Roy Zafrani

Verbs in future tense: The Formula

Learning verbs in Hebrew can be challenging. Unlike English, in Hebrew each verb depends on a number of factors and varies according to them.

The first factor: 1st, 2nd or 3rd person.

The second factor: singular / plural

The third factor: masculine / feminine

If in English the verb "play" in the future is always said "will play" regardless of the three factors mentioned above, in Hebrew each of them will affect the form of the verb.

Here's an example:

I will play - אני אשחק

You will play (singular, masculine) - אתה תשחק

You will play (singular, feminine) - את תשחקי

You will play (plural) - אתם תשחקו

We will play - אנחנו נשחק

They will play - הם ישחקו

He will play - הוא ישחק

She will play - היא תשחק

Like I said, it's challenging.

But ... what if I told you that there is a simple and quick way to know how to change the form of almost any verb in Hebrew?

I have prepared for you a whole page of formulas for verbs in future tense.

This formula will help you understand how the verbs vary according to the three factors I mentioned, and it will work in 95% of the verbs in Hebrew. There are special verbs that will take a different form, and there are of course the seven derived stems (called forms or בִּנְיָנִים) in the Hebrew language, which I will not expand on here.

So here are the formulas. Once you know the root letters of the verb (almost always the root will consist of three letters - learn more here), you can insert them into the formula and get the verb in its correct form.

When the first letter of the root is Yod (״י״), you should only use the 2nd and 3rd root letters:

When the last letter of the root is Ha (״ה״), you should only use the 1st and 2nd root letters:

When the first letter of the root is Yod (״י״), you should only use the 2nd and 3rd root letters:

When the last letter of the root is Ha (״ה״), you should only use the 1st and 2nd root letters:

When the first letter of the root is Yod (״י״), you should only use the 2nd and 3rd root letters:

When the last letter of the root is Ha (״ה״), you should only use the 1st and 2nd root letters:

** IMPORTANT: A different form

Now that we know all the formulas, we will only add one formula to special verbs that will have the letter "Vav" (״ו״) between the root letters. There are not many such verbs, but it is worth knowing them because some of them are very useful:

to dance - לרקוד

to keep - לשמור

to finish - לגמור

to pass - לעבור

to honk - לצפור

to steal - לגנוב

to catch - לתפוס

to stand - לעמוד

to write - לכתוב

Do you notice the "Vav" (״ו״)? We will keep the "Vav" in the following forms of the verb in future tense:

1st person, singular - אכתוב, ארקוד, אשמור

1st person, plural - נכתוב, נרקוד, נשמור