Semitic Languages

1. The Hebrew language is one branch of a great family of languages in Western Asia which was indigenous in Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Assyria, and Arabia, that is to say, in the countries extending from the Mediterranean to the other side of the Euphrates and Tigris, and from the mountains of Armenia to the southern coast of Arabia. In early times, however, it spread from Arabia over Abyssinia, and by means of Phoenician colonies over many islands and sea-boards of the Read more [...]
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Niphal (Niph˓al)

1. The essential characteristic of this conjugation consists in a prefix to the stem. This exists in two forms: (a) the (probably original) prepositive nă, as in the Hebrew perfect and participle, although in the strong verb the ă is always attenuated to ĭ: נִקְטַל‎ for original nă-qăṭăl, participle נִקְטָל‎, infinitive absolute sometimes נִקְטוֹל‎; (b) the (later) proclitic in (as in all the forms of the corresponding Arabic conjugation vii. ˒inqătălă), Read more [...]
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Pronominal Suffixes

1. The independent principal forms of the personal pronoun (the separate pronoun), given in the preceding section, express only the nominative. The accusative and genitive are expressed by forms, usually shorter, joined to the end of verbs, nouns, and particles (pronominal suffixes or simply suffixes); e.g. הוּ‎ (toneless) and וֹ‎ (from āhû) eum and eius, קְטַלְתִּ֫יהוּ‎ I have killed him (also קְטַלְתִּיו‎), קְטַלְתָּ֫הוּ‎ or (with āhû contracted Read more [...]
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Adverbs תואר הפועל

The Hebrew term for adverb is תואר הפועל. 1. Primitive adverbs are those of negation, לא not = οὐ, ουκ, אל = μη, אין there (is) not, and some few others of place and time, as שׁם there then. These adverbs may at least for grammatical purposes be regarded as primitive, even if it be possible to trace them to other roots, particularly pronominal roots. 2.  Examples of other parts of speech which, without any change of form, are used adverbially are: (a)  Substantives Read more [...]
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Verbal Patterns In Hebrew

Every Hebrew verb (פועל) is formed by casting a three- or four-consonant root (שורש) into one of seven binyanim (בינינים, meaning buildings or constructions; the singular is binyan. Most roots can be cast into more than one binyan, meaning more than one verb can be formed from the typical root. When this is the case, the different verbs are usually related in meaning, typically differing in voice, valency, semantic intensity, aspect, or a combination of these features. The concept Read more [...]
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Shalom Aleikhem

Shalom Aleikhem (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם)! Shalom aleikhem is a traditional greeting in Hebrew-language. It means “Peace be upon you.”  The appropriate response should be “Aleikhem shalom” (עֲלֵיכֶם  שָׁלוֹם) or “Upon you be peace.”

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