל) — Causing Things to Happen
Hifil is the causative binyan: "to show" = "to cause to see," "to remind" = "to cause to remember."
Example: לְהַגִּיד (lehagíd) — to tell / to say
Present Tense (Hifil)
| Form | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Masc. sg | מַגִּיד | magíd |
| Fem. sg | מַגִּידָה | magída |
| Masc. pl | מַגִּידִים | magidím |
| Fem. pl | מַגִּידוֹת | magidót |
Past Tense (Hifil)
| Person | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I | הִגַּדְתִּי | higádti |
| You (m) | הִגַּדְתָּ | higádta |
| He | הִגִּיד | higíd |
| She | הִגִּידָה | higída |
| We | הִגַּדְנוּ | higádnu |
| They | הִגִּידוּ | higídu |
💡 Hifil markers: Past tense — הִ‑ (hi‑) prefix. Present tense — מַ‑ (ma‑) prefix.
Quick-Reference: Binyan Markers
| Binyan | Present prefix | Past (he) pattern | Future (he) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paal | none | CaCaC | יִCCoC |
| Piel | מְ‑ | CiCeC (doubled middle) | יְCaCeC |
| Hifil | מַ‑ | הִCCiC | יַCCiC |
| Nifal | נִ‑ | נִCCaC | יִCCaC |
| Hitpael | מִתְ‑ | הִתְCaCeC | יִתְCaCeC |
| Pual | מְ‑ | CuCaC | יְCuCaC |
| Hufal | מוּ‑ | הוּCCaC | יוּCCaC |
(C = any root consonant)
FAQ
Is there a "to be" in Hebrew present tense?
Not as a standalone verb. "I am a teacher" = אֲנִי מוֹרֶה (ani moré) — literally "I teacher." The verb הָיָה (to be) appears only in past (הָיִיתִי — I was) and future (אֶהְיֶה — I will be).
What's the infinitive, and how do I find it?
Infinitives start with לְ‑ (le‑): לִכְתֹּב, לְדַבֵּר, לִרְאוֹת. Dictionaries list verbs in this form.
Are there irregular verbs in Hebrew?
Not in the way English has "go → went." Hebrew has verb roots that cause predictable spelling adjustments (guttural letters like א, ה, ח, ע; weak letters like י, ו; and roots ending in ה). These are consistent patterns, not random irregularities — once you see the rule, you can apply it across all verbs with that root type.
What order should I learn tenses?
- Present first — only 4 forms, used in most conversations
- Past second — "I" and "he/she" forms cover 80% of real usage
- Future third — once present and past feel natural
Practice: Put It to Work Now
Reading tables builds understanding. Muscle memory requires repetition under mild pressure.
Two ways to practice right now:
-
Self-test: Close the tables. Write out the full past tense of לִכְתֹּב from memory — all 10 forms. Check against the table. Repeat with לְדַבֵּר.
-
HebrewGlot Trainer — enter a verb, pick a tense, get drilled on random forms. It tracks your error patterns and surfaces the forms you miss most.
One verb per day, all tenses. After a week, the suffixes stop feeling foreign.
Keep Going
- Binyanim Complete Guide — the full logic behind all seven verb patterns
- Hebrew Present Tense Deep Dive — more detail on participial structure and agreement
- Lessons from Scratch — structured course from alphabet to conversation
- Hebrew Trainer — conjugation practice, immediately
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