Future Tense
A verb in the future tense (עָתִיד 'atid) agrees with its subject in person and number, and in the second- and third-person singular, gender. The second-person singular masculine and third-person singular feminine forms are identical for all verbs in the future tense. Historically, there have been separate feminine forms for the second- and third-person plural (shown in parentheses on the table). These are still occasionally used today (most often in formal settings), and could be seen as the 'correct' forms; however in everyday speech, most Israelis use the historically male form for both genders.
| Form | Root | Singular | Plural | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| He | She | You | I | They | You | We | |||||
| M | F | M | (F) | M | (F) | ||||||
| pa'al | שׁמר | יִשְׁמוֹר | תִּשְׁמוֹר | תִּשְׁמוֹר | תִּשְׁמְרִי | אֶשְׁמוֹר | יִשְׁמְרוּ | תִּשְׁמוֹרנָה | תִּשְׁמְרוּ | תִּשְׁמוֹרנָה | נִשְׁמוֹר |
| sh-m-r | jiʃˈmoʁ | tiʃˈmoʁ | tiʃˈmoʁ | tiʃmeˈʁi | eʃˈmoʁ | jiʃmeˈʁu | tiʃˈmoʁna | tiʃˈmeʁu | tiʃˈmoʁna | niʃˈmoʁ | |
| pi'el | גדל | יְגַדֵּל | תְּגַדֵּל | תְּגַדֵּל | תְּגַדְּלִי | אֲגַדֵּל | יְגַדְּלוּ | תְּגַדֵּלְנָה | תְּגַדְּלוּ | תְּגַדֵּלְנָה | נְגַדֵּל |
| g-d-l | jeɡaˈdel | teɡaˈdel | teɡaˈdel | teɡadˈli | aɡaˈdel | jeɡadˈlu | teɡaˈdelna | teɡadˈlu | teɡaˈdelna | neɡaˈdel | |
| hif'il | קטנ | יַקְטִין | תַּקְטִין | תַּקְטִין | תַּקְטִ֫ינִי | אַקְטִין | יַקְטִינּוּ | תַּקְטִינָּה | תַּקְטִינּוּ | תַּקְטִינָּה | נַקְטִין |
| q-t-n | jakˈtin | takˈtin | takˈtin | takˈtini | akˈtin | jakˈtinu | takˈtejna | takˈtinu | takˈtejna | nakˈtin | |
| hitpa'el | בטל | יִתְבַּטֵּל | תִּתְבַּטֵּל | תִּתְבַּטֵּל | תִּתְבַּטְּלִי | אֶתְבַּטֵּל | יִתְבַּטְּלוּ | תִּתְבַּטֵּלְנָה | תִּתְבַּטְּלוּ | תִּתְבַּטֵּלְנָה | נִתְבַּטֵּל |
| b-t-l | jitbaˈtel | titbaˈtel | titbaˈtel | titbatˈli | etbaˈtel | jitbatˈlu | titbaˈtelna | titbatˈlu | titbaˈtelna | nitbaˈtel | |
| huf'al | קטנ | יֻקְטַן | תֻּקְטַן | תֻּקְטַן | תֻּקְטְנִי | אֻקְטַן | יֻקְטְנּוּ | תֻּקְטַנָּה | תֻּקְטְנּוּ | תֻּקְטַנָּה | נֻקְטַן |
| q-t-n | jukˈtan | tukˈtan | tukˈtan | tukteˈni | ukˈtan | jukteˈnu | tukˈtana | tukteˈnu | tukˈtana | nukˈtan | |
| pu'al | גדל | יְגֻדַּל | תְּגֻדַּל | תְּגֻדַּל | תְּגֻדְּלִי | אֲגֻדַּל | יְגֻדְּלוּ | תְּגֻדַּלְנָה | תְּגֻדְּלוּ | תְּגֻדַּלְנָה | נְגֻדַּל |
| g-d-l | jeɡuˈdal | teɡuˈdal | teɡuˈdal | teɡudˈli | aɡuˈdal | jeɡudˈlu | teɡuˈdalna | teɡudˈlu | teɡuˈdalna | neɡuˈdal | |
| nif'al | שׁמר | יִשָּׁמֵר | תִּשָּׁמֵר | תִּשָּׁמֵר | תִּשָּׁמְרִי | אֶשָּׁמֵר | יִשָּׁמְרוּ | תִּשַּׁמֵּרְנָה | תִּשָּׁמְרוּ | תִּשַּׁמֵּרְנָה | נִשָּׁמֵר |
| sh-m-r | jiʃaˈmeʁ | tiʃaˈmeʁ | tiʃaˈmeʁ | tiʃamˈʁi | eʃaˈmeʁ | jiʃamˈʁu | tiʃaˈmeʁna | tiʃamˈʁu | tiʃaˈmeʁna | niʃaˈmeʁ | |
As in the past tense, personal pronouns are not strictly necessary in the future tense, as the verb forms are sufficient to identify the subject, but they are frequently used.
Read more about this topic: Modern Hebrew Verb Conjugation
Famous quotes containing the words future and/or tense:
“I imagine, on the benches of an assembly, the most intrepid of thinkers, a brilliant mind, one of those men who, when they ascend the tribune, feel it beneath them like the tripod of the oracle, suddenly grow in stature and become colossal, surpass by a head the massive appearances that mask reality, and see clearly the future over the high, frowning wall of the present.”
—Victor Hugo (18021885)
“A pathological business, writing, dont you think? Just look what a writer actually does: all that unnatural tense squatting and hunching, all those rituals: pathological!”
—Hans Magnus Enzensberger (b. 1929)