Past Tense
A verb in the past tense (עָבַר 'avar) agrees with its subject in person (first, second, or third) and number, and in the second-person singular and plural and third-person singular, gender.
Note that the past/perfect and the present/participle inflections of the third-person singular nif'al were historically pronounced with different vowels in the final syllable—the past/perfect with a paˈtaħ ( ַ = /ɐː/), and the present/participle with a kaˈmat͡s ɡaˈdol ( ָ = /ɔː/). In Modern Hebrew, both of these vowels have merged to /a/, and the two verb forms now are pronounced the same. For example, the past tense נִשְׁמַר niʃˈmaʁ means "he was guarded" (or in old-fashioned perfective "he is/was guarded"), whereas the present tense נִשְׁמָר niʃˈmaʁ means "he is being guarded".
| Form | Root | Singular | Plural | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| He | She | Thou (or You in Modern English) | I | They | Ye (or You in Modern English) | We | ||||
| M | F | M | F | |||||||
| pa'al | שׁמר | שָׁמַר | שָֽמְרָה | שָׁמַרְתָּ | שָׁמַרְתְּ | שָׁמַרְתִּי | שָֽמְרוּ | שְׁמַרְתֶּם | שְׁמַרְתֶּן | שָׁמַרְנוּ |
| sh-m-r | ʃaˈmaʁ | ʃamˈʁa | ʃaˈmaʁta | ʃaˈmaʁt | ʃaˈmaʁti | ʃamˈʁu | ʃmaʁˈtem | ʃmaʁˈten | ʃaˈmaʁnu | |
| pi'el | גדל | גִּדֵּל | גִּדְּלָה | גִּדַּלְתָּ | גִּדַּלְתְּ | גִּדַּלְתִּי | גִּדְּלוּ | גִּדַּלְתֶּם | גִּדַּלְתֶּן | גִּדַּלְנוּ |
| g-d-l | ɡiˈdel | ɡidˈla | ɡiˈdalta | ɡiˈdalt | ɡiˈdalti | ɡidˈlu | ɡidalˈtem | ɡidalˈten | ɡiˈdalnu | |
| hif'il | קטנ | הִקְטִין | הִקְטִינָה | הִקְטַנְתָּ | הִקְטַנְתְּ | הִקְטַנְתִּי | הִקְטִינוּ | הִקְטַנְתֶּם | הִקְטַנְתֶּן | הִקְטַנּוּ |
| q-t-n | hikˈtin | hiktiˈna | hikˈtanta | hikˈtant | hikˈtanti | hikˈtinu | hiktanˈtem | hiktanˈten | hikˈtanu | |
| hitpa'el | בטל | הִתְבַּטֵּל | הִתְבַּטְּלָה | הִתְבַּטַּלְתָּ | הִתְבַּטַּלְתְּ | הִתְבַּטַּלְתִּי | הִתְבַּטְּלוּ | הִתְבַּטַּלְתֶּם | הִתְבַּטַּלְתֶּן | הִתְבַּטַּלְנוּ |
| b-t-l | hitbaˈtel | hitbatˈla | hitbaˈtalta | hitbaˈtalt | hitbaˈtalti | hitbatˈlu | hitbatalˈtem | hitbatalˈten | hitbaˈtalnu | |
| huf'al | קטנ | הֻקְטַן | הֻקְטְנָה | הֻקְטַנְתָּ | הֻקְטַנְתְּ | הֻקְטַנְתִּי | הֻקְטְנוּ | הֻקְטַנְתֶּם | הֻקְטַנְתֶּן | הֻקְטַנּוּ |
| q-t-n | hukˈtan | hukteˈna | hukˈtanta | hukˈtant | hukˈtanti | hukteˈnu | huktanˈtem | huktanˈten | hukˈtanu | |
| pu'al | גדל | גֻּדַּל | גֻּדְּלָה | גֻּדַּלְתָּ | גֻּדַּלְתְּ | גֻּדַּלְתִּי | גֻּדְּלוּ | גֻּדַּלְתֶּם | גֻּדַּלְתֶּן | גֻּדַּלְנוּ |
| g-d-l | ɡuˈdal | ɡudˈla | ɡuˈdalta | ɡuˈdalt | ɡuˈdalti | ɡudˈlu | ɡudalˈtem | ɡudalˈten | ɡuˈdalnu | |
| nif'al | שׁמר | נִשְׁמַר | נִשְׁמְרָה | נִשְׁמַרְתָּ | נִשְׁמַרְתְּ | נִשְׁמַרְתִּי | נִשְׁמְרוּ | נִשְׁמַרְתֶּם | נִשְׁמַרְתֶּן | נִשְׁמַרְנוּ |
| sh-m-r | niʃˈmaʁ | niʃmeˈʁa | niʃˈmaʁta | niʃˈmaʁt | niʃˈmaʁti | niʃmeˈʁu | niʃmaʁˈtem | niʃmaʁˈten | niʃˈmaʁnu | |
Read more about this topic: Modern Hebrew Verb Conjugation
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