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VERBAL STEMS (BINYAN) IN BIBLICAL HEBREW: Embedded Spelling 

10/14/2013

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In this second part of the Hebrew Verb Stems, we'll look at an alternate, creative method of how to memorize the "identifying marks" of each of the verbal stems.  

There will be six verb stems that need to be committed to memory (nif'al, pi'el, pu'al, hitpa'el, hif'il, hof'al) -- no additional memory helps will be needed for the basic verb stem, the Qal.  As pictured above, you will use what we have coined an "embedded" spelling of the Hebrew verbal stems.

How to Embed Spell
The process of embedding the  identifying marks of each verbal stem is easy. 
  1. Determine what you markings you want to recall for each stem. For example, in the nif'al, I want to recall the nun, hireq and sheva.
  2. Next "embed" these identifying marks into the English spelling of the verbal stem (e.g. the nif'al. Note the nun is included in the English capital "N"; the hireq forms the dot above the English "i" and the sheva forms the vertical bar of the "F." 

After you have completed forming an embedded spelling of the target verbal stem, practice writing out the embedded spelling. The spelling itself will cue your memory of where to place the identifying marks (note the placement of identifying marks under the  embedded spelling in the above picture.)

Practice writing out your embedded spelling along with placing the identifying marks under a tri-consonant (marked "XXX") until you have mastered that verbal stem. Then move to the next stem and repeat this process.

Creating Visual Mnemonics to Recall Verbal Stems
An advanced method of learning the Hebrew stems is presented in The Triad System (also included in The Complete System). Under this advanced approach, mnemonic symbols will be attached to each stem's identifying marks to help quickly recall each stem's identifying marks.


In addition, examples are give for all stems, Perfect, Imperfect, Infinitive and Participles!

More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!
I hope this article on Hebrew Verb Stems (Binyan) has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!

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Verbal Stems (Binyan) In Biblical Hebrew and how to Remember them! Part 1

9/27/2013

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Seven Stems to Rule them All
There are seven basic verb stems (conjugations) or "Binyan" (Hebrew for "building") in Biblical Hebrew. While the Qal occurs most frequently, the six other stems must be known to facilitate reading Biblical Hebrew.

In the first part of this article we will explore the meaning or each stem and how to remember their function. In part 2, we will learn their identifying  marks and how to remember their distinct markings.

First, let's list all seven stems and then look at them individually (Kelly, 108):
  • Qal (Simple Active)
  • Nif'al (Simple Passive or Reflexive)
  • Pi'el (Intensive Active or Causative)
  • Pu'al (Intensive Passive)
  • Hitpa'el (Reflexive)
  • Hif'il (Causative Active)
  • Hof'al (Causative Pasive)

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Remember the Basic Meaning of the Seven Hebrew Verbal Stems — Aural Mnemonics

A challenge for nearly every Hebrew student is keeping the meaning of the verbal stems separate and distinct.  In order to assist your memory in recalling the meaning of the stems use aural mnemonics and your imagination.


I will lead you through a few examples:
  • Qal - sounds like "call." The basic active stem, generally translated in the past tense. If you need a memory device, picture yourself checking your answering machine (or voice mail these days) and hearing that you missed thousands of calls (sound-alike; past tense).
  • Nif'al - sounds like "sniffle." Picture a sniffling nose hitting you with a baseball bat (you are passively being hit). Use any action association that reminds you of a sniffling nose where you are passive.
  • Pi'el - sounds (and spelled) like "pie" and "L." Picture a giant "L" falling into a pie and making grow (intensification / causative).
  • Keep going, making up aural mnemonics for the remaining verbal stems. A complete listing of mnemonics for each stem may be found in Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! The Triad System and also in Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! The Complete System. In addition, helpful hints are given to create your own stem mnemonics!
More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!

I hope this article on Hebrew Verb Stems (Binyan) has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!

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Hebrew Verbs: Qal Perfect of the Strong Verb

9/21/2013

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Hebrew Action — The Qal Perfect
This is the form verbs are listed in a lexicon, in the Qal perfect third masculine singular.  The Qal "designates the simple active stem of the verb." (Kelly, 80)

Some Verbs Workout, Others Not So Much — Strong and Weak Verbs
Hebrew verbs are either "strong" or "weak."  To keep the identification simple, remember that strong verbs have three consonants. A sure signal that a Hebrew verb is weak is to remember is that weak verbs contain a guttural as one of its three consonants. 

Qal Perfect Suffixes

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Basic Memorization Tips for Memorizing the Qal Perfect Suffixes

In my book, The Triad System (also contained in the Complete System), I give you the tools you need to visualize these suffixes to memorize them quickly.


Let's look at some basic helps to get you started in memorizing this paradigm:
  • Note that the tav  dominates this paradigm. It is present in all 2 singular and plural forms.
  • Note that in the plural forms, the segol  is present in both the masculine and feminine forms.
  • Note that the final mem follows the tav in the 2mp (think, "mem equals man") and the final nun in the 2fp (thin, "nuns are female").
  • Look at the visual chart below to help memorize the vowel pointing for the singular form:

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More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!

I hope this article on Hebrew Qal suffixes has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!
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Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Pronominal Suffixes

9/13/2013

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Hebrew Pronominal Suffixes
"Pronominal suffixes are shortened forms of the personal pronouns." You can brush up on your personal pronouns here on Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! 


Continuing on Kelley states, "They may be attached directly to the end of prepositions, particles, nouns, and verbs." 
(Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar, 68)

If you don't know your Hebrew prepositions, you'll want to brush up with our blog on the inseparable preposition.

There are three important things to keep in mind about Hebrew pronominal suffixes:
  1. When attached to prepositions they act as objects of the preposition
  2. When attached to nouns, they act as possessive pronouns
  3. When attached to verbs they generally act as direct objects of the verb

(Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar, 68)

The Good News About Hebrew Pronominal Suffixes
Considering that pronominal suffixes are attached to prepositions, nouns and verbs you'd think you'd have to memorize three sets of paradigms or more. Wrong! You only need to learn one paradigm in Hebrew. There are only very minor changes in the paradigms for the different parts of speech.

Compare these charts to see the minor variations (and rejoice you don't need to learn more than one paradigm!):


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Notes on the Paradigms:
  • The plural form on nouns takes a yod before each of the suffixes. This is easy to remember, the yod reminds you of "y'all," the plural of "you" in English.
  • There are other minor variations in the pronominal suffixes when attached to verbs -- such as verbs ending in a verb (displayed above) and verbs ending with a consonant. The differences are so minor that additional paradigms are not necessary. See any standard Hebrew grammar to see the differences.
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Memorization Strategies and Mnemonics for Pronominal Suffixes

In my publication, The Triad System, also contained in The Complete System, I give specific mnemonic techniques for you to visually learn the pronominal suffixes.


Here are some other helpful tips when learning the Hebrew pronominal suffixes:
  • Note that in the 2nd Person, singular and plural, the consonant is always a kaf (final kaf in singular, kaf-final mem in plural). If you turn the kaf on its side, it is a reminder of "you" (looks like the English letter "u").
  • The he in the 3 mp and 3 fp forms are in themselves a phonetic cue of "them" ("hem"  sounds like  "them").
  • Study the given paradigms. Look for and find the common patterns across all paradigms. What is repeatable or predicable is easier to remember!

More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!
I hope this article on Hebrew pronominal suffixes has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!

YES! I Want to Learn Biblical Hebrew Fast!
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Learn Biblical hebrew: Absolute and Construct Nouns — Biblical hebrew Made Easy!

5/7/2013

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Possessive Nouns in English
Similar to English, when a noun is possessive (or taking the "genitival" case) the noun or pronoun is "inflected" — that is, it undergoes a change in spelling. 

For example: Jack's dog. The "dog" belongs to Jack. We understand that possession of the dog belongs to Jack by the addition of the "-'s" to Jack.

While the "genitive" case is normally used in English to express possession, it also has a few other usages, similar to Hebrew.
Hebrew Nouns: Absolute & Construct
In Biblical Hebrew nouns have both an absolute and construct form.  The absolute state is the form listed in Hebrew lexicons.  The construct state, generally used for possession, is formed by shortening the absolute noun. 

The Hebrew Construct Chain
From Kelley's "Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar":

A construct relationship may be defined as the joining together of two (occasionally three, but rarely four) nouns within a sentence.  The joining may be either by simple juxtaposition or by the use of a maqqef.  The final noun in such a series must remain in the absolute state, while the noun (or nouns) that precedes it must take the form of the construct state.

Notes on the Construct Chain:
  • A noun in construct never takes the definite article. Its "definiteness" is determined by the absolute noun.
  • A noun is "definite" when it has the definite article or is a proper name.
  • Nothing is allowed between nouns in a construct chain. If any noun is modified by an adjective it will be placed last so as not to interfere with the construct chain.

Signals of the Hebrew Construct Noun
  1. The various changes, if any, that occur with singular nouns, masculine or feminine are varied. The only certain way to know a singular noun is in the construct state is to check a Hebrew lexicon.
  2. That being said, one helpful signal for feminine singular constructs is that the qames-he ending (suffix) changes to patah-tav in the construct state.
  3. When a masculine plural noun is in a "construct chain" its ending (suffix) is changed from the normal hiriq-yod-mem to sere-yod.

Usage of the Hebrew Construct Chain
  • Most often used to denote possession or ownership.
  • Indicates location or origin.
  • Used as a describe a person or thing.

Mnemonics for the Construct State
The only predictable patterns you need to know for the construct state are:
  • Masculine Plural = sere-yod
  • Feminine Singular = patah-tav

To remember that the hireq-yod-mem changes to sere-yod, look at the sere-yod below:

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Simply note how the yod looks like an English apostrophe; then note that sere begins with the same phonetic value as the English "s" sound.

If you would like to recall the morphological change in the feminine singular with words that end in qames-he:
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This mnemonic requires some imagination: the he is similar in form to the tav. Picture the he morphing into a tav. This requires closing off any spaces within the he. This "closing" process reminds you of the possessive nature of the construct state.
More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!

I hope this article on Hebrew nouns and their absolute and construct states has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!
YES! I want to Learn Biblical Hebrew FAST!
NO! I don't want to Learn Biblical Hebrew!
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Biblical Hebrew Made Easy Series Spring Sale!

4/19/2013

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Save Big this Spring on Learning Biblical Hebrew!

All titles have been discounted up to 50% for our Spring sale!

Now is a great time to take advantage of our price drops on the entire series of Biblical Hebrew Series! 

Titles on Sale Include:
  • Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! The Complete System
  • Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! The Triad System
  • Biblical Hebrew: Vocabulary Made Easy!


HURRY! Sale Ends April 30th!

To Learn More about our Biblical Hebrew Titles and to see free previews of all our titles, visit us at Biblical Hebrew Made Easy!



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Premium student learning area coming soon for biblical hebrew and greek!

4/11/2013

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Get FULL ACCESS to ALL our Learning Resources for Biblical Hebrew and Greek!

The Student Learning Area Includes:
  • ALL PDFs of Biblical Hebrew and Greek!
  • ALL eBooks on Biblical Hebrew and Greek!
  • ALL Instructional Videos on Hebrew and Greek!
  • ALL Learning Games!
  • More Content Added Monthly!

For a preview of what will be included in our Student Learning Area follow this link!

Seminaries and other undergraduate institutions are encouraged to apply for a yearly pass for their students. Please contact us for more information.


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Hebrew Demonstrative Pronouns - Biblical Hebrew Made Easy!

4/9/2013

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Demonstrative Pronouns in Biblical Hebrew

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Function of the Hebrew Demonstrative Pronoun

The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun functions much like a pointing finger — it singles something (or someone) out. It draws attention to the object. In English we have, in the singular, "this" and "these" for objects that are near us. For objects farther away, we say, "that" and "those."  Hebrew functions in the same manner, but unlike English, Hebrew has forms for both the masculine and feminine forms.

Demonstrative Pronoun Paradigm

Below you will find the paradigm for the demonstrative pronoun in Hebrew:

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Building Off the Hebrew Independent Personal Pronouns

If you have already learned the independent personal pronouns (IPPs), you will see the similarity between the two paradigms.  In fact the 3rd person singular and plural forms of the IPPs match the the demonstrative pronouns for "that" and "those," leaving you to only have to learn the Hebrew forms for "this" and "these" for the masculine and feminine forms. 

Finding and Memorizing a Logical Pattern

As you may have noticed, the singular forms of "this" begin with the zayin for both the masculine and feminine forms. In the plural, "these," both begin with the Hebrew letter alef.

If you associate a word in English with the same phonetic vaule as the Hebrew letter — such as "Zebra" for the Hebrew zayin, you can create simple rhymes that function as mnemonics to help you recall Hebrew grammar and paradigms. 

A simple mnemonic to remember the pattern for singular Hebrew demonstrative pronouns: "A Zebras sits on this when leafs fall from these trees." 

The "zebra" functions as a mnemonic value for the zayin and the "leafs" functions as a mnemonic value for alef ("leafs," plural for "a leaf" sounds similar to alef).  Try creating your own values and rhyme to remember!

More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!
I hope this article on learning the demonstrative pronouns in Hebrew has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!
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No Thanks! I don't want to Learn Biblical Hebrew!
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Hebrew Independent personal pronouns - Biblical Hebrew Made Easy!

4/4/2013

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Biblical Hebrew Independent Personal Pronouns
Similar to English, Hebrew independent personal pronouns (IPP) are written as separate forms when used as the subject.  When the Hebrew personal pronoun functions as the object, it appears as a suffix attached to the noun, verb or preposition. 

This article will deal with the independent personal pronoun as the subject.

Predictable Patterns for the Hebrew Independent Personal Pronoun
Anything that has logical and predictable patterns is easier for the memory to recall. Looking at the chart for the Hebrew IPP, lets see what predictable patterns we find:
  • ALL first and second forms, singular and plural, begin with the א
  • ALL third person forms, singular and plural, begin with ה

Mnemonics to Remember Independent Personal Pronouns
Continuing to look for consistent patterns, we find the following memory helps:
  • The plural masculine form always takes the mem (מ,ם). This is easy to remember — just recall that "male" starts with the phonetic Hebrew equivalent of mem !
  • The plural feminine form always takes the nun (נ,ן). How to remember? Just recall that the Hebrew nun sounds like the English word, "nun." As you know "nuns" are always feminine!
  • To recall that ALL first and second forms, singular and plural, begin with the א, simply remember that the first letter in English is "a" just as א is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
  • To recall that ALL third person forms, singular and plural, begin with ה, simply think of "3-H"!

Advanced Memory Helps to Recall the Hebrew Independent Personal Pronouns
Outlined in my book, Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! The Triad System (and included in The Complete System), is a complete mnemonic method for imprinting the IPPs onto your memory. By creating "icons" for the IPPs and placing them on  "locations" you can easily recall all the IPPs by use of  The Triad System. To learn more about the Triad System click here.

More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!
I hope this article on learning the gender and number of nouns in Hebrew has helped you! For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounters for our members!

YES! I want to Learn Biblical Hebrew FAST!
No Thanks! I don't want to Learn Biblical Hebrew!
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Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary — learn Hebrew Homophones!

3/27/2013

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A Rose By Any Other Name...
"It all sounds the same! " shouted the frustrated seminarians sitting in Hebrew 101.

One pastor-hopeful raised his hand and said, "Professor, I've used the same mnemonic for this Hebrew word,like, five times!"

While another student grumbled, "I'll never get this — I just can't remember these words. They all sound the same!"

All to which the Hebrew professor replied in a sweeping statement, "Go over them again until you know them. It's the only way. Hebrew vocab quiz tomorrow — know these words."

There is a Better Way to Learn Hebrew Vocabulary!

In this one-of-a-kind vocabulary guide, I will show you how to overcome Hebrew words that sound-alike, called "homophones."  Drilling them into your short-term memory via rote memorization is a poor way to learn — it takes longer and simply isn't effective in the long-run.

Watch and Share this Video on Hebrew Homophones!

This 3-part video will help explain how to memorize "sound-alike" Hebrew words. Share this video on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and with your fellow seminarians and Hebrew professors!

More Biblical Hebrew Memory Helps!
For more powerful memory helps in learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary and Hebrew paradigms be sure to visit Biblical Hebrew Made Easy! Or visit my author homepage, Boost Your Memory! While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter that has exclusive discounts for our members!
YES! I want to Learn Biblical Hebrew FAST!
No Thanks! I don't want to Learn Biblical Hebrew!
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    Blair Kasfeldt

    Author of the "Biblical Hebrew Made Easy!" Series.

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