Bible HebrewWeak Verbs 1: Missing Letters
Roots that lose their first letter: נָפַל → יִפֹּל, יָשַׁב → יֵשֵׁב, אָמַר → יֹאמַר.
Weak verbs 1: when the first root letter goes missing
Most verbs keep all three root letters in every form: שָׁמַר “he kept”, יִשְׁמֹר “he will keep”. In a weak verb, a root letter drops out or turns into a vowel. This lesson is about roots whose first letter is weak. You see it in the forms with a prefix: “he will …” (the imperfect) and “and he …” (the story form).
| Kind of root | He did | He will | And he (story form) |
|---|---|---|---|
| first letter נ | נָפַל he fell | יִפֹּל he will fall | וַיִּפֹּל and it fell (Jonah 1:7) |
| first letter נ | נָתַן he gave | יִתֵּן he will give | וַיִּתֵּן and he paid (Jonah 1:3) |
| first letter י | יָשַׁב he sat | יֵשֵׁב he will sit | וַיֵּשֶׁב and he settled (Genesis 4:16) |
| first letter י | יָצָא he went out | יֵצֵא he will go out | וַיֵּצֵא and he went out (Genesis 4:16) |
| ה, acting like י | הָלַךְ he went | יֵלֵךְ he will go | וַיֵּלֶךְ and he went (Genesis 12:4) |
| first letter א | אָמַר he said | יֹאמַר he will say | וַיֹּאמֶר and he said (Genesis 1:3) |
| first letter א | אָכַל he ate | יֹאכַל he will eat | וַיֹּאכַל and he ate (Genesis 3:6) |
First letter נ (I-nun). The נ merges into the next letter, and a dot doubles that letter in its place: the פּ in יִפֹּל, the תּ in יִתֵּן. This doubling does not mean Piel. Piel has a quick ə under the prefix (יְדַבֵּר “he will speak”), but here the prefix has i. לָקַח “take” does the same thing: וַיִּקַּח “and he took” (Genesis 2:15).
First letter י (I-yod/waw). The root's י drops out, and the prefix takes the vowel ē: יֵשֵׁב. The י you see is the “he” prefix. Many of these roots once began with ו, so they are called I-yod/waw, but dictionaries list them under י. הָלַךְ “go” acts the same way: יֵלֵךְ “he will go”. A few keep the י as a silent vowel letter: וַיִּירְאוּ “and they were afraid” (Jonah 1:5).
First letter א. In a few very common verbs, mainly אָמַר “say” and אָכַל “eat”, the א goes quiet. It stays written, and the prefix takes the vowel ō: יֹאמַר “he will say”. Other verbs that start with א act like throat letters instead; Weak Verbs 3 comes back to them.
The clue is the prefix. A prefix with i and a doubled letter after it: a lost נ. A prefix with ē: a lost י. A prefix with ō and a silent א: a quiet א. Put the missing letter back, and you have the root to look up.
Check yourself
What is “weak” about an I-nun root in some forms?
✓ Its first letter נ can merge into the next letter · It always becomes a noun · Its last letter is always ה · It cannot form a past-tense narrative
In נָפַל “he fell” you can see the נ. In וַיִּפֹּל “and it fell” it is gone: it has merged into the פ, which now has a dot that doubles it.
What should you check when a weak verb looks different?
✓ The root and the verbal pattern together · Only the first vowel · Only the English translation · Only the last letter
A weak verb has lost or changed a root letter. Look at the letters that are left and at the prefix and its vowel: together they show which letter is missing.
וַיֵּשֶׁב “and he lived” (Genesis 4:16) comes from ישׁב. What kind of root is it?
✓ I-yod/waw: the first letter drops out · I-nun: the נ merges into the next letter · first letter א: the א goes quiet · not weak: all three letters are there
The root ישׁב begins with י. In וַיֵּשֶׁב that י is gone, and the prefix has ē in its place. Roots that begin with י often drop it after a prefix.
In וַיִּתֵּן “and he gave” (Genesis 1:17), what does the dot in the ת show?
✓ the first נ of נתן has merged into it · the verb is Piel · the subject is plural · it is a question
The root נתן starts with נ. In וַיִּתֵּן that נ has merged into the ת, and the dot doubles the ת in its place.
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