Lesson 24: Pu'al and Huf'al — Internal Passives of Pi'el and Hif'il

Part 1: The main idea — "internal passive"

Remember the binyan map from lesson 7? The Hebrew verb has no separate "passive voice" form like the English "be done." Instead, Hebrew has dedicated passive binyanim — whole patterns whose job is to be the passive of one specific active pattern.

Pu'al is the passive of Pi'el. Huf'al is the passive of Hif'il. Nif'al is partly the passive of Pa'al (we saw this in L16).

They are called "internal passives" — because what changes isn't "external" (no suffix or auxiliary verb is added) but the internal vowels of the same root and same pattern form.

The principle: take Pi'el, change the vowels to u-a — you get Pu'al. Take Hif'il, change the vowels to u-a (and drop the "mi-/he-") — you get Huf'al.

The root consonants — the same. The doubling pattern (for Pu'al) — the same. The m- prefix in the participle — the same. Only the vowels change. That's the meaning of "internal."

A critically important warning

Pu'al and Huf'al are RARE binyanim in COLLOQUIAL speech. Their natural habitat is newspapers, news, literature, legal and official texts, academic register.

In normal chat, "they're talking about it," "people smoke here," "the doors were opened" — an Israeli won't express through Pu'al/Huf'al, but through the impersonal 3rd-person plural (see Part 6). We'll come back to this fact several times.

Then why learn them? Because:

1. Without them, you can't read the news — Pu'al/Huf'al is everywhere there.
2. They give the symmetry of the system: you'll see how the 7 binyanim fold into a coherent grid (that's L25).
3. In writing (report, statement, article), this is the normal register, and without them the writing sounds "childish."

---

Part 2: Pu'al — passive of Pi'el

The sound signature of Pu'al

Remember Pi'el? Vowels: i-e (or a-e), doubling of the middle root letter. Example: medaber ("speaks"), dibarti ("I spoke").

Pu'al — the same three root consonants, the same doubling, but u-a vowels:

Pi'el → Pu'al: medaber ("speaks") → meduber ("about him people speak," "it is being spoken of") diber ("he spoke") → dubar ("about him people spoke," "it was being spoken of")

Pu'al present-tense paradigm (participle)

Recall that the present in Hebrew is a participle that agrees in gender and number (4 forms like an adjective). The Pu'al participle starts with me- (like Pi'el) and has u-a vowels:

	m.sg.	f.sg.	m.pl.	f.pl.
root k-b-l (receive)	mekubal	mekubelet	mekubalim	mekubalot
root s-d-r (arrange)	mesudar	mesuderet	mesudarim	mesudarot
root d-b-r (speak)	meduber	meduberet	medubarim	medubarot
root s-p-r (tell)	mesupar	mesuperet	mesuparim	mesuparot

Sound signature: me- + u + a (+ gender/number ending). If in a newspaper phrase you see a word starting with me- with two vowels "u-a" — it's almost certainly a Pu'al participle.

Pu'al past-tense paradigm

Vowels u-a, past-tense endings — the same as in all binyanim (we learned them in L12 for Pa'al and L13 for Pi'el):

Person	Pu'al (root d-b-r)	English
ani	dubarti	I was talked about
ata	dubarta	you (m.) were talked about
at	dubart	you (f.) were talked about
hu	dubar	he was talked about
hi	dubra	she was talked about
anachnu	dubarnu	we were talked about
atem/aten	dubartem/dubarten	you were talked about
hem/hen	dubru	they were talked about

Notice: in the Pu'al past there is no me- prefix (just as in the Pi'el past there isn't — the present gives a participle with m-, the past gives the "bare" stem). The sound signature of the Pu'al past: u-a in the first two syllables: kubal, sudar, dubar, supar.

The main pair: lekabel / lekubal

	Pi'el (active)	Pu'al (passive)
infinitive	lekabel (to receive)	(no infinitive form in modern speech)
present (he)	mekabel	mekubal
present (she)	mekabelet	mekubelet
past (he)	kibel	kubal
past (she)	kibla	kubla
past (they)	kiblu	kublu

Example pairs:

• הוא קיבל מכתב. — Hu kibel mikhtav. — "He received a letter." (Pi'el, active)
• המכתב קובל אתמול. — Ha-mikhtav kubal etmol. — "The letter was received yesterday." (Pu'al, passive)
• הוא מקבל ברכות. — Hu mekabel brakhot. — "He receives congratulations."
• הברכות מקובלות. — Ha-brakhot mekubalot. — "The congratulations are accepted / received." (notice: mekubal/mekubelet/mekubalim/mekubalot in modern Hebrew often means "accepted, customary" — broken away from the verb.)

Second pair: lesader / lesudar

• אני מסדר את החדר. — Ani mesader et ha-cheder. — "I'm tidying the room." (Pi'el)
• החדר מסודר. — Ha-cheder mesudar. — "The room is in order." (Pu'al)
• הם סידרו את התיק. — Hem sidru et ha-tik. — "They sorted out the matter."
• התיק סודר. — Ha-tik sudar. — "The matter was sorted out."

Useful: mesudar/mesuderet ("ordered, neat, in order") in living speech is used as an adjective: ha-cheder mesudar — "the room is in order." Same with mekubal ("accepted, customary"). This is an exception — two Pu'al participles that took root in colloquial language as ordinary adjectives.

Third pair: lesaper / lesupar

• היא סיפרה סיפור. — Hi sipra sipur. — "She told a story." (Pi'el)
• הסיפור סופר בעיתון. — Ha-sipur supar ba-iton. — "The story was told in the newspaper." (Pu'al)
• מסופר על מלחמה. — Mesupar al milchama. — "It is told about a war."

---

Part 3: Huf'al — passive of Hif'il

The sound signature of Huf'al

Remember Hif'il from L14? Vowels: i-i (with the prefix he-/ma-). Example: mavi ("brings" from root b-w-' with its quirks), hikhnis ("brought in"), hesbir ("explained").

Huf'al — the same root consonants, the same general frame, but u-a vowels, and the active Hif'il prefixes (he- in the past, mi- in the present — more precisely, ma-) become unstressed u-forms:

Hif'il → Huf'al: mavi ("brings") → muva ("they bring him," "is brought") hikhnis ("brought in") → hukhnas ("was brought in") hesbir ("explained") → husbar ("was explained") hizmin ("invited") → huzman ("was invited") hekhin ("prepared") → hukhan ("was prepared")

Huf'al present-tense paradigm

Prefix mu- (instead of ma-/me- in Hif'il), vowel a between the middle and last letters:

	m.sg.	f.sg.	m.pl.	f.pl.
root k-n-s (bring in)	mukhnas	mukhneset	mukhnasim	mukhnasot
root s-b-r (explain)	musbar	musberet	musbarim	musbarot
root z-m-n (invite)	muzman	muzmenet	muzmanim	muzmanot
root k-w-n (prepare)	mukhan	mukhana	mukhanim	mukhanot

Sound signature: mu- + a (+ ending). If in a text you see a word starting with mu- and continuing with vowel a — it's almost certainly Huf'al.

Huf'al past-tense paradigm

Prefix hu- (instead of he- in Hif'il), vowel a:

Person	Huf'al (root s-b-r)	English
ani	husbarti li	it was explained to me / they explained to me
ata	husbarta lekha	it was explained to you (m.)
at	husbart lakh	it was explained to you (f.)
hu	husbar	(he/it) was explained
hi	husbera	(she) was explained
anachnu	husbarnu	it was explained to us
atem/aten	husbartem/husbarten	it was explained to you
hem/hen	husberu	(they) were explained

Notice: in Huf'al there is no active "mi-/he-" — where Hif'il says hesbir (prefix he-), Huf'al says husbar (prefix hu-). That's the "passive signature."

The main pair: lehavi / luva (to bring / to be brought)

The root b-w-' is weak (with the letter ו), so the pair sounds unusual:

	Hif'il (active)	Huf'al (passive)
infinitive	lehavi (to bring)	(none in common use)
present (he)	mevi	muva
present (she)	mevia	muvet / muva't
past (he)	hevi	huva
past (she)	hevia	huv'a
past (they)	hevi'u	huv'u

Examples:

• הוא הביא את הספרים. — Hu hevi et ha-sfarim. — "He brought the books." (Hif'il)
• הספרים הובאו לכאן. — Ha-sfarim huv'u lekan. — "The books were brought here." (Huf'al)
• מובא לידיעת הקהל… — Muva li-yedi'at ha-kahal… — "It is brought to the public's attention…" (standard newspaper formula)

Second useful pair: lehakhin / luchan (to prepare / to be prepared)

• אמא הכינה ארוחה. — Ima hekhina arucha. — "Mom prepared a meal." (Hif'il)
• הארוחה מוכנה. — Ha-arucha mukhana. — "The meal is ready." (Huf'al participle as an adjective)
• הכל מוכן! — Ha-kol mukhan! — "Everything is ready!"

Another exception: mukhan/mukhana/mukhanim/mukhanot ("ready") — a Huf'al participle that became an ordinary adjective in colloquial speech. Like mekubal, mesudar. These are the three most frequent "participle-adjectives" from the passive binyanim in colloquial Hebrew.

---

Part 4: Full comparison table Pi'el ↔ Pu'al, Hif'il ↔ Huf'al

Parameter	Pi'el (act.)	Pu'al (pass.)	Hif'il (act.)	Huf'al (pass.)
Vowels	i-e / a-e	u-a	i-i / a-i	u-a
Present prefix	me-	me-	ma-	mu-
Past prefix	(none)	(none)	he-	hu-
Middle doubling	yes	yes	no	no
Infinitive	le-XaXeX	(none in use)	le-haXXiX	(none in use)
Example (pres. m.)	mekabel	mekubal	mevi	muva
Example (past he)	kibel	kubal	hevi	huva

Paradoxically, it's precisely simplicity that separates passive from active: remember one thing — u-a in the vowels = passive. This works for Pu'al, for Huf'al, and for the ancient Pa'al passive participle (which we don't learn as a binyan, but recognize in words like katuv — "written").

---

Part 5: When to use? Register and style

Pu'al and Huf'al — this is the formal, written or official register. Their natural habitat:

Where Pu'al/Huf'al is the norm	Where Pu'al/Huf'al is rare
Newspaper headlines and texts	Everyday conversation
Legal documents	Chat, SMS
Academic texts	Chitchat with friends
Radio and TV news summaries	Family dinner
Business correspondence, reports	Store, taxi, café
Popular science writing	Any everyday scene

Newspaper clichés you'll see immediately

Hebrew	Translit	English
מדובר ב…	meduber be…	the matter is about… / it is about…
מסופר על…	mesupar al…	it is told about…
מובא לידיעת…	muva li-yedi'at…	brought to the attention of…
מוזמן ל…	muzman le…	invited to…
מקובל ש…	mekubal she…	it is accepted that… / it is customary that…
מוסבר ב…	musbar be…	it is explained in…
הוחלט ש…	huchlat she…	it was decided that… (root ch-l-t)
הוכרז על…	hukhraz al…	it was announced about… (root k-r-z)
הופסק ה…	hufsak ha…	(something) was halted
הוקם ה…	hukam ha…	(something) was founded/established

Remember the newspaper-headline template: "Huf'al form + subject" = "X was done." Hukam ha-misrad ha-chadash — "The new ministry was established." In the colloquial equivalent the Israeli would say hekimu misrad chadash — "(they) established a new ministry" (3rd-pers. pl., impersonal).

---

Part 6: The most important thing in practice — impersonal 3rd-person plural

If Pu'al and Huf'al are the bookish/newspaper passive, then how does the Israeli say "people are talking about it," "they opened the doors," "the doors are open" in conversation? Answer:

The impersonal 3rd-person plural of the active verb — the most frequent "passive" of conversational Hebrew.

It's just "they" without a subject. Like the English "they say that…", "they reported on the radio," "they opened the store" — where "they say/reported/opened" is formally 3rd-pers. pl., but the sense is impersonal.

Register comparison

Bookish (Pu'al/Huf'al)	Conversational (3rd-pers. pl.)	English
meduber ba-iton al ha-milchama	medabrim ba-iton al ha-milchama	the newspaper is talking about the war
omar ba-radio she…	omrim ba-radio she…	the radio reports that…
ha-delet niftecha (Nif'al) / huftcha (no such)	patchu et ha-delet	the door was opened
ha-sefer hudpas	hidpisu et ha-sefer	the book was printed
muzman ha-kahal	mazminim et ha-kahal	the public is invited
huchlat she…	hechlitu she…	it was decided that…

Rule of thumb for speech: if you're tempted to use the passive — use the 3rd-pers. pl. of the active verb (Pi'el or Hif'il). Leave Pu'al/Huf'al for reading and formal writing. This is normal and everyone does it.

When you really do want a passive, and Pu'al/Huf'al fits speech anyway?

Three situations:

1. Participle-as-adjective: ha-cheder mesudar (the room is in order), ha-arucha mukhana (the meal is ready), ze mekubal (this is customary). No one says it any other way.
2. Quoting officialese: "hukhraz al…" in a news retelling.
3. Mock-formal tone: sometimes Israelis use Pu'al/Huf'al for irony ("emphatically official").

---

Part 7: Roots that often appear in Pu'al/Huf'al

Root	Pi'el / Hif'il (active)	Pu'al / Huf'al (passive)	Meaning
k-b-l	lekabel (Pi'el)	mekubal / kubal	to receive → to be received/accepted
s-d-r	lesader (Pi'el)	mesudar / sudar	to arrange → to be in order
s-p-r	lesaper (Pi'el)	mesupar / supar	to tell → to be told
d-b-r	ledaber (Pi'el)	meduber / dubar	to speak → to be spoken of
b-k-sh	levakesh (Pi'el)	mevukash / bukash	to ask → to be requested/sought
ch-p-s	lechapes (Pi'el)	mechupas / chupas	to search → to be sought
sh-l-m	leshalem (Pi'el)	meshulam / shulam	to pay → to be paid
b-w-'	lehavi (Hif'il)	muva / huva	to bring → to be brought
k-w-n	lehakhin (Hif'il)	mukhan / hukhan	to prepare → to be ready
s-b-r	lehasbir (Hif'il)	musbar / husbar	to explain → to be explained
z-m-n	lehazmin (Hif'il)	muzman / huzman	to invite → to be invited
k-n-s	lehakhnis (Hif'il)	mukhnas / hukhnas	to bring in → to be brought in
ch-l-t	lehachlit (Hif'il)	(musb)/huchlat	to decide → to be decided
k-r-z	lehakhriz (Hif'il)	mukhraz / hukhraz	to announce → to be announced
ts-l-ch	lehatsli'ach (Hif'il)	mutsla(ch) / hutslach	to succeed → to be successful/lucky

---