Lesson 13
1. The passive binyanim: nif’al, pu’al, huf’al
Active binyanim
Passive binyanim
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pa'al פעל
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pi'el פיעל
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hif'il הפעיל
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hitpa'el התפעל
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nif'al פעל
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pu'al פיעל
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huf'al הפעיל
The three passive binyanim are nif’al, pu’al and huf’al. Again these names denote the 3rd person singular m in past tense:
Nif’al is the passive binyan of the active pa’al-verbs and the passive conjugation which is most in use in Hebrew. nif’al is the only passive-binyan, which appears in all tenses, in imperative, and also in Infinitive (eg to be pursued). nif’al means he was put into action or he is put into action.
Pu’al is the passive conjugation of pi’el-verbs. the word pu’al is the 3rd person singular m in past tense of a fictitious pi’el-verb lefa’el and has no meaning.
Huf’al is the passive conjugation of hif’il-verbs. The word huf’al means he was activated.
As opposed to nif’al the passive binyanim huf’al and pu’al do not exist in present, but only in past and future tense. Also, there is no infinitive or imperative in these binyanim.
The binyanim pu’al and huf’al are used little in spoken Hebrew. In newspapers they are mostly found in 3rd person.
2. The 5th binyan: nif’al – nif’al in present tense
Nif’al (passive of pa’al) is by far the most used passive conjugation in spoken Hebrew. nif’al is
of soger – closes; lisgor – to close
3. Nif’al-verbs with active meaning
Various nif’al-forms have in English an active meaning.
Verb (to..) | Singular M | Singular F | Plural M | Plural F | Infinitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
enter, come in | נכנס (nichnas) | נכנסת (nichneset) | נכנסים (nichnasim) | נכנסות (nichnasot) | להכנס (lehikanes) |
fall asleep | נרדם (nirdam) | נרדמת (nirdemet) | נרדמים (nirdamim) | נרדמות (nirdamot) | להרדם (lehiradem) |
stay | נשאר (nishar) | נשארת (nish’eret) | נשארים (nish’arim) | נשארות (nish’arot) | להשאר (lehisha’er) |
disappear | נעלם (ne’elam) | נעלמת (ne’elemet) | נעלמים (ne’elmim) | נעלמות (ne’elmot) | להעלם (lehe’alem) |
to be scared | נבהל (nivhal) | נבהלת (nivhelet) | נבהלים (nivhalim) | נבהלות (nivhalot) | להבהל (lehivahel) |
meet | נפגש (nifgash) | נפגשת (nifgeshet) | נפגשים (nifgashim) | נפגשות (nifgashot) | להפגש (lehipagesh) |
to be situated | מצא (nimtza) | נמצאת (nimtzet) | נמצאים (nimtza’im) | נמצאות (nimtza’ot) | להמצא (lehimatze) |
last ("to be pulled") | נמשך (nimshach) | נמשכת (nimshechet) | נמשכים (nimshachim) | נמשכות (nimshachot) | להמשך (lehimashech) |
enjoy | נהנה (neheneh) | נהנית (nehenet) | נהנים (nehenim) | נהנות (nehenot) | להנות (lehenot) |
to get into sth. | נקלע (niklah) | נקלעת (nikla’at) | נקלעים (nikla’im) | נקלעות (nikla’ot) | להקלע (lehikalah) |
encounter | נתקל (nitkal) | נתקלת (nitkelet) | נתקלים (nitkalim) | נתקלות (nitkalot) | להתקל (lehitakel) |
look (intransitive) | נראה (nir’eh) | נראית (nir’et) | נראים (nir’im) | נראות (nir’ot) | להראות (lehera’ot) |
sound | נשמע (nishmah) | נשמעת (nishma’at) | נשמעים (nishma’im) | נשמעות (nishma’ot) | להשמע (lehishamah) |
die | נפטר (niftar) | נפטרת (nifteret) | נפטרים (niftarim) | נפטרות (niftarot) | להפטר (lehipater) |
be absent (missing) | נעדר (ne’edar) | נעדרת (ne’ederet) | נעדרים (ne’edarim) | נעדרות (ne’edarot) | להעדר (lehe’ader) |
stop, stay put | נעמד (ne’emad) | נעמדת (ne’emedet) | נעמדים (ne’emadim) | נעמדות (ne’emadot) | להעמד (lehe’amed) |
Some verbs in nif’al are used as idioms and appear only in the 3rd person singular:
-
It seems - נדמה nidmeh
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I'm tired of - נמאס לי nim’as li
-
how are things? (lit.: "what is heard?") - מה נשמע ma nishma
4. Nif’al in past tense
of rodef – pursues; lirdof – to pursue.
Similarities of the 3rd person singular nif’al in present and past tense:
Note: the 3rd person male nif’al is mostly identical in present and past tense. hu nirdaf can mean he was pursued or he is pursued. Note the difference in female forms.
5. The passive participle
Pa’al, pi’el and hif’il form their own specific passive participle.
Passive participles as adjectives or as nouns:
6. Relative sentences
Relative sentences generally begin with she- / that. Thereafter the subordinate clause is phrased like a statement:
