a | Hebrew

a) the 2nd binyan: the active conjugation pi’el
b) abbreviations

From the vocalization e-a-e in present tense – eg medaber / speaks – can be concluded, that this is a pi’el verb.

The word pi’el is the 3^rd person singular past tense of an artificially created verb lefa’el in order to term the binyan pi’el. The word pi’el has no meaning.

		male	female	infinitive
I, you, he, she	speak/s	מדבר	מדברת	לדבר
		medaber	medaberet	ledaber
we, you, they	speak	מדברים	מדברות
		medabrim	medabrot

pi’el – verbs in present tense:

	singular		plural
to…	male	female	male	female	Infinitiv
tidy, arrange	מסדר	מסדרת	מסדרים	מסדרות	לסדר
	mesader	mesaderet	mesadrim	mesadrot	lesader
pay	משלם	משלמת	משלמים	משלמות	לשלם
	meshalem	meshalemet	meshalmim	meshalmot	leshalem
telephone	מטלפן	מטלפנת	מטלפנים	מטלפנות	לטלפן
	metalfen	metalfenet	metalfenim	metalfenot	letalfen
wait	מחכה	מחכה	מחכים	מחכות	לחכות
	mechakeh	mechakah	mechakim	mechakot	lechakot
change	משנה	משנה	משנים	משנות	לשנות
	meshaneh	meshanah	meshanim	meshanot	leshanot
convince	משכנע	משכנעת	משכנעים	משכנעות	לשכנע
	meshachne'a	meshachna’at	meshachne’im	meshache’ot	leshachne'a
check, control	מפקח	מפקחת	מפקחים	מפקחות	לפקח
	mefake'ach	mefakachat	mefakchim	mefakchot	lefake'ach
pronounce	מבטא	מבטאת	מבטאים	מבטאות	לבטא
	mevateh	mevatet	mewat’im	mewat’ot	lewateh

Note: (the following points refer to present tense)

the vocalization of and the female forms of verbs with a chet or ayin as third consonant of the shoresh, eg hu meshachne‘a, he convinces, hi meshachna’at, she convinces.
the female form singular of verbs with a he as last consonant of the shoresh, eg hi mechakah, she waits and the ending of the infinitive, eg lechakot, to wait.
the female form singular of verbs with an alef as third consonant of the shoresh, as in hi mevatet – she pronounces.

epstein@epsteinag.ch