Sunday, December 11, 2011

Qal Imperfect Weak Verb Hebrew Song

Sing the Qal Imperfect Weak Verb paradigm with your non-angelic host Scott.


This paradigm for the III-(He) can be found in Pratico and Van Pelt's p178 in Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar.

Now to remember the additions that are made to your verb refer to the strong verb paradigm on p167; to learn one of the best songs I know on the Qal Imperfect Strong Verb paradigm go here.

Here is the pronunciation of the Verbs for III-(He) in the song: they use the verb "to build"

3ms: yiv-neh
3fs: tiv-neh
2ms: tiv-neh
2fs: tiv-knee
1cs: ev-neh
3mp: yiv-nu
3fp: tiv-neh-nah
2mp: tiv-nu
2fp: tiv-neh-nah
1cp: niv-neh

(Qal Im-per-fect
We-eak Verbs!)

*Vowel & Shwa Help! 
Looking at the paradigm there are only two vowels and a shwa (Qamets is on the 3fp/2fp but you should already have that memorized as your endings from the Strong Verbs!). 
The two vowels are: Hireq (one dot) Seghol (three dots) - and the shwa has two dots!
Now look back at the paradigm. 
If you consider the dots as being numbers the vowels are as follows (read right to left ofcourse)

3ms: 1, 2, 3
3fs: 1, 2, 3
2ms: 1, 2, 3
2fs: 1, 2, 1
1cs: 3, 2, 3
3mp: 1, 2, - 
3fp: 1, 2, 3, (Q)
2mp: 1, 2, -
2fp: 1, 2, 3, (Q)
1cp: 1, 2, 3
Now if you break that down you have:
6 sets of 1, 2, 3. 

Deal with the four that are different. 
1 set of 1, 2, 1 (2fs)
1 set of 3, 2, 3 (1cp)
2 sets of 1, 2, - (3fp/2fp)

For 2fs and 1cs you can think of 1cp as being greedy and taking two dots for his first consonant from 2fs's 3rd consonant above it. I'm not assuming you're considering the disappearing He; this tip is just for the paradigm as it appears ofcourse. 
That's enough craziness now.
*Note - on the recording the Tiv-Neh at the end of the video SHOULD BE Niv-Neh (sorry for this).
It's recorded wrong but spelt out correctly for your own singing along and in the paradigm chart.

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