Hebrew Verb Stems

Qal

The qal is the simplest, most basic Hebrew stem. Nearly 70% of verbs are qal. It is translated in the active voice. See more on qal QTL or qal YQTL.

Nifal

The nifal stem represents simple action in the passive voice (as opposed to the qal which is simple action in the active voice). video or pdf or Gesenius In the QTL, the nifal will have a nun prefix; in the YQTL forms, the nifal is characterized by the nifal triangle.

Translating the nifal;

• Passive use of the nifal;

• Reflexive use of the nifal;

• Reciprocal use of the nifal

Hifil

The Hiphil stem generally expresses causative action in active voice, but it can also express other kinds of verbal action depending on the context and the specific verb. more

The unique nuance of hifil verbs is that they are causative. Under the causative is also included the declarative sense, e.g. הִצְדִּיק to pronounce just. Gesenius §53

Translating the hifil:

• the causative use of the hifil;

• the inner causative (or “intransitive”) use of the hifil;

• the denominative use of the hifil;

• the declarative use of the hifil;

• other uses of the hifil.

Hofal

The hofal reflects causative action in the passive voice; see here or this video. Every form in the Hofal can have either a qamets-hatuf or a qibbuts under the first letter (so הָ or הֻ). The translation of the hofal is much the same as the hifil. video