Lesson 29

THE REGULAR VERBS

Page 56
 The Regular Verb is called the QAL verbs
Qal is the simple active pattern.
In Hebrew to identify the past, present and future it is represented by
Perfect and Imperfect.
Hebrew Perfect represents an action in the past (he kept, he left, he
ate etc.)
The standard Hebrew verb usually begins with 3 masculine singular.
The simplest form of verb.
The Perfect conjugation can be translated as simple past action (“he
did”), present completed action (“he has done”), or past completed
action (“he had done”)
 Regular verb/ Qal Pattern Perfect conjugation
1. ‫שָׁ מַ ר‬ he (had) kept 3MS
2. ‫שָׁ מְ ָרה‬ she (had) kept 3FS
3. ְָ‫שָׁ מְַרת‬ you have kept 2 MS
4. ְ‫שָׁ מְַרת‬ you have kept 2 FS
5. ‫שָׁ מַ רתְי‬ I have kept 1CS
6. ‫שָׁ מרוּ‬ they have kept 3 CP
7. ‫שׁמַ ר ְתם‬ you have kept 2 MP
8. ‫שׁמַ ר ְתן‬ you have kept 2 FP
9. ‫שָׁ מַ ְרנוּ‬ we have kept 1 CP
Some rules:
1. In the 2 masculine and feminine plural, the accent moves forward on to the

heavy suffix ‫שְָׁמַ ר שְׁמַ רתם‬ so, the Qamets in the first syllable
becomes a Shewa.

2. If the first letter of the root verb is a guttural there will be a composite Shewa

under the guttural in the 2 masculine and feminine plural. ‫אְָמַ ר אְמַ רתם‬
 For instance:
• Jacob and his sons went down the hill

• You did not observed the laws

‫ל ֹא שׁשׁמַ ְרתם את־הַ תוֹרוֹת‬

laws (plural) d.o. m You observed not
Qal Perfect 2MP
(Definite Object M p.52)