Hebrew’s Present Tense

(זְמַן הוֹוֶה/בֵּינוֹנִי)

Unlike its future and past tenses, Hebrew’s present tense has only four possible variations for a given verb.

Look at this chart, conjugating the simple version of the three-letter root א.כ.ל. (a.k.l. – eating) in the present tense:

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	אוֹכֵל	אוֹכְלִים
Feminine	אוֹכֶלֶת	אוֹכְלוֹת

Notice that there is one possible conjugation (אוכל, אוכלת, etc) for each combination of singular/plural/masculine/feminine.

Note also how each possible conjugation ends:

Feminine-Plural: - וֹת

Masculine-Plural: - ִים

Feminine-Singular: - ֶת

Masculine-Singular: no ending

I don’t get the chart – spell it out!

For example, “אני אוכל” would be a male saying, “I am eating.” Likewise, “אנחנו אוכלים” would be a group of males (or a mixed-gendered group) saying “we are eating.”

“היא אוכלת” would mean, “she is eating,” while “אתן אוכלות” would mean, “you are eating,” when speaking to two or more females.

The rule, with a variation

The ending pattern described above is true for every Hebrew verb conjugated in the present tense, with one variation.

In many verbs, the feminine singular ending is –ָה instead of –ֶת.

Take, for example, the verb לְהַזְמִין (le-hahz-MEEN – to invite), conjugated in the present tense:

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	מַזְמִין	מַזְמִינִים
Feminine	מַזְמִינָה	מַזְמִינוֹת

So, in this case, you’ve got all the same endings as in the previous word, except for the feminine-singular:

Feminine-Plural: - וֹת

Masculine-Plural: - ִים

Feminine-Singular: - ָה

Masculine-Singular: no ending

Recommendations:

You can use Hebrew-Verbs.co.il to predict conjugations and test yourself to see whether you’re getting the hang of it.

You can also check out the classic guidebook, 501 Hebrew Verbs .