Lesson 32: The infinitive (ל- + verb) in every binyan. Modal constructions

Part 1: The main thing about the infinitive in Hebrew

The infinitive in Hebrew = prefix ל- (le-) + verb stem. This is one form, unchanging for person, gender, and number — like English "to write", "to work".

In English the infinitive is "to + verb": to write, to read, to go. In Hebrew the equivalent is the prefix ל- before the stem:

• to write → לכתוב (likhtov)
• to speak → לדבר (ledaber)
• to go → ללכת (lalekhet)

Important: the "stem" that follows ל- depends on the binyan. Each of the seven binyanim has its own infinitive pattern. This is not one and the same form with different roots — it's seven different templates.

Compare:

Binyan	Root	Infinitive	Translation
Pa'al	כ-ת-ב	לכתוב (likhtov)	to write
Pi'el	ד-ב-ר	לדבר (ledaber)	to speak
Hif'il	נ-ג-ד	להגיד (lehagid)	to say
Nif'al	כ-נ-ס	להיכנס (lehikanes)	to enter
Hitpa'el	ל-ב-ש	להתלבש (lehit'lavesh)	to get dressed

Key idea: see a word starting with ל-? That's almost certainly an infinitive. Next — recognize the binyan by the vowel-consonant pattern. By the end of this lesson this reflex should be working.

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Part 2: The infinitive by binyan

2.1 Pa'al — likhtov, lalekhet, lir'ot

Standard Pa'al pattern: ל + i + 1st consonant + 2nd + o + 3rd.

Root	Infinitive	Translation
כ-ת-ב	לכתוב (likhtov)	to write
ל-מ-ד	ללמוד (lilmod)	to study
ש-מ-ע	לשמוע (lishmo'a)	to hear
ס-ג-ר	לסגור (lisgor)	to close
ר-א-ה	לראות (lir'ot)	to see
א-כ-ל	לאכול (le'ekhol)	to eat

Weak roots in Pa'al break the pattern:

Root	Infinitive	Translation
ה-ל-כ	ללכת (lalekhet)	to go
י-ש-ב	לשבת (lashevet)	to sit
י-ד-ע	לדעת (lada'at)	to know
נ-ת-נ	לתת (latet)	to give
ל-ק-ח	לקחת (lakakhat)	to take

Notice: weak Pa'al roots (י, נ, ל, ה in the initial position) often give an infinitive on "la-" + ...et: lalekhet, lashevet, lada'at, lakakhat, latet. It's a small group of high-frequency verbs — learn them by heart.

2.2 Pi'el — ledaber, lekabel

Pi'el pattern: ל + e + 1st + a + 2nd + e + 3rd.

Root	Infinitive	Translation
ד-ב-ר	לדבר (ledaber)	to speak
ק-ב-ל	לקבל (lekabel)	to receive
ב-ק-ש	לבקש (levakesh)	to request
ש-ל-מ	לשלם (leshalem)	to pay
ב-ק-ר	לבקר (levaker)	to visit
ח-פ-ש	לחפש (lechapes)	to search
ל-מ-ד	ללמד (lelamed)	to teach (someone)

Trap: the root ל-מ-ד gives in Pa'al ללמוד (lilmod, "to study") and in Pi'el ללמד (lelamed, "to teach someone"). Different binyan = different meaning.

2.3 Hif'il — lehagid, lehavi

Hif'il pattern: ל + e + h + 1st + a + 2nd + i + 3rd. The internal ה- prefix is the signature of Hif'il.

Root	Infinitive	Translation
נ-ג-ד	להגיד (lehagid)	to say (= להגיד often replaces לומר)
ב-ו-א	להביא (lehavi)	to bring
י-ש-ב	להושיב (lehoshiv)	to seat (someone)
ס-ב-ר	להסביר (lehasbir)	to explain
ז-מ-נ	להזמין (lehazmin)	to invite / order
כ-נ-ס	להכניס (lehakhnis)	to bring in, insert
ח-ל-ט	להחליט (lehachlit)	to decide

2.4 Nif'al — lehikanes, lehera'ot

Nif'al pattern: ל + e + h + i + 1st + a + 2nd + e + 3rd. The doubled "ih" at the start is the signature.

Root	Infinitive	Translation
כ-נ-ס	להיכנס (lehikanes)	to enter
ר-א-ה	להיראות (lehera'ot)	to look, seem
ש-א-ר	להישאר (lehisha'er)	to stay
פ-ג-ש	להיפגש (lehipagesh)	to meet
ו-ל-ד	להיוולד (lehivaled)	to be born
ז-ה-ר	להיזהר (lehizaher)	to be careful, beware

2.5 Hitpa'el — lehit'lavesh, lehishtamesh

Hitpa'el pattern: ל + e + h + i + t + 1st + a + 2nd + e + 3rd. The internal הת- prefix is the signature.

Root	Infinitive	Translation
ל-ב-ש	להתלבש (lehit'lavesh)	to get dressed
ש-מ-ש	להשתמש (lehishtamesh)	to use (metathesis: t↔sh)
ר-ג-ש	להתרגש (lehitragesh)	to get excited
ק-ש-ר	להתקשר (lehitkasher)	to call, contact
ע-ס-ק	להתעסק (lehit'asek)	to deal with (something)
כ-ת-ב	להתכתב (lehitkatev)	to correspond

Metathesis in Hitpa'el: if a root begins with ש, ס, ז, צ — the t of the prefix swaps places with this first root consonant: לה-שת-מש instead of the expected לה-תש-מש. Rule from L17.

2.6 Pu'al and Huf'al — internal passives

The passive binyanim (L24) usually have no infinitive in modern speech. When "to be written" is needed, an active-binyan or Nif'al construction is used. That's just how it is.

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Part 3: Six modal words

"Modal" means "must", "can", "should", "worth". Six words cover almost everything:

Word	Translation	Agrees in gender/number?
צריך (tsarikh)	must, need, should	Yes (tsarikh / tsricha / tsrikhim / tsrikhot)
יכול (yakhol)	can, may	Yes (yakhol / yekhola / yekholim / yekholot)
כדאי (kheday)	worth, advisable	No, doesn't change
אפשר (efshar)	possible, can	No, doesn't change (impersonal)
אסור (asur)	forbidden, mustn't	Can change, but more often doesn't
מותר (mutar)	allowed, may	Can change, but more often doesn't

Main rule: modal word + infinitive. No "second verb in a personal form" — the modal is followed by a ל- form.

3.1 צריך (tsarikh) — "must, need, should"

This is a participle (like all present-tense verbs in Hebrew), so it agrees in gender and number with the subject:

Subject	Form	Example
ani (m.) / ata / hu	tsarikh	ani tsarikh lalekhet — I have to go
ani (f.) / at / hi	tsricha	ani tsricha lalekhet — I have to go (f.)
anachnu / atem / hem	tsrikhim	anachnu tsrikhim lir'ot — we have to see
anachnu / aten / hen	tsrikhot	hen tsrikhot ledaber — they have to talk

Important: "must" is impersonal in English ("I have to"), but in Hebrew it's a verbal construction with a subject. Hebrew asks: "who must?" — and agrees tsarikh with the gender of that "who".

3.2 יכול (yakhol) — "can"

Also a participle, agrees like an ordinary adjective:

Subject	Form
m. sg.	yakhol
f. sg.	yekhola
m. pl.	yekholim
f. pl.	yekholot

• ani yakhol lavo — I can come (m.)
• ani yekhola lavo — I can come (f.)
• hem yekholim lehagid — they can say
• hen yekholot lehishtamesh — they can use

Distinguish: yakhol = "able / physically able". "May I? is it allowed?" is mutar or efshar, see below.

3.3 כדאי (kheday) — "worth, advisable"

Does not change by gender or number. But if addressed to a specific person, the preposition le- is added with a pronominal suffix:

• kheday lir'ot et ha-seret ha-ze — it's worth seeing this film
• kheday lekha lashevet — you (m.) should sit down
• kheday lakh ledaber ito — you (f.) should talk to him
• kheday lahem lavo mukdam — they should come earlier

Construction: kheday + (le- + to whom) + infinitive. Impersonal in form, but the "addressee" is added through the inflected preposition li / lekha / lakh / lo / la / lanu / lakhem / lahem.

3.4 אפשר (efshar) — "possible, one can"

Impersonal. Never changes. Marks possibility or permission:

• efshar lavo machar — one can come tomorrow / it's possible to come tomorrow
• efshar lehitkasher elay achar kakh — can I call later / can someone call me later
• efshar lir'ot et ha-tafrit? — can I see the menu?
• lo efshar lehavin et ze — it's impossible to understand this

Very frequent in requests: efshar bevakasha… — "may I please…?" / "could you…?".

3.5 אסור (asur) — "forbidden, mustn't"

Most often impersonal, occasionally agrees. Prohibition:

• asur le'ashen kan — smoking is forbidden here
• asur lalekhet kazot — you mustn't go like this
• asur lekha le'akhel et ze — you (m.) mustn't eat this
• asur lekulam lehikanes — everyone is forbidden to enter

3.6 מותר (mutar) — "allowed, may"

The opposite of asur. Also more often impersonal:

• mutar le'ashen ba-chuts — you may smoke outside
• mutar li lavo? — am I allowed to come?
• mutar lakhem lehishtamesh ba-machshev — you (pl.) may use the computer

Distinguish the pair mutar/asur: it's about permission. About physical ability — yakhol. About general possibility — efshar.

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Part 4: Impersonal modal constructions

Impersonal modal: tsarikh + infinitive without a subject = "one must", "one needs" (in general, without indicating to whom).

This is a very important construction in Hebrew. It works for tsarikh, asur, mutar, efshar, kheday:

Impersonal	Personal (with dative)
tsarikh la'avod — one must work (in general)	ani tsarikh la'avod — I (m.) must work
asur le'ashen — smoking is forbidden (in general)	asur li le'ashen — I mustn't smoke
mutar lehikanes — entry is allowed (in general)	mutar lekha lehikanes — you (m.) may enter
efshar lir'ot — one can see (in general)	efshar li lir'ot? — may I see?
kheday lir'ot et ze — it's worth seeing this (in general)	kheday lekha lir'ot et ze — you (m.) should see this

Distinguish impersonal and personal: tsarikh la'avod — "one must work" (rule, general statement); ani tsarikh la'avod — "I must work" (about a specific person). In the first case tsarikh is in the m.sg. default form (as the "default" impersonal form).

Agreement of tsarikh / yakhol with subject — all 8 forms

Subject	tsarikh	yakhol
ani (m.)	ani tsarikh	ani yakhol
ani (f.)	ani tsricha	ani yekhola
ata	ata tsarikh	ata yakhol
at	at tsricha	at yekhola
hu	hu tsarikh	hu yakhol
hi	hi tsricha	hi yekhola
anachnu (m.)	anachnu tsrikhim	anachnu yekholim
anachnu (f.)	anachnu tsrikhot	anachnu yekholot
atem	atem tsrikhim	atem yekholim
aten	aten tsrikhot	aten yekholot
hem	hem tsrikhim	hem yekholim
hen	hen tsrikhot	hen yekholot

Mirror principle: "Do you have to go?" (to a man) → ata tsarikh lalekhet? → answer: ken, ani tsarikh lalekhet. To a woman: at tsricha lalekhet? → ken, ani tsricha lalekhet. The gender in the question mirrors in the answer.

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Part 5: Past and future of the modals

Tsarikh and yakhol are present participles of the Pa'al binyan. To say "had to" or "will be able to", use the form of the verb "to be" (haya) in the past or a future construction.

Tense	Tsarikh (must)	Yakhol (can)
Present	ani tsarikh lavo — I have to come	ani yakhol lavo — I can come
Past	hayiti tsarikh lavo — I had to come	yakholti lavo — I was able to come
Future	etstrakh lavo — I'll have to come	ukhal lavo — I'll be able to come

Clarification: yakhol has its own full conjugation in the past (yakholti, yakholta, yakhol…) and future (ukhal, tukhal, yukhal…) — it's a Pa'al-binyan verb. Tsarikh, on the other hand, more often takes haya for the past (hayiti tsarikh / hayita tsarikh / haytah tsricha).

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Part 6: Typical constructions with the infinitive

6.1 Modal + lefamim (sometimes)

• lefamim ani tsarikh la'avod ba-shabat — sometimes I have to work on Saturday
• lefamim asur le'ashen, lefamim mutar — sometimes smoking is forbidden, sometimes it's allowed
• lefamim kheday lashevet ve-lachshov — sometimes it's worth sitting down and thinking

6.2 Modal + im rotse (if you want)

The "if you want — then…" structure is often built through rotse (to want) + infinitive:

• im ata rotse lir'ot et ze, ata tsarikh lavo machar — if you want to see this, you have to come tomorrow
• im at rotsa ledaber ito, efshar lehitkasher elav — if you (f.) want to talk to him, you can call him
• im hem rotsim lehishtamesh ba-misrad, hem tsrikhim lir'ot et ha-menahel — if they want to use the office, they have to see the manager

rotse / rotsa / rotsim / rotsot — by itself "want" and behaves like an ordinary modal: rotse + infinitive. ani rotse lalekhet — "I want to go". Compare with tsarikh/yakhol — same Pa'al participle forms.

6.3 Modal chains

You can stack two modals one after the other (with one infinitive at the end):

• ani tsarikh lihiyot yakhol la'avod kol ha-yom — I need to be able to work all day (literally "I need to be able to work")
• kheday lihiyot yakhol lehasbir et ze — it's worth being able to explain this

Notice the infinitive of the verb "to be" itself — lihiyot (Pa'al binyan, root ה-י-ה). Very frequent. Without it the chain can't be built.

6.4 Impersonal constructions in public speech

In announcements, on signs, in rules, you often find impersonal modals:

• asur le'ashen — smoking is forbidden
• asur lehakhnis okhel — bringing food in is forbidden
• mutar lehiknes le-khol echad — entry is allowed for everyone
• tsarikh lashmor al ha-shket — silence must be kept
• efshar leshalem ba-kupa — payment is possible at the cashier

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Part 7: Obligation, possibility, permission, prohibition — the map

Category	Word	Example
Obligation (must)	tsarikh + inf	ani tsarikh lalekhet — I have to go
Advice / benefit (worth)	kheday (+ le-to whom) + inf	kheday lekha lir'ot — you should see
Physical ability (can)	yakhol + inf	ani yakhol la'avod — I can work
General possibility (one can)	efshar + inf	efshar lavo — one can come
Permission (I may)	mutar (+ le-to whom) + inf	mutar li lehikanes — I'm allowed to enter
Prohibition (mustn't)	asur (+ le-to whom) + inf	asur li le'ashen — I mustn't smoke
Desire (want)	rotse + inf	ani rotse lir'ot — I want to see

Practice rule: before saying "I have to / I can / I may / I shouldn't" — ask yourself: is this obligation (tsarikh), ability (yakhol), general possibility (efshar), personal permission (mutar), prohibition (asur), or advice (kheday)? Six words — exactly six categories. Don't merge them into one "need".

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