Pi'el בניין פיעל
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.
For pi'el, learn past diber, present medaber, future yedaber, infinitive ledaber; the mem in the present is the giveaway.
דיבר / מדבר / ידבר / לדבר is the model. Past often has i-e: דיבר, בישל, ניגן, חיפש, ביקש. Present always has mem and usually me-: מדבר, מבשל, מחפש. Future drops the mem and keeps a daber-like stem: אדבר, תדבר, ידברו. The middle root letter traditionally takes a dagesh; in Israeli speech you do not hear a double consonant.
| Slot | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| past 3ms | דִּבֵּר | diber |
| present ms | מְדַבֵּר | medaber |
| future 3ms | יְדַבֵּר | yedaber |
| infinitive | לְדַבֵּר | ledaber |
| past 1cs | דִּבַּרְתִּי | dibarti |
Everyday pi'el verbs include דיבר (spoke), בישל (cooked), שילם (paid), לימד (taught), סיפר (told), ביקש (asked), חיפש (looked for), ניגן (played an instrument), צילם (photographed), ניסה (tried), קיבל (received), סידר (tidied), איחר (was late), איבד (lost). Learn each gloss; do not derive it from pa'al.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| דיברתי עם דן | dibarti im dan | I spoke with Dan. | |
| היא מבשלת עכשיו | hi mevashelet akhshav | She is cooking now. | |
| צריך לשלם | tzarikh leshalem | One needs to pay. |
למד is study; לימד is teach. שבר is break; שיבר can be smash, and you should still check the dictionary. Sometimes only pi'el exists for the meaning you want: there is no pa'al דיבר in modern use meaning speak. When both exist, they are two verbs. Object structures can differ: לימד אותי עברית versus למדתי עברית.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| למדתי עברית | lamadti ivrit | I studied Hebrew. | |
| היא לימדה אותי עברית | hi limda oti ivrit | She taught me Hebrew. |
מדבר is one verb form, not mem plus דבר. Beginners sometimes treat the mem as from. That mem is the pi'el (or hif'il) present prefix. Past דיבר has no mem. If you need from, you want me- on a noun: מהבית, not on this verb.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אני מדבר עברית | ani medaber ivrit | I speak Hebrew. | |
| הוא דיבר עברית | hu diber ivrit | He spoke Hebrew. |
Exceptions
i-a pasts
Some pi'el pasts are i-a rather than i-e, especially before a guttural: ביקש (bikesh, but you will also hear the a), ניחן. Follow the form you were given for that verb. The present still has mem.
Pi'el does not always mean intensive
The school gloss intensive / iterative / factitive is a historical tendency. דיבר, שילם, and קיבל are not loud versions of something else in daily Hebrew. If you label every pi'el as does X strongly you will invent meanings. Gloss first, label later.
Common mistakes
אני דבר עברית → אני מדבר עברית
Pi'el present needs a mem prefix: מדבר.
הוא למד אותי → הוא לימד אותי
Teach is לימד (pi'el), not למד (pa'al).
אני רוצה מדבר → אני רוצה לדבר
After רוצה use the infinitive לדבר, not the present.
Go on to
Hif'il
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.
B1 · 15 minPa'al (qal)
Pa'al, also called qal, is the basic active pattern. Dictionary citations such as כתב, שמר, and הלך are pa'al past tense, and a large share of the first verbs you learn sit in this binyan.
B1 · 15 minHitpael
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 min