6: The Verb: Qal Perfect

Question 1

What 5 terms provide an overview of Hebrew verbs?

Answer 1

1. Root
2. Pattern/Stem
3. Conjugation
4. Paradigm
5. Parse

Question 2

What is “the root” of a verb?

Answer 2

• The core consonants of a verb (usually three), which stay the same throughout the paradigm
  
  • Adding vowels and consonantal prefixes and suffixes alters the meaning of a word.

Question 3

What is the “pattern/stem” of a verb?

Answer 3

1. Patterns are the root of the verb + the characteristic added element.
   
   • Changing patterns will change the meaning and the voice of the verb.

Question 4

What are the seven basic patterns in Hebrew?

Answer 4

1. Qal
2. Niphal
3. Piel
4. Pual
5. Hiphil
6. Hophal
7. Hithpael

Question 5

What are the Qal and Niphal patterns?

Answer 5

• Qal is the simple active pattern
• Niphal is the passive of the Qal, and is formed by adding a נ to the root

Question 6

How many “conjugations” are for the Hebrew verbs?

Answer 6

• Two Conjugations
  
  • Finite Conjugation
  • Non-finite Conjugation
• Changing conjugations will change the use of the verb, that is, the time or the kind of situation expressed by the verb.

Question 7

What is the Finite Conjugation of a verb?

Answer 7

• Conjugation for person, gender and number

Question 8

What are the three Finite conjugations?

Answer 8

• There are three finite conjugations:
  
  • Perfect
  • Imperfect
  • Imperative

Question 9

What is the Non-Finite Conjugation of a verb?

Answer 9

• Conjugations not for persons, and either gender and number only or not at all

Question 10

What are the three Non-Finite Conjugations of a verb?

Answer 10

• There are three non-finite conjugations:
  
  • Participle
  • Infinitive Absolute
  • Infinitive Construct

Question 11

What is “the paradigm” of a verb?

Answer 11

• A chart showing verb forms for person, gender and number.

Question 12

What is the base form of Hebrew verbs?

Answer 12

• All verbs will be derived from the 3rd person masculine singular
  
  • Paradigms will move from the 3rd person to the 1st person

Question 13

What is parsing a verb?

Answer 13

• Identifying the elements of a verb
  
  • Root
  • Pattern/Stem
  • Conjugation
  • Person
  • Gender
  • Number
  • Translation

Question 14

Recite the Qal Perfect Paradigm

Answer 14

(The abbreviation c stands for “common”, a form used for both masculine and feminine)

Question 15

What are the two types of perfect verbs in the Qal?

Answer 15

1. Action = doing
2. Stative = state of being

Question 16

How can you distinguish between the active and stative verb in the Qal Perfect?

Answer 16

• Whether a verb is active or stative will be indicated by a vowel under the second consonant, called “the theme vowel”
  
  • Active verbs = patach ( ַ )
  • Stative verbs = tsere ( ֵ ), sometimes cholem ( ֹ )
    
    • Tsere as a theme vowel will only occur on the 3ms form, in the others, patach.
    • In the 3fs and 3cp the theme vowel reduces to sheva.

Question 17

How is the perfect conjugation used?

Answer 17

• Definite Perfect
  
  • a use of action verbs, expressing complete action in the past (“he ate”, “he walked”)
  • best translated with a simple past tense
• Stative Perfect
  
  • use of stative verbs, expressing a state of being
  • for the class, also translated with a simple past tense (“he was old”, “she was young”)

Question 18

בֶּגֶד

Answer 18

garment, clothing

Question 19

מִשְׁפָּחָה

Answer 19

clan, family

Question 20

נָבִיא

Answer 20

prophet

Question 21

נַעַר

Answer 21

boy

Question 22

נֶפֶשׁ

Answer 22

soul, self

(feminine)

plural: נְפָשׁוֹת

Question 23

עוֹלָם

Answer 23

forever, antiquity

Question 24

בָּטַח

Answer 24

he trusted

Question 25

כָּתַב

Answer 25

he wrote

Question 26

שָׁמַר

Answer 26

he guarded, observed, watched

Question 27

שָׁפַט

Answer 27

he judged, decided, punished