Урок 3: Basic Verbs (Paal)
Binyan Paal in present tense
Basic Verbs — פעלים בסיסיים בניין פעל
Learning Binyan Paal and commonly used verbs in the present tense
🔧 Grammar: Binyan Paal — Present Tense
Binyan Paal (בִּנְיַן פָּעַל) is the basic and simplest conjugation pattern for verbs in Hebrew. The name comes from the verb פָּעַל (paal) — "to act."
📐 Basic Conjugation Rules:
1. Verb root consists of 3 consonant letters (trilateral root)
2. Vowels between consonants change depending on person and gender
3. Endings are added for plural
🎯 Conjugation Pattern in Present Tense:
| Person | Masculine | Feminine | Plural (m.) | Plural (f.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | פּוֹעֵל | פּוֹעֶלֶת | פּוֹעֲלִים | פּוֹעֲלוֹת |
| 2nd | פּוֹעֵל | פּוֹעֶלֶת | פּוֹעֲלִים | פּוֹעֲלוֹת |
| 3rd | פּוֹעֵל | פּוֹעֶלֶת | פּוֹעֲלִים | פּוֹעֲלוֹת |
📝 Note: Unlike in English or Russian, Hebrew verbs in present tense don't change by person — only by gender and number!
📚 New Words
Main Verbs in Binyan Paal:
| Infinitive | Root | Masculine | Feminine | Plural (m.) | Plural (f.) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| לָגוּר | ג-ו-ר | גָּר (gar) | גָּרָה (gara) | גָּרִים (garim) | גָּרוֹת (garot) | to live, reside |
| לָלֶכֶת | ה-ל-ך | הוֹלֵךְ (holekh) | הוֹלֶכֶת (holekhet) | הוֹלְכִים (holkhim) | הוֹלְכוֹת (holkhot) | to go, walk |
| לַעֲבוֹד | ע-ב-ד | עוֹבֵד (oved) | עוֹבֶדֶת (ovedet) | עוֹבְדִים (ovdim) | עוֹבְדוֹת (ovdot) | to work |
| לֶאֱכוֹל | א-כ-ל | אוֹכֵל (okhel) | אוֹכֶלֶת (okhelet) | אוֹכְלִים (okhlim) | אוֹכְלוֹת (okhlot) | to eat |
| לִשְׁתּוֹת | ש-ת-ה | שׁוֹתֶה (shote) | שׁוֹתָה (shota) | שׁוֹתִים (shotim) | שׁוֹתוֹת (shotot) | to drink |
| לִישׁוֹן | י-ש-נ | יָשֵׁן (yashen) | יְשֵׁנָה (yeshena) | יְשֵׁנִים (yeshenim) | יְשֵׁנוֹת (yeshenot) | to sleep |
| לִקְרוֹא | ק-ר-א | קוֹרֵא (kore) | קוֹרֵאת (koret) | קוֹרְאִים (korim) | קוֹרְאוֹת (korot) | to read |
| לִכְתּוֹב | כ-ת-ב | כּוֹתֵב (kotev) | כּוֹתֶבֶת (kotevet) | כּוֹתְבִים (kotvim) | כּוֹתְבוֹת (kotvot) | to write |
🎯 Example Sentences
Simple Sentences:
1. אֲנִי גָּר בְּתֵל אָבִיב (ani gar be-tel aviv) — I live in Tel Aviv
2. הִיא הוֹלֶכֶת לָעֲבוֹדָה (hi holekhet la-avoda) — She goes to work
3. הוּא עוֹבֵד בְּמִשְׂרָד (hu oved be-misrad) — He works in an office
4. אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹכְלִים אֲרוּחַת בֹּקֶר (anakhnu okhlim arukhat boker) — We eat breakfast
5. הֵם שׁוֹתִים קָפֶה (hem shotim kafe) — They drink coffee
6. אַתְּ קוֹרֵאת סֵפֶר (at koret sefer) — You read a book
⚠️ Exceptions and Important Notes
🔍 Differences from English:
1. No person conjugation: In English "I read, you read, he reads" — different forms. In Hebrew: אֲנִי קוֹרֵא, אַתָּה קוֹרֵא, הוּא קוֹרֵא — same form!
2. Mandatory gender agreement: In English "I read" is same for men and women. In Hebrew: אֲנִי קוֹרֵא (man), אֲנִי קוֹרֵאת (woman).
3. Word order: More flexible than English, but usually: subject + verb + object.
🚨 Important Exceptions:
1. Verb לָלֶכֶת (to go):
- Present tense formed from different root: ה-ל-ך
- הוֹלֵךְ/הוֹלֶכֶת instead of expected לוֹכֵךְ
2. Verb לִישׁוֹן (to sleep):
- Root י-ש-נ, but first letter י disappears in some forms
- יָשֵׁן (masculine) instead of יוֹשֵׁן
בְּהַצְלָחָה בַּלִּמּוּדִים! — Good luck in your studies!