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Free grammar · Unit 9 of 10

Pi’el in the present: מְדַבֵּר, מְדַבֶּרֶת, מְדַבְּרִים, מְדַבְּרוֹת

Pi’el is the second big family of Hebrew verbs, after pa’al. In the present you spot it at once: it starts with מ and has a, e around the root. מְדַבֵּר «speaks», מְסַפֵּר «tells», מְשַׁלֵּם «pays», מְלַמֵּד «teaches». The מ is not part of the root: the root of מְדַבֵּר is ד־ב־ר.

The endings are the ones you know from the strong verbs: medaber for a man, medaberet for a woman, medabrim for men, medabrot for women. Only the pattern changes. And one root in two families gives two related meanings: לוֹמֵד «learns», מְלַמֵּד «teaches».

Here you get the explanation, a table of three pi’el verbs and the first two exercises: «she speaks Hebrew» and «we are looking for a flat». The other four open with a free account.

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Step 9 of 10 · Explanation

Pi’el: מְדַבֵּר, מְדַבֶּרֶת, מְדַבְּרִים, מְדַבְּרוֹת

A second family of verbs starts with in the present and has a, e in the box: «speaks», «tells», «pays», «teaches».

The is not part of the root; it is the mark of the family.

The root of is .

4 more exercises in this unit

This page has the explanation and the first two exercises. The rest are in your free account, with every unit and the reading course, and the practice remembers your mistakes.

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Questions

What is pi’el in Hebrew?
One of the seven binyanim, the patterns Hebrew verbs are built on. In the present it has the shape me-, a, e: מְדַבֵּר, מְשַׁלֵּם. With the same root it often means something different from pa’al: לוֹמֵד «learns», מְלַמֵּד «teaches».
How do I recognise a pi’el verb?
In the present it starts with me- and has the vowels a, e: מְדַבֵּר (medaber), מְחַפֵּשׂ (mechapes). Hear me-, a, e and it is pi’el.
Do pa’al and pi’el take the same endings?
In the present, yes: nothing, -et, -im, -ot on both. Only the pattern differs: lomed, but medaber.

And then?

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The units

  1. Unit 1 of 10The pronouns: אֲנִי, אַתָּה, אַתְּ, הוּא, הִיא
  2. Unit 2 of 10Nouns: masculine or feminine, one or many
  3. Unit 3 of 10Strong verbs: לוֹמֵד, לוֹמֶדֶת, לוֹמְדִים, לוֹמְדוֹת
  4. Unit 4 of 10The adjective follows the noun and copies it
  5. Unit 5 of 10«And» is a letter: וְ
  6. Unit 6 of 10ב for where you are, ל for where you go
  7. Unit 7 of 10Strong verbs: לִלְמֹד, לִכְתֹּב, לִסְגֹּר
  8. Unit 8 of 10Strong verbs: כָּתַבְתִּי, לָמַדְתִּי, סָגַרְתִּי
  9. Unit 9 of 10Pi’el: מְדַבֵּר, מְדַבֶּרֶת, מְדַבְּרִים, מְדַבְּרוֹת
  10. Unit 10 of 10Time words: הַיּוֹם, מָחָר, אֶתְמוֹל, בַּבֹּקֶר