In Hebrew, verbs, which take the form of derived stems, are conjugated to reflect their tense and mood, as well as to agree with their subjects in gender, number, and person.
Verbs in Hebrew, like nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, are formed and declined by altering a (usually) three-letter stem, known as a shoresh (שורש transl. root).
A similar formation can be found in English strong verbs with write-wrote-written and drive-drove-driven sharing root consonants despite differing vowels and meanings.
Alef (א) root-initially and root-finally takes on a somewhat divergent conjugation similar to that of hollow roots, but is usually identical to other gutturals.
Nun (נ) before a consonant doubles it or prevents beyt (בּ), kaf (כּ), and pey (פּ) from becoming veyt, khaf, and fey in word-medial position.
However, doubling a consonant that doesn't change it outright (gemination) is obsolete in Modern Hebrew, and the irregularities usually affect the vowels.
When the initial letter of a shoresh is one of the sibilants ז (Zayin), ס (Samekh), צ (Tsade) or ש (Shin), then in Hitpa'el there is a phenomenon called metathesis, in which the sibilant trades places with a preceding ת (Tav); In addition, the ת (Tav) preceding a ז (Zayin) changes to a ד (Daleth) and the ת (Tav) preceding a צ (Tsade) changes to a ט (Teth).
Hebrew verbs are inflected according to specific patterns, derived stems, called forms or בִּנְיָנִים (/binjaˈnim/ binyanim, "constructions"); where vowel patterns (משקלים /miʃkaˈlim/ mishkalim, "weights"), affixes are put into the (usually) three-letter roots from which the vast majority of Hebrew words are made.
A verb in the past tense (עָבָר /(ʔ)aˈvaʁ/ 'avar) agrees with its subject in person (first, second, or third), number, and in the second-person and third-person singular, gender.
The third person masculine singular pronoun (he/it) does not take a suffix and uses the plain stem; this is also the dictionary form for any given verb.
A verb in the future tense (עָתִיד /(ʔ)aˈtid/ 'atid) inflects for person, number, and gender; which is expressed by adding prefixes and suffixes to stems shown below.
In informal speech, the future tense (shown above) is commonly used for affirmative commands, to avoid the implication of being demanding.
Some common פָּעֳלֵי עֵזֶר po'oley 'ezer (helping verbs) are היה /(h)aˈja/ haya, הלך /halaχ/ halakh, יָכֹל /jaχol/ yakhol, עמד /ʔamad/ 'amad.
They may be conjugated either in the past or present tense, and are followed by the infinitive construct of the affected verb, prefixed by the inseparable preposition ל־.
It may be conjugated in past, present or future tense and is followed by the infinitive construct of the affected verb, prefixed by the inseparable preposition -ל.
Example: לֹא יִתָּכֵן שֶהוּא רָעֵב Lo yitakhen shehu` ra'ev ("He's unlikely to be hungry") The verb אָמַר is often replaced with forms of הִגִּיד higid in common speech in the future, imperative, and infinitive.
to come Pa'al verb irregular in the present, action noun, and to a lesser extent in the imperative and future.
to grow Pa'al verb irregular in the prefixed infinitive, future tense, and imperative mood.
to die Nif'al verb that takes forms from obsolete pa'al נגש nagash in the future, imperative, and infinitive.
to give, let Similar to amar / higid, this verb is somewhat suppletive, with the forms from פחד pachad mainly being used in the past tense.
Functions like a regular pa'al verb in the past tense and infinitive, and to a lesser extent the future and imperative.