1. Basic Structure of Pa'al Verbs:

In the Pa'al (also known as Qal) pattern, the root verb is usually composed of three consonants. These three consonants are used to create various conjugations for different tenses.

2. Conjugation in the Present Tense:

In the present tense, verbs in the Pa'al pattern are conjugated according to the subject's gender and number.

• 1st person singular (I):

  • For a male speaker: אֲנִי כוֹתֵב ("I write")

  • For a female speaker: אֲנִי כוֹתֶבֶת ("I write")

• 2nd person singular (you):

  • Masculine: אַתָּה כוֹתֵב ("you write" – masculine singular)

  • Feminine: אַתְּ כוֹתֶבֶת ("you write" – feminine singular)

• 3rd person singular (he/she):

  • Masculine: הוּא כוֹתֵב ("he writes")

  • Feminine: הִיא כוֹתֶבֶת ("she writes")

• 1st person plural (we):

  • Masculine: אֲנַחְנוּ כוֹתְבִים ("we write" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: אֲנַחְנוּ כוֹתְבוֹת ("we write" – feminine plural)

• 2nd person plural (you):

  • Masculine: אַתֶּם כוֹתְבִים ("you write" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: אַתֵּן כוֹתְבוֹת ("you write" – feminine plural)

• 3rd person plural (they):

  • Masculine: הֵם כוֹתְבִים ("they write" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: הֵן כוֹתְבוֹת ("they write" – feminine plural)

3. Past Tense:

In the past tense, verbs are conjugated based on the subject's gender and number.

• 1st person singular (I):

  • כָּתַבְתִּי ("I wrote")

• 2nd person singular (you):

  • Masculine: כָּתַבְתָּ ("you wrote" – masculine singular)

  • Feminine: כָּתַבְתְּ ("you wrote" – feminine singular)

• 3rd person singular (he/she):

  • Masculine: כָּתַב ("he wrote")

  • Feminine: כָּתְבָה ("she wrote")

• 1st person plural (we):

  • כָּתַבְנוּ ("we wrote")

• 2nd person plural (you):

  • Masculine: כָּתַבְתֶּם ("you wrote" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: כָּתַבְתֶּן ("you wrote" – feminine plural)

• 3rd person plural (they):

  • Masculine: כָּתְבוּ ("they wrote" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: כָּתְבוּ ("they wrote" – feminine plural)

4. Future Tense:

In the future tense, the verb changes with specific prefixes based on the subject.

• 1st person singular (I):

  • אֲנִי אֶכְתֹּב ("I will write")

• 2nd person singular (you):

  • Masculine: אַתָּה תִּכְתֹּב ("you will write" – masculine singular)

  • Feminine: אַתְּ תִּכְתְּבִי ("you will write" – feminine singular)

• 3rd person singular (he/she):

  • Masculine: הוּא יִכְתֹּב ("he will write")

  • Feminine: הִיא תִּכְתֹּב ("she will write")

• 1st person plural (we):

  • אֲנַחְנוּ נִכְתֹּב ("we will write")

• 2nd person plural (you):

  • Masculine: אַתֶּם תִּכְתְּבוּ ("you will write" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: אַתֵּן תִּכְתֹּבְנָה ("you will write" – feminine plural)

• 3rd person plural (they):

  • Masculine: הֵם יִכְתְּבוּ ("they will write" – masculine plural)

  • Feminine: הֵן תִּכְתֹּבְנָה ("they will write" – feminine plural)

5. Participles:

The active participle for Pa'al verbs is the form that describes ongoing action.

• Active participle:

  • Masculine: כּוֹתֵב ("writing" – masculine)

  • Feminine: כּוֹתֶבֶת ("writing" – feminine)

6. Uses of Pa'al:

• Simple action or state: Pa'al verbs often describe simple actions or states. For example, לִכְתּוֹב ("to write") in the Pa'al pattern indicates the straightforward action of writing.

• Intransitive verbs: Many intransitive verbs (those that don’t take a direct object) are also in the Pa'al pattern. For example, לָרוּץ ("to run") is in Pa'al.

Summary:

The Pa'al verb pattern is the foundation of Hebrew verb conjugation, used to express basic actions or states. It appears in various tenses, including the present, past, and future, and is conjugated based on the subject’s gender and number.