Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2016 July 12

= July 12 =

Hebrew verb question
Forgive me, I'm just starting to learn Hebrew verbs. Why is it that lilmod takes a-forms in the future tense (elmad, nilmad, etc.), whereas other pa'al verbs like lishmor and lichtov take o-forms (eshmor, nishmor, echtov, nichtov, etc.)? --Lazar Taxon (talk) 17:09, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
 * --81.159.79.64 (talk) 19:21, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
 * On the page you linked to it says: "This verb is conjugated as a stative verb in the future tense and imperative." Stative verbs in the imperfect (future tense) have a patach (short a) as a stem vowel. For example, יִגדַל yigdal ('he will grow', from the stem גדל) and not יִגדֹל yigdol . Check out e.g this page if you want to learn more about stative verbs. - Lindert (talk) 19:27, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
 * There are a handful of pa'al verbs that aren't stative, but do still have yif'al future tense; לרכוב lirkov, ללבוש lilboš, etc. --217.140.96.140 (talk) 20:39, 12 July 2016 (UTC)