Lesson 14: Binyan Hif'il — the causative. The Pa'al ↔ Hif'il pair

Part 1: What Hif'il is — the causative engine

A binyan (template) is not a dictionary, it's an engine for the same root. Pa'al says "he does X himself". Hif'il says "he makes someone do X" or "he brings someone/something into state X".

Hif'il is the causative binyan. If Pa'al is the base action, Hif'il is "causing that action to happen".

The cleanest Hebrew illustration is the root ר-א-ה (see):

Binyan	Verb	Meaning
Pa'al	רָאָה (ra'ah)	he saw
Hif'il	הֶרְאָה (her'a)	he showed (= made someone see)

See the logic? "To show" is "to cause someone to see". English uses a separate verb "show", but Hebrew uses the same root ר-א-ה in a different binyan.

English parallels — "show", "feed", "seat", "bring"

The closest English instinct: Hif'il works like English causative verbs that differ from their base (see → show, eat → feed, sit → seat, come → bring, fall → drop, lie → lay).

Pa'al root	Hif'il	English pair
ר-א-ה ra'ah "saw"	הִרְאָה hir'a "showed"	see → show
כ-נ-ס nikhnas (Nif'al) "entered"	הִכְנִיס hikhnis "brought in"	enter → bring in
י-ש-ב yashav "sat"	הוֹשִׁיב hoshiv "seated"	sit → seat
ה-ל-ך halakh "walked"	הוֹלִיךְ holikh "led"	walk → lead, take
ב-ו-א ba "came"	הֵבִיא hevi "brought"	come → bring

Main idea: where English uses a different verb to express the causative ("bring", "show", "lead"), Hebrew changes the binyan of the same root. That's Hif'il.

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Part 2: How Hif'il looks. Form markers

Prefix ה- (he-) — the signature of Hif'il

In the past tense and the infinitive, Hif'il starts with the letter ה:

• הִכְנִיס (hikhnis) — he brought in
• הִסְבִּיר (hisbir) — he explained
• לְהַכְנִיס (lehakhnis) — to bring in
• לְהַסְבִּיר (lehasbir) — to explain

In the present this ה is "eaten up" by the prefix מַ- (ma-):

• מַכְנִיס (makhnis) — brings in
• מַסְבִּיר (masbir) — explains

Memorize Hif'il's two prefixes:

• ma- (מַ-) — present tense
• hi- (הִ-) — past tense

See a verb starting with ma- — almost certainly Hif'il, present. See one starting with hi- — Hif'il, past.

Basic root template in Hif'il

Take a "regular" root of three consonants C-C-C (for example, ס-ב-ר — "explain").

Tense / form	Template	Example with ס-ב-ר
Infinitive	leha-CCiC	לְהַסְבִּיר lehasbir
Present m. sg.	ma-CCiC	מַסְבִּיר masbir
Present f. sg.	ma-CCiCa	מַסְבִּירָה masbira
Present m. pl.	ma-CCiCim	מַסְבִּירִים masbirim
Present f. pl.	ma-CCiCot	מַסְבִּירוֹת masbirot
Past "he"	hi-CCiC	הִסְבִּיר hisbir
Past "she"	hi-CCiCa	הִסְבִּירָה hisbira
Past "they"	hi-CCiCu	הִסְבִּירוּ hisbiru

Notice: present has 4 forms (like the Pa'al participle — lesson 8). Past — person suffixes as in L12. The only difference is the prefixes: ma- in present, hi- in past.

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Part 3: Present tense in Hif'il — full paradigm

Let's take the verb לְהַסְבִּיר (lehasbir, "explain"). Run through all 10 speaker forms.

Person	Hebrew	Translit	Translation
אֲנִי (m.)	אֲנִי מַסְבִּיר	ani masbir	I explain
אֲנִי (f.)	אֲנִי מַסְבִּירָה	ani masbira	I explain
אַתָּה	אַתָּה מַסְבִּיר	ata masbir	you explain (m.)
אַתְּ	אַתְּ מַסְבִּירָה	at masbira	you explain (f.)
הוּא	הוּא מַסְבִּיר	hu masbir	he explains
הִיא	הִיא מַסְבִּירָה	hi masbira	she explains
אֲנַחְנוּ (m./mixed)	אֲנַחְנוּ מַסְבִּירִים	anachnu masbirim	we explain
אֲנַחְנוּ (f.)	אֲנַחְנוּ מַסְבִּירוֹת	anachnu masbirot	we explain
אַתֶּם	אַתֶּם מַסְבִּירִים	atem masbirim	you explain (m./mixed)
אַתֶּן	אַתֶּן מַסְבִּירוֹת	aten masbirot	you explain (f.)
הֵם	הֵם מַסְבִּירִים	hem masbirim	they explain (m./mixed)
הֵן	הֵן מַסְבִּירוֹת	hen masbirot	they explain (f.)

Main observation: the present in Hif'il is once again a participle (4 forms by gender and number), as in Pa'al and in Pi'el. Person is not marked in it — it's carried by the pronoun.

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Part 4: Past tense in Hif'il — full paradigm

Same verb לְהַסְבִּיר. Here, as in L12, person is expressed by a suffix.

Person	Hebrew	Translit	Translation
אֲנִי	הִסְבַּרְתִּי	hisbarti	I explained
אַתָּה	הִסְבַּרְתָּ	hisbarta	you explained (m.)
אַתְּ	הִסְבַּרְתְּ	hisbart	you explained (f.)
הוּא	הִסְבִּיר	hisbir	he explained
הִיא	הִסְבִּירָה	hisbira	she explained
אֲנַחְנוּ	הִסְבַּרְנוּ	hisbarnu	we explained
אַתֶּם	הִסְבַּרְתֶּם	hisbartem	you explained (m./mixed)
אַתֶּן	הִסְבַּרְתֶּן	hisbarten	you explained (f.)
הֵם / הֵן	הִסְבִּירוּ	hisbiru	they explained

Watch the vowel: in all forms with a person suffix (I, you, we, you-pl.) the vowel after the second root consonant becomes "a" (hisbarti, hisbarnu) — no long "i" there. But in forms without a person suffix (he, she, they) the "i" is preserved (hisbir, hisbira, hisbiru).

Same logic as in Pa'al past: "impersonal" forms — longer, "personal" — shorter and reduced.

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Part 5: Pa'al ↔ Hif'il pairs — the main exercise

This is where the main skill of the lesson lies: seeing the pair. Take any Pa'al verb you know — try to remember or derive its Hif'il partner.

Pair 1: ר-א-ה "see" → "show"

	Pa'al (see)	Hif'il (show)
Infinitive	לִרְאוֹת lir'ot	לְהַרְאוֹת lehar'ot
He, pres.	רוֹאֶה ro'e	מַרְאֶה mar'e
She, pres.	רוֹאָה ro'a	מַרְאָה mar'a
He, past	רָאָה ra'ah	הֶרְאָה her'a
She, past	רָאֲתָה ra'ata	הֶרְאֲתָה her'ata

Example: הוּא רָאָה אֶת הַסֵּפֶר (hu ra'ah et ha-sefer) "he saw the book" → הוּא הֶרְאָה לִי אֶת הַסֵּפֶר (hu her'a li et ha-sefer) "he showed me the book". Notice the preposition לְ- (le-, "to"): you show "to someone". In Hif'il a second participant — the one "drawn into" the action — often appears.

Pair 2: ה-ל-ך "go" → "lead"

	Pa'al (go)	Hif'il (lead / take)
Infinitive	לָלֶכֶת lalekhet	לְהוֹלִיךְ leholikh
He, pres.	הוֹלֵךְ holekh	מוֹלִיךְ molikh
He, past	הָלַךְ halakh	הוֹלִיךְ holikh

Example: הַיֶּלֶד הָלַךְ לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר (ha-yeled halakh le-veit ha-sefer) "the child went to school" → הָאֵם הוֹלִיכָה אֶת הַיֶּלֶד לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר (ha-em holikha et ha-yeled le-veit ha-sefer) "the mother took the child to school".

Pair 3: י-ש-ב "sit" → "seat"

	Pa'al (sit)	Hif'il (seat)
Infinitive	לָשֶׁבֶת lashevet	לְהוֹשִׁיב lehoshiv
He, pres.	יוֹשֵׁב yoshev	מוֹשִׁיב moshiv
He, past	יָשַׁב yashav	הוֹשִׁיב hoshiv

Example: הַיֶּלֶד יָשַׁב עַל הַכִּסֵּא (ha-yeled yashav al ha-kise) "the child sat on the chair" → הָאֵם הוֹשִׁיבָה אֶת הַיֶּלֶד עַל הַכִּסֵּא (ha-em hoshiva et ha-yeled al ha-kise) "the mother seated the child on the chair".

Pair 4: ב-ו-א "come" → "bring / lead"

	Pa'al (come)	Hif'il (bring / lead)
Infinitive	לָבוֹא lavo	לְהָבִיא lehavi
He, pres.	בָּא ba	מֵבִיא mevi
She, pres.	בָּאָה ba'a	מְבִיאָה mevi'a
He, past	בָּא ba	הֵבִיא hevi
They, past	בָּאוּ ba'u	הֵבִיאוּ hevi'u

Example: הוּא בָּא לַמְּסִבָּה (hu ba la-mesiba) "he came to the party" → הוּא הֵבִיא יַיִן לַמְּסִבָּה (hu hevi yayin la-mesiba) "he brought wine to the party".

Notice the general pattern: Pa'al = the subject acts on themselves / in their own space. Hif'il = the same subject pulls in someone/something else. A direct object appears (with את, if it's definite — lesson 11).

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Part 6: Eight working Hif'il verbs

This is the lesson's core vocabulary. Memorize each as a pair: infinitive + "he, past" — that's enough to unfold all other forms from the Part 3–4 tables.

Hebrew	Translit	Translation	Root	Note
לְהָבִיא	lehavi	bring / lead	ב-ו-א	Weak root (י in the middle); pair to לָבוֹא lavo "come"
לְהַסְבִּיר	lehasbir	explain	ס-ב-ר	A standalone Hif'il, no common Pa'al pair
לְהַזְמִין	lehazmin	invite / order	ז-מ-נ	Both "invite a guest" and "order a table / food"
לְהַכְנִיס	lehakhnis	bring in / let in	כ-נ-ס	Causative of Nif'al "enter" (L16)
לְהַחְלִיט	lehachlit	decide (make a decision)	ח-ל-ט	Noun החלטה (hachlata) — "decision"
לְהַשְׁאִיל	lehash'il	lend (give as a loan)	ש-א-ל	Pa'al לִשְׁאוֹל = "ask / borrow"; Hif'il flips it to "lend"
לְהַרְגִּישׁ	lehargish	feel (oneself)	ר-ג-ש	Noun רגש (regesh) — "feeling"
לְהַתְחִיל	lehatchil	start, begin	ת-ח-ל	Noun התחלה (hatchala) — "beginning"

Each one — in "he, pres." / "he, past"

Infinitive	Pres. (he)	Pres. (she)	Past (he)	Past (she)
לְהָבִיא	מֵבִיא mevi	מְבִיאָה mevi'a	הֵבִיא hevi	הֵבִיאָה hevi'a
לְהַסְבִּיר	מַסְבִּיר masbir	מַסְבִּירָה masbira	הִסְבִּיר hisbir	הִסְבִּירָה hisbira
לְהַזְמִין	מַזְמִין mazmin	מַזְמִינָה mazmina	הִזְמִין hizmin	הִזְמִינָה hizmina
לְהַכְנִיס	מַכְנִיס makhnis	מַכְנִיסָה makhnisa	הִכְנִיס hikhnis	הִכְנִיסָה hikhnisa
לְהַחְלִיט	מַחְלִיט machlit	מַחְלִיטָה machlita	הֶחְלִיט hechlit	הֶחְלִיטָה hechlita
לְהַשְׁאִיל	מַשְׁאִיל mash'il	מַשְׁאִילָה mash'ila	הִשְׁאִיל hish'il	הִשְׁאִילָה hish'ila
לְהַרְגִּישׁ	מַרְגִּישׁ margish	מַרְגִּישָׁה margisha	הִרְגִּישׁ hirgish	הִרְגִּישָׁה hirgisha
לְהַתְחִיל	מַתְחִיל matchil	מַתְחִילָה matchila	הִתְחִיל hitchil	הִתְחִילָה hitchila

Weak roots: lehavi (ב-ו-א) is weak because of the ו in the middle. So the forms are shorter (hevi, not "hivi"). This is the typical "swallowing" effect of weak roots — covered in detail in L26. For now just memorize this form separately, as an exception.

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Part 7: How Hif'il fits into a sentence

Template: subject + Hif'il verb + (object with את) + (recipient with לְ-)

In Hif'il there are often three participants: the one who causes (subject), what is caused (object, usually with את), and to whom it is caused (recipient, with לְ-).

הַמּוֹרֶה מַסְבִּיר לַתַּלְמִידִים אֶת הַשִּׁעוּר. (Ha-more masbir la-talmidim et ha-shi'ur.) "The teacher explains the lesson to the pupils."

Breakdown: the teacher (subject) — "makes-understand" — the lesson (object, with את because definite) — to the pupils (recipient, with לְ-).

More examples with all eight verbs

הִיא הֵבִיאָה לִי כּוֹס תֵּה. (Hi hevi'a li kos te.) "She brought me a cup of tea."

אֲנִי מַזְמִין אֶת הַחֲבֵרִים שֶׁלִּי לַמְּסִבָּה. (Ani mazmin et ha-chaverim sheli la-mesiba.) "I'm inviting my friends to the party."

הֵם הִכְנִיסוּ אֶת הָאוֹכֶל לַמִּטְבָּח. (Hem hikhnisu et ha-okhel la-mitbach.) "They brought the food into the kitchen."

הֶחְלַטְתִּי לִלְמוֹד עִבְרִית. (Hechlatti lilmod ivrit.) "I decided to study Hebrew." — After lehachlit comes an infinitive with לְ- (like in English "decided to do").

הוּא הִשְׁאִיל לִי סֵפֶר. (Hu hish'il li sefer.) "He lent me a book." — Watch out: lehash'il = "to lend", not to be confused with lish'ol (Pa'al, same root) = "to ask" or "to borrow". One root, two opposite meanings by binyan.

אֲנִי מַרְגִּישׁ טוֹב. (Ani margish tov.) "I feel good." — Notice: Hebrew has no "myself", just "feel good". Hif'il is non-typical here, not causative — this is a lexicalized meaning.

הַשִּׁעוּר מַתְחִיל בִּשְׁמוֹנֶה. (Ha-shi'ur matchil bi-shmone.) "The lesson starts at eight." — lehatchil can be both transitive ("I start the lesson") and intransitive ("the lesson starts").

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Part 8: Hif'il vs. Pi'el — don't fuse them!

This is an important checkpoint. After L13 (Pi'el) and L14 (Hif'il) there's a risk of lumping them together: "verbs with prefixes". Don't. The differences are clear.

Property	Pi'el (L13)	Hif'il (L14)
Semantics	Intensive, activation: "do intensely"	Causative: "make do"
Present prefix	מְ- (me-): מְדַבֵּר medaber	מַ- (ma-): מַסְבִּיר masbir
Past prefix	none: דִּבֵּר diber	הִ- (hi-): הִסְבִּיר hisbir
Internal vowel	dagesh in the 2nd root letter, doubling	long "i" between 2nd and 3rd root letters
Infinitive	לְדַבֵּר le-dabber	לְהַסְבִּיר le-hasbir

Distinction test: see me- in the present → Pi'el. See ma- in the present → Hif'il. See the prefix hi- in the past → Hif'il. In the past with no prefix (just vowels inside) → Pi'el or Pa'al.

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