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PricingAboutSupportHif'il בניין הפעיל
Hif'il is the pattern of הכניס, הדליק, התחיל, and הבין, with a past that often starts with ה־ and a present that starts with mem: מכניס, מדליק, מתחיל, מבין. Causative is the usual school label, and then many common hif'il verbs simply mean what they mean.
For hif'il, learn past hidlik, present madlik, future yadlik, infinitive lehadlik; do not confuse התחיל with hitpa'el just because it starts with הת־.
הדליק / מדליק / ידליק / להדליק is a clean model (turn on a light): past 3ms הִדְלִיק, present ms מַדְלִיק, infinitive להדליק. First person past is הדלקתי. Once this four-slot frame is in your ear, הכניס and הזמין move the same way.
| Slot | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| past 3ms | הִדְלִיק | hidlik |
| present ms | מַדְלִיק | madlik |
| future 3ms | יַדְלִיק | yadlik |
| infinitive | לְהַדְלִיק | lehadlik |
| past 1cs | הִדְלַקְתִּי | hidlakti |
נכנס (entered) pairs with הכניס (brought in). ישב (sat) pairs with הושיב (seated someone). לבש (wore) pairs with הלביש (dressed someone). יצא (went out) pairs with הוציא (took out). The first verb is often pa'al or nif'al; the hif'il adds an extra object, the person or thing made to do it.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| היא נכנסה לכיתה | hi nikhnesa la-kita | She entered the classroom. | |
| המורה הכניס את הילדים | ha-more hikhnis et ha-yeladim | The teacher brought the children in. | |
| הלבישי את הילד | hilbishi et ha-yeled | Dress the child (fs). |
התחיל (began), הבין (understood), הגיע (arrived), הציג (presented), הזמין (invited / ordered), הסביר (explained), החליט (decided), הכין (prepared), הראה (showed) are the verbs you will actually say. Their school label is still hif'il. Conjugate them as hif'il even when you cannot see a cause in the English gloss.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| השיעור התחיל | ha-shi'ur hitkhil | The lesson began. | |
| אני מבין | ani mevin | I understand. | |
| מתי אתם מגיעים? | matai atem magi'im? | When are you arriving? |
Hitpa'el verbs also begin with הת in the past: התלבש, התקלח, התחיל looks like that family in unvowelled text. התחיל conjugates as hif'il: התחלתי, מתחיל, יתחיל, להתחיל. Hitpa'el would keep a הת־ through more of the chart (מתלבש, יתלבש). If the present is מתחיל and the infinitive is להתחיל, you are in hif'il.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| התחלתי ללמוד | hitkhalti lilmod | I started to study. | |
| היא מתחילה עכשיו | hi matkhila akhshav | She is starting now. | |
| הוא התלבש | hu hitlabesh | He got dressed (hitpa'el, for contrast). |
Exceptions
He- Vowels Next to Gutturals
הֵבִין (hevin), הֵכִין (hekhin), הֶחְלִיט (hekhlit), הֶרְאָה (her'a) do not all share hidlik’s i-i. Gutturals next to the prefix change the vowel. The present still has mem: מבין, מכין, מחליט, מראה. Copy the citation; do not rebuild from hidlik.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| היא הבינה | hi hevina | She understood. | |
| הוא הכין אוכל | hu hekhin okhel | He prepared food. |
הושיב and הוציא
Some hif'il pasts show ו after the ה: הושיב, הוציא, הוריד. That ו is part of this root class (hollow or initial-yod), not a new binyan. Present is מושיב, מוציא, מוריד. Infinitive is להושיב, להוציא, להוריד.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| הוציאי את הספר | hotzi'i et ha-sefer | Take the book out (fs). |
Common Mistakes
אני נכנס את הילד → אני מכניס את הילד
נכנס cannot take this direct object; causative הכניס / מכניס can.
אני התחיל → אני מתחיל
התחיל is past; hif'il present is מתחיל.
השיעור יתלבש מחר → השיעור יתחיל מחר
The future of התחיל is יתחיל. יתלבש is the hitpa'el of dress. Match the rest of the chart: מתחיל / להתחיל go with יתחיל.
Go on to
Hitpael
Hitpael is the binyan Israeli speakers use when someone acts on themselves, or when two people act on each other. It is also the frame for everyday routines such as getting dressed, showering, and corresponding by message.
B1 · 14 minNifal
Nifal is the binyan that often supplies the passive or intransitive counterpart of a paal verb. In Israeli speech it is also simply how a large set of verbs such as נִכְנַס, נִשְׁאַר, and נִרְאָה are stored.
B1 · 14 minPi'el
Pi'el is the pattern of דיבר, בישל, שילם, and לימד, and in the present it wears a mem: מדבר, מבשל. Many pi'el verbs are simply the ordinary verb for that meaning, not a louder version of a pa'al cousin.
B1 · 15 minPrevious and Next
Frequently Asked Questions
What level is "Hif'il"?
Hif'il is B1 in baba's grammar order, and takes about 15 minutes to work through.
What's the short rule for hif'il?
For hif'il, learn past hidlik, present madlik, future yadlik, infinitive lehadlik; do not confuse התחיל with hitpa'el just because it starts with הת־.