Download 3fp / 2fp - Mangy Dog

1
Hebrew verbs overview
So you want to Grok Hebrew verbs
Roots
Conjugations
Forms
Supplemental explanation of forms
Inflections
Strong verb principal parts
First yod verbs
Hollow verbs
Third he verbs
First nun verbs
Guttural verbs
First guttural
Class I and U verbs
Barth’s Law
Middle guttural or resh
Third guttural
Geminate verbs
{PLACE}
2
2
5
7
10
12
16
17
19
21
23
24
24
25
26
27
28
29
2
So you want to grok Hebrew verbs
Last edited August 24, 2011 January 13, 2010
Note on transliteration – Because it’s a pain to type many diacriticals in Word
(like á ü ò and so on) to indicate a long vowel I just type it twice. Which according
to Randall Garr is pretty close to the truth. For example for ō I just type oo.
A good place to start is Kittel, 70-73, “The Verb”.
1. Roots
Hebrew – like all Semitic languages – is built on two- or three-letter roots. These
are two or three letters – consonants – that convey a basic meaning or idea. For
example ‫ כתב‬k-t-b “writing”. Hebrew – like all Semitic languages – uses the root to
build words by adding (a) vowels (b) prefixes and (c) suffixes. A good example is
‫ ילד‬y-l-d “bring forth, bear”.
‫ֶילֶד‬
male child, boy
‫יַלְ דָּ ה‬
girl
‫ תֹּולֵדֹות‬generations
‫מ ֶֹּלדֶ ת‬
kindred
‫יָּלִ יד‬
slave, son born in the household
But most importantly Hebrew also adds (a) vowels (b) prefixes and (c) suffixes to
build verbs. Sometimes there are also (d) changes to the root itself.
There are different kinds of root. There are roots that consistently show all three
root letters when they are used to build words like nouns and verbs. These are
called strong roots – or more frequently strong verbs when they are used to build
verbs. But there are also roots that consistently show only two root letters when
they are used to build words like nouns and verbs. And so when these roots are
used to build words one of the three root letters is often missing. These are called
weak roots – or more frequently weak verbs when they are used to build verbs.
If the first root letter is often missing the verb is initial weak. The main class of
initial weak verb is 1st ‫י‬.
3
If the second root letter is often missing the verb is medial weak. If a verb is
medial weak the missing root letter is ‫ י‬or ‫ו‬. Medial weak verbs are also called
hollow verbs.
If the third root letter is often missing the verb is final weak. The main class of
final weak verb is 3rd ‫ה‬.
And yes some verbs can be doubly weak. The main class of double weak verb is 1st
‫ י‬/ 3rd ‫ה‬.
Kittel provides some excellent “tricks” in her textbook – she calls them “missing
letter rules” – that help identify the verb when a root letter is missing. Note them.
Love them. Memorize them.
*Warning! Danger Will Robinson!*
One of the biggest headaches in learning Biblical Hebrew is terminology. What
words do we use to talk about and learn Biblical Hebrew? There is an older system
for talking about roots and verbs that comes from the Hebrew grammarians of the
Middle Ages. They chose the verb ‫ פעל‬as a paradigm verb to describe verbs in
Biblical Hebrew. And they used the paradigm verb ‫ פעל‬to classify weak verbs.
If a verb is 1st ‫ י‬that corresponds to ‫ פ‬in ‫ פעל‬and so 1st ‫ י‬verbs are called ‫ פ״י‬in the
older system.
If a verb is medial weak or hollow the missing root letter corresponds to ‫ ע‬in ‫פעל‬
and so hollow verbs are called ‫ ע״ו‬in the older system.
If a verb is 3rd ‫ ה‬that corresponds to ‫ ל‬in ‫ פעל‬and so 3rd ‫ ה‬verbs are called ‫ ל״ה‬in the
older system.
Quick exercise
So what would you call the verb ‫ נגד‬according to the older system?
What would you call ‫?אכל‬
Trick question. What would you call ‫?סבב‬
4
ֹּ2. Conjugations
One of the most difficult parts of understanding the Hebrew verb system is getting
your head around the concept of conjugations. Take a basic Hebrew root. Modify
that root by adding letters (a) to the beginning or (b) middle of the word. There are
several patterns for modifying Hebrew roots to create verbs. Each of these
modification patterns is called a conjugation. Different conjugations change or
convey the basic idea of the root in different ways.
Stem = Root + Conjugation. In other words the
The best example for illustrating this is the Hebrew verb ‫“ פקד‬attend to, visit,
muster”. Most Hebrew verbs appears in just one or only a few conjugations. ‫ פקד‬is
the only verb in Hebrew that appears in all conjugations.
The modification patterns are identified in one of two ways. Using (1) an invented
name or (2) a descriptive term. Most Hebrew grammars use (1) the invented names
that come from the Hebrew grammarians of the Middle Ages. Remember that the
medieval Hebrew grammarians loved to use ‫ פעל‬as their paradigm verb and so the
names they are invented for the different conjugations are based on different
conjugations of the verb ‫פעל‬.
Anyways here is a chart that gives a good overview of the different Hebrew
conjugations. Lifted shamelessly from Kittel 71. But organized a little differently.
There are four “basic” conjugations in Biblical Hebrew.
Conjugation Stem
Description
1
2
Qal
G
Just the simple root
ma’am
Piel
D
Double middle root
letter
Hiphil
H
‫ ה‬before root
Niphal
N
‫ נ‬before root
1
2
Meaning
Basic
Intensive, denominative,
privative
Causative
Passive, reflexive for
verbs used basically in
Qal
From Hebrew ‫ קַ ל‬which means “light”.
From German Grundstamm which means “basic stem”.
Example
‫פָּקַ ד‬
‫פִ קֵ ד‬
‫הִ פְ קִ יד‬
‫נִ פְ קַ ד‬
5
There are a couple others that are variations of two of the basic conjugations.
Conjugation Stem
Description
Pual
Dp
Double middle root
letter and ֻ under 1st
root letter
Hophal
Hp
‫ ה‬+ ֻ ‫ ּו‬or ָּ
Meaning
Passive of Piel
Example
‫פֻקַ ד‬
Passive of Hiphil
‫הָּ פְ קַ ד‬
And finally there are a few that are related to the Piel conjugation
Conjugation Stem
Description
Meaning
Example
Hitpael
HtD
Prefix ‫ ה‬+ infixed ‫ ת‬Reflexive, passive,
‫הִ ְתפַקֵ ד‬
and double middle iterative
root letter
3
Polel
L
Polal
Lp
There are rare and occur with verbs that have only two
strong letters
Hitpolel
HtL
4
Pilpel
R
3
4
From “Long vowel stem”.
From “Reduplicated stem”.
6
3. Forms
First comes the root. Then comes the conjugation. Now we have forms which is a
loose term for different… well… forms of the Hebrew verb which are different
ways to express that verb within each conjugation. There are six main forms in
Biblical Hebrew. We will stick with our nice strong paradigm verb ‫ פקד‬in the Qal
conjugation.
Example
‫פָּקַ ד‬
‫יִ פְ קד‬
‫פְ קד‬
‫פֹוקֵ ד‬
‫פְ קד‬
‫פָּקד‬
Form
Perfect
Translation
He visited
He has visited
He had visited
He will have visited
Imperfect Prefix, yiqtol He will visit
He visits, he is visiting
He would visit
(constantly)
He was visiting, he used
to visit
Imperative
Visit!
Participle
(He is) visiting
(Who) visits
Infinitive
(To) visit
Construct
(His) visiting
Infinitive
Absolute
Alternative
Affix, qatal
Visiting
Function
Completed
action
Ongoing
action
Command
Action in
relation to
something else
The action
itself
There are at least two more forms worth listing here. Some scholars and grammars
describe these forms as variations of two of the above forms. Some scholars and
grammars treat them separately. I recommend treating them separately.
7
Example Form
‫וַיִ פְ קד‬
Wawconsecutive
(with
imperfect)
‫וְ פָּקַ ד‬
Wawreversive
(with
perfect)
Alternative
Wayyiqtol,
Wawconversive
with
imperfect
Weqatal,
Wawconversive
with perfect
Translation
He visited
Function
Past tense
He will visit
Future tense
“But wait!” you ask. “How can you tell the difference between ‫ וְ פָּקַ ד‬just simple
conjunction with perfect verb ‘and he visited’ and ‫ וְ פָּקַ ד‬waw-reversive with perfect
‘and he will visit’?” Based on form alone you can’t tell the difference. They look
exactly the same. You will know from (1) context – does the verse refer to past or
future time? (2) keep in mind 95% of the time when you encounter ‫ וְ פָּקַ ד‬it is our
friend the waw-reversive with perfect aka weqatal and you can translate the verb
with the future tense.
But the waw-consecutive with imperfect aka wayyiqtol is different. You can
always tell the difference between ‫ וְ יִ פְ קד‬simple conjunction with imperfect and
‫ וַיִ פְ קד‬waw-consecutive with imperfect aka wayyiqtol. Look for the ‫ וַ־‬rather than
simple ‫ וְ ־‬or ‫ּו־‬. And weak verbs – especially hollow and 3rd ‫ – ה‬along with some
conjugations like the Hiphil the simple imperfect is different from the imperfect
form attached to the waw-consecutive.
8
Now so far you are hopefully pretty clear on the different forms and how they
express the action or state of the verb within that conjugation. Let me add a couple
more forms that might confuse you.
Example
‫יִ פְ קד‬
Form
Jussive
‫אֶ פְ קְ דָּ ה‬
Cohortative
Alternative
Translation
Let him visit
May he visit
May I visit
Let me visit
I shall visit
Function
Desire,
command
(usually 3rd
person)
Desire,
command
(usually 1st
person)
“But wait!” you might ask. “How can I tell the difference between ‫ יִ פְ קד‬imperfect
and ‫ יִ פְ קד‬jussive?” If a strong verb you can’t tell the difference. They look exactly
alike. You have to infer the verb is jussive from context. But weak verbs –
especially hollow and 3rd ‫ – ה‬the jussive form is often different from the imperfect.
9
Supplemental explanation of forms
*Grab a drink and sit down. You’re going to need it.*
You probably don’t want to know this but I’m going to tell you anyway. It won’t
be on a test but it might help you understand what on earth is going on. And why
the “imperfect” form sometimes changes when (1) attached to a waw-consecutive
or (2) it is jussive.
All(?) languages change and develop over time. And generally over time languages
become simpler. Several different forms of a verb or a noun over time become just
a few different forms. Case endings drop off and are no longer used. And so on.
This is also true in Hebrew.
Most Hebraicists recognize that once upon a time the prefix conjugation of ancient
Hebrew had two tenses, each with three modes:
Preterite
Imperfect
Energic
Indicative
Yaqtul
Yaqtulu
Yaqtulun(n)a
Jussive
Volitive
Energic
Injunctive
Yaqtul
Yaqtula
Yaqtulun(n)a
Take for example the “imperfect” form ‫( יִ פְ קד‬a) simple imperfect (b) attached to a
waw-consecutive and (c) when jussive. Those three forms all look the same right?
They look the same but historically they are not the same. They look the same but
represent three distinct forms in ancient Hebrew. Perhaps a better way to say that is
they represent three distinct types of the prefix form in ancient Hebrew. So the
“imperfect” form ‫ יִ פְ קד‬attached to a waw-consecutive ‫ וַיִ פְ קד‬looks is not really an
imperfect at all. It is the old Hebrew preterite – “this action happened” – attached
to ּ‫ ַו־‬. And the jussive form ‫ יִ פְ קד‬is not the imperfect being used a different way. It is
the old Hebrew jussive.
Once upon a time the Hebrew imperfect ended in a short u vowel that dropped off.
But the preterite and the jussive did not end in a short vowel. For most strong verbs
this fact(?) does not make much of a difference. Imperfects look like jussives look
like preterites after the waw-consecutive. But for weak verbs – especially hollow
and 3rd ‫ – ה‬along with some conjugations like the Hiphil this fact(?) often makes a
big difference. And is why for these verbs the imperfect looks different from the
jussive looks different from the preterite after the waw-consecutive. This is not the
10
place to explain exactly why and how the lack of an original final short vowel
results in different forms. But do remember that.
And the cohortative is not really an imperfect with ‫־ָּה‬. It is the old Hebrew volitive.
“I want this action to happen!” And the original final short a has been strengthened
to –aa(h).
So where does that leave us?
Example Form
Comes
from
Imperfect
‫יִ פְ קד‬
Imperfect
‫וַיִ פְ קד‬
Preterite
‫יִ פְ קד‬
Wawconsecutive
(with
imperfect),
Wayyiqtol
Jussive
Original Translation
ending
-u
He will visit
He visits, he is
visiting
He would visit
(constantly)
He was visiting,
he used to visit
And he visited
-
Jussive
-
Let him visit
May he visit
‫אֶ פְ קְ דָּ ה‬
Cohortative
Volitive
-a
May I visit
Let me visit
I shall visit
Function
Ongoing
action
Past tense
Desire,
command
(usually 3rd
person)
Desire,
command
(usually 1st
person)
And yes the energic is still around in Biblical Hebrew. You will see it sometimes.
11
4. Inflections
There is no neat term for this. I’ve noticed that Hebrew grammars often find ways
not to use any term for this. But by inflection I mean prefixes and/or suffixes added
to the verb form to indicate the subject of the verb. And/or sometimes the object.
a. Perfect, Imperfect, and Imperative verb forms – along with the wayyiqtol,
Jussive, Cohortative forms that are related to the Imperfect5 – take prefixes and/or
suffixes to indicate Person, Gender, Number aka PGN.
b. Participles are verbal adjectives. They do not indicate Person, Gender, Number.
Suffixes are added to indicate Gender, Number, Case.
c. Infinitive construct verb forms do not indicate Person, Gender, Number or
Gender, Number, Case. They often take pronominal suffixes to indicate the subject
or even object of the verb.
d. Infinitive absolute verb forms never change.
So let us start with verb forms that take prefixes and/or suffixes to indicate Person,
Gender, Number.
Perfect verbs
PGN
3ms
3fs
2ms
2fs
1cs
3mp7
3fp
2mp
5
Prefix/suffix Example Translation
‫ פָּקַ ד‬He visited
‫־ָּה‬
‫ פָּקְ דָּ ה‬She visited
‫־ת‬
ָֹּּ
‫ פָּקַ ְד ָֹּּת‬You (m) visited
‫־ת‬
ְֹּ
‫ פָּקַ ְד ְֹּת‬You (f) visited
‫־תי‬
ִ
‫ פָּקַ ְד ִתי‬I visited
‫־ּו‬
‫ פָּקְ דּו‬They visited
‫־ּו‬
‫ פָּקְ דּו‬They visited
‫־תֶ ם‬
‫ פְ קַ ְדתֶ ם‬Y’all (m) visited
From6
qatala
qatalata
qatalataa
qatalti
qataltii
qataluu
qataluu
qataltém
Yeah yeah I just finished explaining that the Imperfect, wayyiqtol, Jussive, and Cohortative are
all distinct forms. But they are different types of the original Prefix form in ancient Hebrew.
They all take the same prefixes and/or suffixes to indicate Person, Gender, Number.
6
Even though I use ‫ פקד‬to give examples I use ‫ – קטל‬transliterated as qtl – to show historical
development. Many Hebrew grammars assume ‫ קטל‬when explaining the different forms of
Hebrew words.
7
Because the 3mp and 3fp Perfect take the same suffix we could also list this as 3cp.
12
‫־תֶ ן‬
‫־נּו‬
2fp
1cp
‫ פְ קַ ְדתֶ ן‬Y’all (f) visited
‫ פָּקַ ְדנּו‬We visited
qataltén
qatalnuu
Note that different inflections have the stress on different syllables. Note that the
vowel under the second root letter reduces before a vocalic suffix – a suffix that is
or begins with a vowel.
These suffixes for the Perfect form apply to all conjugations.
Alright. Let’s move on.
Imperfect – and other prefixed - verbs
PGN
3ms
3fs
2ms
2fs
1cs
3mp8
3fp
2mp
2fp
1cp
Prefix/suffix Example Translation
‫י־‬
‫ יִ פְ קד‬He will visit
‫ת־‬
‫ ִתפְ קד‬She will visit
‫ת־‬
‫ ִתפְ קד‬You (m) will visit
‫ת־־ִי‬
‫ ִתפְ קְ ִדי‬You (f) will visit
‫א־‬
‫ אֶ פְ קד‬I will visit
‫י־־ּו‬
‫ יִ פְ קְ דּו‬They will visit
‫ת־־נָּה‬
‫ ִתפְ ק ְדנָּה‬They will visit
‫ת־־ּו‬
‫ ִתפְ קְ דּו‬Y’all (m) will
visit
‫ת־־נָּה‬
‫ ִתפְ ק ְדנָּה‬Y’all (f) will visit
‫נ־־ּו‬
‫ נִ פְ קְ דּו‬We will visit
From
yaqtulu
taqtulu
taqtulu
taqtulii
‘aqtulu
yaqtuluu
taqtúlnaa
taqtuluu
taqtúlnaa
naqtulu
Note that different inflections have the stress on different syllables. Note especially
(a) that the vowel under the second root letter reduces before a vocalic suffix and
(b) the stress is on the second root letter’s syllable before a consonantal suffix – a
suffix that begins with a consonant.
These prefixes/suffixes for the Imperfect – and other prefixed – forms apply to all
conjugations.
We are making progress! What’s next?
Imperative verbs
8
Because the 3mp and 3fp Perfect take the same suffix we could also list this as 3cp.
13
PGN
2ms
2fs
2mp
2fp
Prefix/suffix Example Translation
‫ פְ קד‬Visit! (m)
‫־ִי‬
‫ פִ קְ ִדי‬Visit! (f)
‫־ּו‬
‫ פִ קְ דּו‬Y’all (m) visit!
‫־נָּה‬
‫ פְ ק ְדנָּה‬Y’all (f) visit!
From
qtulu
qtulii
qtuluu
qtulnaa
In a nutshell the imperative form looks like the imperfect form without the verbal
prefix. But keep in mind (1) in some cases without the verbal prefix you have two
shwas so ‫( פִּקְ ִדי > פְ קְ ִדי‬2) in some conjugations without the verbal prefix the
conjugation prefix – that otherwise disappears after a verbal prefix – will reappear.
You will see what I mean below.
Participles
Participles are verbal adjectives. Like nouns and adjectives they take suffixes to
indicate Gender, Number, and Case.
GNC9
msa
mpa
fsa
fpa
Suffix
‫־ִים‬
‫ ־ָּה‬or ‫ֶ־ת‬
‫־ֹות‬
Example
‫פֹוקֵ ד‬
‫פִ ֹוקְ ִדים‬
‫ פֹוקְ דָּ ה‬or ‫פֹוקֶֹּדֶ ת‬
‫פֹוקְ דֹות‬
Translation
Visiting (ms)
Visiting (mp)
Visiting (fs)
Visiting (fp)
From
qootilu
qootiliim
qootilatu
qootiloot
GNC is not a standard abbreviation for Gender, Number, Case. Don’t use it outside this class or
people will wonder what you’re talking about.
9
14
Infinitive Construct
The infinitive construct can be described as a verbal noun. It can take a pronominal
suffix to indicate the subject or object of the verb.
15
Strong verb overview chart aka “Strong verb principal parts”
Last edited September 01 2011
You should know every form on this chart by heart. No fooling.
If you memorize this chart you are well on your way to being able to recognize
almost any strong verb form. Just add inflections. (I included 1cs Perfect and
3fp/2fp Prefix/Imperfect because in many conjugations verbs with consonantal
suffixes show vowel changes. Make note!)
Qal
‫פָּקַ ד‬
‫פָּקַ ְד ִתי‬
‫יִ פְ קד‬
‫ִתפְ ק ְדנָּה‬
Piel
‫פִ קֵ ד‬
‫פִ קַ ְד ִתי‬
‫יְ פַקֵ ד‬
‫ְתפַקֵ ְדנָּה‬
Niphal
‫נִ פְ קַ ד‬
‫נִ פְ קַ ְד ִתי‬
‫יִ פָּקֵ ד‬
‫ִתפָּקַ ְדנָּה‬
Hiphil
‫הִ פְ קִ יד‬
‫הִ פְ קַ ְד ִתי‬
‫יַפְ קִ יד‬
‫תַ פְ קֵ ְדנָּה‬
Imperative 2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
‫פְ קד‬
‫פֹוקֵ ד‬
‫פְ קד‬
‫פַקֵ ד‬
‫ְמפַקֵ ד‬
‫פַקֵ ד‬
‫הִ פָּקֵ ד‬
‫נִ פְ קָּ ד‬
‫הִ פָּקֵ ד‬
‫הַ פְ קֵ ד‬
‫מַ פְ קִ יד‬
‫הַ פְ קִ יד‬
Infinitive A
‫פָּקֹוד‬
‫פַקֵ דֹּפַקד‬
‫הִ פָּקֵ דֹּנִ פְ קד‬
‫הַ פְ קֵ ד‬
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms
3fp / 2fp*
16
1st ‫ י‬verb overview chart aka “1st ‫ י‬verb principal parts”
Last edited September 04 2011
Note – there are two types of 1st ‫ י‬verbs in Biblical Hebrew. All but six 1st ‫ י‬follow
the pattern below. They are not “true” 1st ‫ י‬verbs. They were originally 1st ‫ ו‬verbs
and in most conjugations the original 1st ‫ ו‬reappears.
If you memorize this chart you are well on your way to being able to recognize
almost any 1st ‫ י‬verb form. Just add inflections. (I included 1cs Perfect and 3fp/2fp
Prefix/Imperfect because in many conjugations verbs with consonantal suffixes
show vowel changes. Make note!)
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative 2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Qal
‫יָּשַ ב‬
Piel*
Niphal
‫נֹושַ ב‬
Hiphil
‫הֹושיב‬
ִ
‫יָּשַ בְ ִתי‬
‫יֵשֵ ב‬
‫תֵ שַ בְ נָּה‬
‫יִ הַ לְ ִתי‬
‫יְ יַבֵ ש‬
‫נֹושַ בְ ִתי‬
‫יִ ּוָּשֵ ב‬
‫ִתּוָּשַ בְ נָּה‬
‫הֹושַ בְ ִתי‬
‫יֹושיב‬
ִ
‫תֹושֵ בְ נָּה‬
‫שֵ ב‬
‫יֹושֵ ב‬
‫שֶ בֶ ת‬
‫יָּשֹוב‬
‫יַסֵ ד‬
‫ְמיַהֵ ל‬
‫יַסֵ ד‬
‫יַסת‬
‫הִ ּוָּשֵ ב‬
‫נֹושָּ ב‬
‫הִ ּוָּשֵ ב‬
‫?הִ ּוָּשֵ ב‬
‫הֹושֵ ב‬
‫מֹושיב‬
ִ
‫הֹושיב‬
ִ
‫הֹושֵ ב‬
*Strangely enough there are not many examples of 1st *‫ ו‬Piel verbs. The examples
are not all of the same root. But it appears they follow the regular pattern of Piel
verb forms. Although note the original 1st ‫ ו‬does not reappear in Piel prefix forms!
This fact may shed light on the development of some stems in Biblical Hebrew.
17
Compare the above principal parts of 1st *‫ > ו‬1st ‫ י‬verbs to the principal parts of true
1st ‫ י‬verbs below.
Qal
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative 2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Piel**
‫יָּטַ ב‬
‫יָּטַ בְ ִתי‬
‫יִ יטַ ב‬
‫ִתיטַ בְ נָּה‬
‫יְ טַ ב‬
‫יֹוטֵ ב‬
‫יְ טב‬
‫יָּטֹוב‬
‫יִ שַ ְר ִתי‬
‫יְ יַשֵ ר‬
‫ְמיַשֵ ר‬
‫יַשֵ ר‬
Niphal***
Hiphil
‫יטיב‬
ִ ֵ‫ה‬
‫הֵ יטַ בְ ִתי‬
‫ֵיטיב‬
ִ ‫י‬
‫תֵ יטֵ בְ נָּה‬
‫הֵ יטֵ ב‬
‫יטיב‬
ִ ֵ‫מ‬
‫יטיב‬
ִ ֵ‫ה‬
‫הֵ יטֵ ב‬
**Again there are few examples of true 1st ‫ י‬in Piel. But the available examples
follow the regular pattern.
***Strangely enough I could find no examples of true 1st ‫ י‬in Niphal. This fact may
shed light on the relationship between conjugations and different types of root.
18
Hollow verb overview aka Hollow verb “principal parts”
Last edited September 05 2011
Hollow verbs are not – repeat not – really 2nd ‫ ו‬or 2nd ‫ י‬verbs. There are true 2nd ‫י‬
and 2nd ‫ ו‬verbs in Biblical Hebrew such as ‫ היה‬and ‫קוה‬. Hollow verbs are basically
verbs with two root letters with a vowel - *CvC.10
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative 2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Qal**
‫קָּ ם‬
‫קָּ ְמ ִתי‬
‫יָּקּום‬
‫תָּ קֹו ְמנָּה‬
‫קּום‬
‫קָּ ם‬
‫קּום‬
Niphal
‫נָּקֹום‬
‫נְ קּומֹו ִתי‬
‫יִ קֹום‬
‫ִתקֹו ְמנָּה‬
‫הִ קֹום‬
‫נָּקֹום‬
‫הִ קֹום‬
Hiphil
‫הֵ קִ ים‬
‫הֲקִ ימֹו ִתי‬
‫יָּקִ ים‬
‫תָּ קֵֹּ ְמנָּה‬
‫הָּ קֵ ם‬
‫מֵ קִ ים‬
‫הָּ קִ ים‬
‫קֹום‬
‫הִ קֹום‬
‫הָּ קֵ ם‬
Polel*
‫קֹומֵ ם‬
‫קֹומַ ְמ ִתי‬
‫יְ קֹומֵ ם‬
‫ְתקֹומֵ ְמנָּה‬
‫קֹומֵ ם‬
‫ְמקֹומֵ ם‬
‫קֹומֵ ם‬
*There is no such thing as a Piel or Hitpael of a hollow verb because there is
no middle root letter that can be doubled. Instead there is a Polel conjugation
– and a Hitpolel – in which the final root letter is doubled. You do not need to
learn these right now. Just be aware that they exist.
One of the main unusual things to watch for is the ‫ ֹו‬that is added before a
consonantal suffix in Niphal and Hiphil perfect. Also note the long vowel
becomes short – and is then lengthened according to normal short vowel rules – in
the Hiphil imperative.
**Different hollow verbs have different “thematic” vowels which we see in the
perfect and prefixed forms. This can get a little confusing.
Perfect
3ms
10
Qal A
‫קָּ ם‬
Qal A
‫בָּ א‬
Qal A
‫שָּ ם‬
Qal I
‫מֵ ת‬
Qal U
‫בֹוש‬
One of my first papers in graduate school suggested that hollow verbs come from CyvC and
C vC verbs. There is evidence that some Semitic consonants were once “rounded” consonants
like Cy and/or Cw.
w
19
Prefixed
3ms
‫יָּקּום‬
‫יָּבֹוא‬
‫י ִָּשים‬
‫יָּמּות‬
‫יֵבֹוש‬
Yuck. The Qal A hollow verbs are not too bad. But there are some verbs –mainly
that describe a state or condition – that follow a different vowel pattern in the Qal.
The same thing is true for strong verbs in the Qal.
The Qal U hollow verbs are perhaps the most difficult because they can be
confused with some Hiphil forms.
20
3rd ‫ ה‬verbs overview aka “principal parts”
Last edited September 12, 2011
The most important thing to remember and understand about 3 rd ‫ ה‬verbs is this.
Most 3rd ‫ ה‬verbs were originally 3rd ‫ י‬verbs. In many forms if there is a suffix the
original 3rd ‫ י‬reappears.
Qal
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative 2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
‫ָּגלָּה‬
Piel
‫גִ לָּה‬
Niphal
‫נִ גְ לָּה‬
Hiphil
‫הִ גְ לָּה‬
‫יתי‬
ִ ִ‫גָּל‬
‫יתי‬
ִ ִ‫גִ ל‬
‫יתי‬
ִ ‫נִ גְ ֵל‬
‫יִ גְ לֶה‬
‫ִתגְ ֶלינָּה‬
‫גְ לֵה‬
‫יְ ַגלֶה‬
‫ְת ַג ֶלינָּה‬
‫ַגלֵה‬
‫גַל‬
‫ְמ ַגלֶה‬
‫גַלֹות‬
‫ַגלֵה‬
‫יִ ָּגלֶה‬
‫ִת ָּג ֶלינָּה‬
‫הִ ָּגלֵה‬
‫הִ ַגָּל‬
‫נִ גְ לֶה‬
‫הִ גָּלֹות‬
‫נִ גְ ֹלה‬
‫הִ ָּגלֵה‬
‫יתי‬
ִ ‫הִ גְ ֵל‬
‫יתי‬
ִ ִ‫הִ גְ ל‬
‫ַי ְגלֶה‬
‫תַ גְ ֶלינָּה‬
‫הַ גְ לֵה‬
‫גֹולֶה‬
‫גְ לֹות‬
‫גָּלֹוה‬
‫מַ גְ לֶה‬
‫הַ גְ לֹות‬
‫הַ גְ לֵה‬
Hoo boy. Where to start? For the most part 3rd ‫ ה‬verbs are pretty regular if you
account for the fact that the 3rd ‫ ה‬was originally a 3rd ‫י‬. Without a suffix the 3rd ‫י‬
disappears and just leaves a ‫ ה‬vowel letter. But there are some odd and unexpected
forms worth noting.
1) The 3fs perfect ending is ‫־תָּ ה‬. So 3ms perfect ‫ ָּגלָּה‬but 3fs ‫גָּלְ תָּ ה‬.
1b) The 3cp perfect ending is ‫־ּו‬. So 3ms perfect ‫ ָּגלָּה‬but 3cp ‫גָּלּו‬.
1c) Similarly Qal participle mpa ‫ גֹולִ ים‬and fsa ‫גֹולָּה‬.
2) Note the characteristic ‫ ־ֹות‬of the 3rd ‫ ה‬infinitive construct.
21
3) Note the occasional difference between ‫ ־ֶה‬and ‫־ֵה‬. Advanced – If there was an
original final short vowel then ‫ ־ֶה‬otherwise ‫־ֵה‬. This explains the difference
between imperfect, jussive, and imperative forms. This also explains the
difference between masculine singular absolute and construct participles.
4) Note that sometimes the Piel and Niphal imperatives the final syllable is lost and
the result is a shortened form. These are also called apocopated forms.
5) I cannot entirely explain Hiphil 3ms perfect ‫ הִ גְ לָּה‬as opposed to something like
*‫הִ גְ לֶה‬. Gleason Archer suggests that the Hiphil perfect originally had an a
class not i class vowel and developed an i class vowel by analogy with the
prefixed pattern. I think his suggestion makes a lot of sense. *higlaya >
*higlaa > ‫ הִ גְ לָּה‬higlaa(h).
6) By the way the Qal passive participle is ‫ גָּלּוי‬galuuy. We have not discussed
passive Qal participles much but you need to start recognizing them. Qal
passive participle ‫ פָּקּוד‬msa.
22
1st ‫ נ‬verbs overview aka “principal parts”
Last edited October 6, 2011
Most 1st ‫ נ‬verbs are weak. Which is to say the 1st root letter ‫ נ‬disappears in many
forms. But it is important to recognize that different kinds of 1 st ‫ נ‬behave
differently in the Qal conjugation depending on what thematic vowel they show in
the prefixed forms.
Perfect
3ms
1cs*
Prefix
(Imperfect)
3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative
2ms
Participle
msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Wayyiqtol
3ms
Qal A Qal U*
‫ָּנגַש‬
‫ָּנפַל‬
Qal I
‫נָּתַ ן‬
Niphal Hiphal
‫נִ גַש‬
‫הִ גִ יש‬
Hophal
‫ֻהגַש‬
‫ָּנ ַג ְש ִתי‬
‫יִ גַש‬
‫לתי‬
ִ ‫ָּנ ַפ‬
‫יִ פל‬
‫נָּתַ ִתי‬
‫יִ תֵ ן‬
‫נִ ַג ְש ִתי‬
‫יִ ָּנגֵש‬
‫הִ ג ְַש ִתי‬
‫יַגִ יש‬
‫ֻה ַג ְש ִתי‬
‫יֻגַש‬
‫ִת ַג ְשנָּה‬
‫ִתפלְ נָּה‬
‫ִתתֵ נָּה‬
‫ִת ָּנ ַג ְשנָּה‬
‫תַ ֵג ְשנָּה‬
‫תֻ ַֹּג ְשנָּה‬
‫גַש‬
‫נְ פל‬
‫תֵ ן‬
‫הִ ָּנגֵש‬
‫הַ גֵש‬
‫נגֵש‬
‫נפֵל‬
‫נתֵ ן‬
‫נִ גָּש‬
‫מַ גִ יש‬
‫ֻמגָּש‬
‫ֶגשֶ ת‬
‫נְ פל‬
‫תֵ ת‬
‫הִ ָּנגֵש‬
‫הַ גִ יש‬
‫ֻהגַש‬
‫נָּגוש‬
‫וַיִ גַש‬
‫נָּפֹול‬
‫וַיִ פל‬
‫נָּתון‬
‫וַיִ תֵ ן‬
‫הִ ָּנגֵש‬
‫וַיִ ָּנגֵש‬
‫הַ גֵש‬
‫ַו ַיגֵש‬
‫ֻהגֵש‬
‫ַויֻגַש‬
1. There’s not much to say except that most of the time the 1st root letter ‫נ‬
disappears because after a vowel it assimilates into the second root letter
which doubles.
2. And they behave a little like 1st ‫ י‬verbs – in the infinitive C forms (a) the 1st ‫נ‬
disappears and (b) there is a “feminine” ‫ ־ת‬ending.
3. However ‫ נפל‬is an important exception. The 1st root letter ‫ נ‬does not
disappear (c) in the imperative (d) or in the infinitive C and (e) the
infinitive C is a more normal “strong” form without final ‫־ת‬.
4. I am unsure about Qal imperfect 3fp/2fp ‫ ִת ֵֹּתנָּה‬. That form/PGN apparently
does not appear in BH. My guess is it should be ‫תתֵ נָּה‬.
ִ
23
Can you figure out why the above chart does not include Piel conjugation?
24
Guttural Verbs Principal Parts
last edited October 24, 2011
For the most part guttural consonants – ‫ ע ח ה א‬and sometimes ‫ – ר‬are not weak.
They do not disappear. But (a) they resist simple shwa (b) they resist strong dagesh
and (c) they prefer a class vowels. And so verbs with guttural root letters often
appear different from normal strong verbs. This handout does not cover first or
third ‫ א‬verbs.
Unfortunately we cannot use just one simple principal parts chart. We need a
different chart for first guttural, middle guttural, and third guttural. And ‫ א‬needs
charts of its own as we shall see.
First guttural
Qal
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix
(Imperfect)
3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative
2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Wayyiqtol
3ms
‫עָּמַ ד‬
‫עָּמַֹּ ְד ִתי‬
‫ַיעֲמד‬
‫ֶי ֱחזַק‬
‫תַ עֲמ ְדנָּה‬
‫תֶ ֱחזַקְ נָּה‬
‫עֲמד‬
‫ֲחזַק‬
‫עֹומֵ ד‬
‫חָּ זָּק‬
‫עֲמד‬
‫עָּמֹוד‬
‫ַו ַיעֲמד‬
Niphal
‫ֶנעֱמַ ד‬
‫ֶנעֱמַ ְד ִתי‬
‫ֵיעָּמֵ ד‬
Hiphil
‫הֶ ע ֱִמיד‬
‫הֶ עֱמַ ְד ִתי‬
‫ַיע ֲִמיד‬
Hophal
‫הָּ עֳמַ ד‬
‫הָּ עֳמַ ְד ִתי‬
‫ָּיעֳמַ ד‬
‫תֵ עָּמַ ְדנָּה‬
‫תַ עֲמֵ ְדנָּה‬
‫תָּ עֳמַ ְדנָּה‬
‫הֵ עָּמֵ ד‬
‫הַ עֲמֵ ד‬
‫ֶנעֱמָּ ד‬
‫מַ ע ֲִמיד‬
‫מָּ עֳמָּ ד‬
‫הֵ עָּמֵ ד‬
‫הֵ אָּ סף‬
‫ַנעֲמֹוד‬
‫ַו ֵיעָּמֵ ד‬
‫הַ ע ֲִמיד‬
‫הַ עֲמֵ ד‬
‫הָּ עֳמֵ ד‬
‫ַו ַיעֲמֵ ד‬
As you can see for the most part this is what happens:
1) First guttural resists simple shwa and takes a compound shwa usually patah
hatuph.
25
2) In the Niphal first guttural resists strong dagesh so we see compensatory
lengthening of the preceding vowel.
3) For the most part because as you can see there are plenty of exceptions. My
observation is that when a first guttural would have a shwa it takes a compound
shwa that is the same class as the preceding vowel or what the preceding vowel
would be.*
For example Niphal 3ms perfect ‫נִ פְ קַ ד‬. Note the i class vowel under the conjugation
prefix. And so first guttural ‫ ֶנעֱמַ ד‬with i class compound shwa and i class short
vowel under the conjugation prefix. There is no hiriq hatuph which is why we see
segol + segol hatuph. Yeah I know. Clear as mud.
Compare Qal 3ms imperfect ‫ ַיעֲמד‬and ‫ ֶי ֱחזַק‬. That seems strange compared to ‫יִ פְ קד‬
right? You are about to learn something important about the Qal imperfect. ‫יִ פְ קד‬
actually developed from *‫ יַפְ קֻ ד‬yapqud. Short a frequently becomes short i in
closed unaccented syllables. This is called attenuation and happens most often
toward the beginning of words. So ‫ ַיעֲמד‬is from *‫ יַעְ מֻד‬and you can see why there is
an a class not i class short vowel + compound shwa.
You have recently learned that in addition to Class A verbs like ‫ פָּקַ ד‬there are Class
I verbs like ‫ כָּבֵ ד‬and Class U like ‫קָּ טן‬. Class I and Class U verbs are generally verbs
that express a state or condition like “be heavy” or “be small”. Class I and Class U
verbs do not take the Qal imperfect *‫ יַפְ קֻ ד‬yapqud but rather Qal imperfect *‫יִ פְ קַ ד‬
yipqad pattern. Got that? Clear as river water.
Class A
Class I
Class U
Perfect
‫* פָּקַ ד‬paqad(a)
‫* כָּבֵ ד‬paqid(a)
‫* קָּ טן‬paqud(a)
Imperfect
‫* יִ פְ קד‬yapqud(u)
‫יִ כְ בַ ד‬
*yipqad(u)
‫יִ קְ טַ ן‬
That Class A verbs take imperfect *yapqud(u) pattern and Class I and U verbs take
imperfect *yapqid(u) pattern is called Barth’s Law.
*By the way the Niphal forms seem to contradict everything I have just explained.
That’s my problem not yours.
4) I assume Hophal 3ms perfect is ho`omad not haa`omad. Remember scholars
actually debate whether Naomi(?) ‫ ָּנע ֳִמי‬is naa`omi(y) or no`omi(y). But the whole
point of the Hophal and Pual forms is a u class vowel indicates the passive.
26
27
Second Guttural and ‫ר‬
Qal
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix
(Imperfect)
3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative
2ms
Participle msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Wayyiqtol
3ms
Niphal
Piel
Pual
‫גָּאַ ל‬
‫נִ גְ אַ ל‬
‫גָּאַ לְ ִתי‬
‫יִ גְ אַ ל‬
‫נִ גְ אַ לְ ִתי‬
‫יִ גָּאֵ ל‬
‫בֵ ַרְך‬
‫בֵ ֵרְך‬
‫בֵ ַרכְ ִתי‬
‫יְ בָּ ֵרְך‬
‫ִתגְ אַ לְ נָּה‬
‫גְ אַ ל‬
‫ִתגָּאַ לְ נָּה‬
‫הִ גָּאֵ ל‬
‫ְתבָּ ֵרכְ נָּה‬
‫בָּ ֵרְך‬
‫ְתב ַרכְ נָּה‬
‫גֹואֵ ל‬
‫גְ אל‬
‫גָּאֹול‬
‫נִ גְ אָּ ל‬
‫הִ גָּאֵ ל‬
‫הִ גָּאֵ ל‬
‫נִ גְ אֹול‬
‫וַיִ גָּאֵ ל‬
‫ְמבָּ ֵרְך‬
‫בָּ ֵרְך‬
‫בָּ ֵרְך‬
‫ְמב ָּרְך‬
‫וַיְ בָּ ֵרְך‬
‫וַיְ ב ַרְך‬
‫וַיִ גְ אַ ל‬
‫ב ַרְך‬
‫ב ַרכְ ִתי‬
‫יְ ב ַרְך‬
‫ברְך‬
Notice that instead of Hiphil-Hophal we list Piel-Pual.
For the most part what we see is that the second guttural resists strong dagesh and
we see compensatory lengthening of the vowel before it. Although no such forms
are listed above a second guttural also resists simple shwa and will take a
compound shwa of the same class as the vowel before it.
We also appear to see the second guttural prefer an a class vowel such as ‫ יִ גְ אַ ל‬not
‫יִ גְ אל‬. And ‫ בֵ ַרְך‬as well as more expected ‫בֵ ֵרְך‬. But this is not consistent. As long as
you can recognize forms – because you do not have to produce them.
28
Third Guttural
Remember that a long i or long u class vowel before a guttural will often take a
furtive patah.
Perfect 3ms
1cs*
Prefix
(Imperfect)
3ms
3fp / 2fp*
Imperative
2ms
Participle
msa
Infinitive C
Infinitive A
Wayyiqtol
3ms
Qal
‫שָּ לַח‬
Niphal
‫נִ ְשלַח‬
Piel
‫ִשלַח‬
Pual
‫שֻ לַח‬
Hiphil
ַֹּ ִ‫הִ ְשל‬
‫יח‬
Hophal
‫הָּ ְשלַח‬
‫ה ְֻשלַח‬
‫הָּ ְשלַחְ ִתי‬
‫י ְָּשלַח‬
‫י ְֻשלַח‬
‫שָּ לַחְ ִתי‬
‫יִ ְשלַח‬
‫נִ ְשלַחְ ִתי‬
‫יִ שָּ לַח‬
‫ִשלַחְ ִתי‬
‫יְ שַ לַח‬
‫שֻ לַחְ ִתי‬
‫יְ שֻ לַח‬
‫הִ ְשלַחְ ִתי‬
ַֹּ ִ‫י ְַשל‬
‫יח‬
‫ִת ְשלַחְ נָּה‬
‫ְשלַח‬
‫ִתשָּ לַחְ נָּה‬
‫הִ שָּ לַח‬
‫ְתשַ לַחְ נָּה‬
‫שַ לַח‬
‫ְתשֻ לַחְ נָּה‬
‫תַ ְשלַחְ נָּה‬
‫הַ ְשלַח‬
‫תָּ ְשלַחְ נָּה‬
ַֹּ ‫שֹול‬
‫ֵח‬
‫נִ ְשלָּח‬
ַֹּ ‫ְמשַ ל‬
‫ֵח‬
‫ְמשֻ לָּח‬
ַֹּ ִ‫מַ ְשל‬
‫יח‬
‫מָּ ְשלָּח‬
‫מ ְֻשלַח‬
ֹּ‫ֹלח‬
ַ ‫ְש‬
ַֹּ ָּ‫ש‬
‫לֹוח‬
‫וַיִ ְשלַח‬
‫הִ שָּ לַח‬
ַֹּ ‫נִ ְש‬
‫לֹוח‬
‫וַיִ שָּ לַח‬
‫שַ לַח‬
ַֹּ ‫שַ ל‬
‫ֵח‬
‫וַיְ שַ לַח‬
‫וַיְ שֻ לַח‬
ֹּ‫יח‬
ַ ִ‫הַ ְשל‬
ַֹּ ‫הַ ְשל‬
‫ֵח‬
‫ַוי ְַשלַח‬
ֹּ‫הָּ ְשל ֵַח‬
‫ַוי ְָּשלַח‬
Well. Not too much to say except the third guttural often takes an a class vowel
when we would expect something else. But for some reason there are exceptions. I
understand that one exception is true long vowels such as ‫יח‬
ַֹּ ִ‫ הִ ְשל‬and even then
there is a furtive patah. But I don’t quite understand why forms like ‫ֵח‬
ַֹּ ‫ שֹול‬and ‫ֵח‬
ַֹּ ‫משַ ל‬.
ְ
There may be a pattern and/or explanation. My guess – without digging further – is
it has to do with the position of the stress/accent and/or the form originally ended
in a short vowel.
Update – Did a little digging. Tsere is often treated like a true long vowel and
takes furtive patah. Also sometimes in pause a more original form reappears for
example Piel 3ms perfect ‫ ִשלַח‬but pausal ‫ֵח‬
ַֹּ ‫של‬.
ִ
29
Geminate verbs principal parts
Last edited January 16, 2012
We have saved geminate verbs aka ‫ ע”ע‬verbs for last. They are perhaps the most
difficult category of verbs. Largely because in some conjugations they have more
than one pattern. Although we have not reviewed the Polel conjugation yet I
include it in the principal parts chart so that later you will already have it.
Qal
Perfect 3ms ‫תַּ ם‬
‫סָ בַּ ב‬
1cs*
‫סַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי‬
Prefix
‫יִ סֹּ ב‬
(Imperfect) ‫יָסֹּ ב‬
3ms
‫יִ מַּ ל‬
‫יֵקַּ ל‬
3fp / 2fp*
‫ִתסֹֹּ֫בְ נָה‬
‫ְתסֻּבֹ֫ינָה‬
Imperative ‫סֹּ ב‬
2ms
*‫סֹֹּּ֫בּו‬
Participle
‫סֹּ בֵ ב‬
msa
Infinitive C ‫סֹּ ב‬
Infinitive A ‫סָ בֹוב‬
Wayyiqtol
‫ַּו ָֹ֫יסָ ב‬
Niphal
‫נָסַּ ב‬
‫נָמֵ ס‬
‫נְ סַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי‬
‫יִ סַּ ב‬
Hiphil
‫הֵ סֵ ב‬
‫הֵ סַּ ב‬
‫ה ֲִסּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי‬
‫יָסֵ ב‬
Hophal
‫הּוסַּ ב‬
Polel
‫סֹובֵ ב‬
‫הּוסַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי‬
‫יּוסַּ ב‬
‫סּובַּ בְ ִתי‬
‫יְ סֹובֵ ב‬
‫ִתסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה‬
‫ְתסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה‬
‫תּוסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה‬
‫ְתסֹובֵֹ֫בְ נָה‬
‫הִ סַּ ב‬
*‫הִ סַֹּּ֫בּו‬
‫נָסָ ב‬
*‫נְ סַּ ּבִ ים‬
‫הִ סֵ ב‬
‫הִ סֹוב‬
‫הִ מֵ ס‬
‫הָ סֵ ב‬
*‫הָ סֵֹּ֫בּו‬
‫מֵ סֵ ב‬
‫הָ סֵ ב‬
‫הָ סֵ ב‬
‫סֹובֵ ב‬
‫מּוסָ ב‬
‫ְמסֹובֵ ב‬
‫הּוסַּ ב‬
‫סֹובֵ ב‬
‫סֹובֵ ב‬
‫ַּו ָֹ֫יסב‬
Ouch. You can already see how irregular and unpredictable final geminate forms
can be! But we can make a few comments and observations:
1) In general if there is a prefix/preformative then one of two things happens.
Either the second root letter is doubled. Or the first root letter is doubled – which is
not something we would normally expect.
2) In general if there is a consonantal suffix then most conjugations add ‫ ֹו‬before
the suffix in the perfect form.
30
3) If there is a vocalic suffix then usually the second root letter is doubled. But
sometimes both second and third root letters appear and are separated by a shwa.
4) If there is no suffix then usually we see only the second root letter. This is
because Hebrew does not tolerate final consonant clusters or geminate consonants.
For example the 2ms Qal imperative *subb > *sub > sob ‫סֹּב‬. But compare 3ms Qal
‫ סָ בַּ ב‬in which both second and third root letters are present.
5) You will notice that I included some extra examples in some of the boxes in
order to show what happens if there is a vocalic suffix because of PGN/inflection.
6) Strangely enough the only time final geminate verbs are easy to analyze is the
Polel conjugation. In the Polel the second and third root letters consistently appear.