Lesson 14

1. The subjunctive: to be in past tense + verb in present

Subjunctive is a simple thing in Hebrew. It is formed with the verb “to be” + conjugated verb in present tense.

Note: subjunctive past tense and present tense are identical in Hebrew.

Example:

I had invited him, if he had been in town (can also mean: I would invite him, if he were in town.):
- הייתי מזמין אותו, אם הוא היה בעיר hayiti mazmin oto, im hu hayah ba’ir

1. The subjunctive: to be in past tense + verb in present

As the Hebrew language knows only one past tense, it is used in the sequence of tenses as well as in the subordinate clause:

After I had washed the dishes, I went to sleep:
- אחרי ששטפתי את הכלים, הלכתי לישון achare she-shatafti et ha-kelim, halachti lishon

Reported speech: There are no set rules. Unusual: in simultaneity of past tense the subordinate clause appears in present tense:

He said, that he wanted to go on holiday (= He said, that he wants to go on holiday):
- הוא אמר שהוא רוצה לנסוע לחופשה hu amar, she-hu rotze linso’a le-chufshah

2. Sequence of tenses and reported speech

If you know the regularities, you can form nouns from Hebrew verbs.

3. The derivation of nouns from paal, piel and hifil-verbs

In spoken Hebrew 2nd person of future tense is generally used as imperative. go! thus becomes you will go, come in becomes you will come in.

There is, however, a formally pure imperative, which is formed as follows:

In some verbs the pure imperative is also used in colloquial language next to the future:

Note: in the negated form – eg don’t – not is translated with al followed by future tense.

Examples:

4. The imperative – eg go!