Lesson 4 | Stems in the Imperfect
[3] Piel and Pual
Now we turn to the intensive stems, the piel and pual. As in the perfect form, we’ll use a verb that commonly occurs in the piel and pual, כָּפַר.
piel & pual imperfect for כָּפַר
| 1cs | אֲכַפֵּר | I will atone | |
| 1cp | נְכַפֵּר | we will atone | |
| 2ms | תְּכַפֵּר | you [sir] will atone | |
| 2fs | תְּכַפְּרִי | you [ma’am] will atone | |
| 2mp | תְּכַפְּרוּ | you all will atone | |
| 2fp | תְּכַפֵּרְנָה | [ladies] you all will atone | |
| 3ms | יְכַפֵּר | יְכֻפַּר | he will atone / be atoned for |
| 3fs | תְּכַפֵּר | תְּכֻפַּר | she will atone / be atoned for |
| 3mp | יְכַפְּרוּ | יְכֻפְּרוּ | they will atone / be atoned for |
| 3fp | תְּכַפֵּרְנָה | [those ladies] will atone |
As in the perfect form, you can see the distinctions in these stems by paying close attention to the vowel markings they employ.
Identifying features (piel):
- A shva under the prefix
- The patach vowel under the first letter of the root
- The dagesh in the second letter of the root
Identifying features (pual):
- A shva under the prefix
- The kubutz vowel under the first letter of the root
- The dagesh in the second letter of the root
Practice
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יֵחָ֣בֶל
What is the root of יֵחָ֣בֶל?
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Is יֵחָ֣בֶל derived from a hollow verb?
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Does יֵחָ֣בֶל’s root begin or end with a weak letter, or is it לָקַח or a I-א?
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What stem is יֵחָ֣בֶל conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of יֵחָ֣בֶל? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag יֵחָ֣בֶל in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
חָבַל — “act corruptly”
In light of these things, יֵחָ֣בֶל could be translated .
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יְשֻׁלָּֽם
What is the root of יְשֻׁלָּֽם?
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Is יְשֻׁלָּֽם derived from a hollow verb?
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Does יְשֻׁלָּֽם’s root begin or end with a weak letter, or is it לָקַח or a I-א?
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What stem is יְשֻׁלָּֽם conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of יְשֻׁלָּֽם? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag יְשֻׁלָּֽם in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
In light of these things, יְשֻׁלָּֽם could be translated .
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אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗
What is the root of אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗?
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Is אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗ derived from a hollow verb?
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Does אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗’s root begin or end with a weak letter, or is it לָקַח or a I-א?
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What is the person, gender, and number of אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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What stem is אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗ conjugated in?
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Highlight and zigzag אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗ in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
חָלַץ — “deliver”
In light of these things, אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗ (including the suffix) could be translated .
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וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי
What is the root of וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי?
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Is וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי derived from a hollow verb?
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Does וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי’s root begin or end with a weak letter, or is it לָקַח or a I-א?
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What stem is וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
In light of these things, וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי (including the suffix) could be translated .
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Piel imperfect forms in the songs we’ve learned
We have not seen any pual verbs in the songs we have learned thus far, but there are two piel imperfects to note. Take the time to determine the entire parsing of each verb: stem, aspect, person, gender, and number.
The last word of verse 2, יְכַנֵּֽס, is easy to identify as a piel imperfect: it has a shva under the prefix, a patach under the first letter of the root, and a dagesh in the second root letter.
נִדְחֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל יְכַנֵּֽס — “he gathers the ones banished of Israel”
Again, this piel imperfect has all the identifying features.
כִּי־הִנֵּה הַחֹשֶׁךְ יְכַסֶּה־אֶרֶץ — “for behold the darkness will cover [the] earth”