The infinitive in Hitpa’el expresses the basic idea of a reflexive or reciprocal action – like “to get dressed,” “to hide oneself,” or “to correspond”- without indicating tense or subject. It’s used in phrases like “I want to ___” or “They began to ___.”
Structure
- Prefix: לְ (le-) meaning “to”
- Form: Typically follows the pattern לְהִתְפַּעֵל, with the prefix להת־ and a doubled middle root letter
Examples
- לְהִתְרַחֵץ – “to wash oneself” (from ר־ח־ץ)
- לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ – “to get dressed” (from ל־ב־ש)
- לְהִסְתַּתֵּר – “to hide oneself” (from ס־ת־ר)
- לְהִתְנַשֵּׁק – “to kiss each other” (from נ־ש־ק)
These forms reflect the self-directed or mutual nature of Hitpa’el verbs.