Hif’il is the causative binyan in Hebrew. In the past tense, it describes actions that the subject caused to happen or initiated. These verbs often express influence, activation, or transfer – such as “he brought in,” “she caused,” or “they influenced.”
Structure of Hif’il in Past Tense
- Vowel Pattern: i-i or a-i depending on the form (as in הִכְנִיס – “he brought in”)
- Often begins with הִ
The base form is: הִפְעִיל – using פ.ע.ל as the placeholder root
Conjugation Table (Using כ.נ.ס – “to bring in”)
| Person & Gender | Hebrew Form | Transliteration | English Meaning |
| אני | הִכְנַסְתִּי | hikhnasti | I brought in |
| אתה | הִכְנַסְתָּ | hikhnasta | You (m) brought in |
| את | הִכְנַסְתְּ | hikhnast | You (f) brought in |
| הוא | הִכְנִיס | hikhnis | He brought in |
| היא | הִכְנִיסָה | hikhnisah | She brought in |
| אנחנו | הִכְנַסְנוּ | hikhnasnu | We brought in |
| אתם/אתן | הִכְנַסְתֶּם/ן | hikhnastem/hikhnasten | You (pl) brought in |
| הם/הן | הִכְנִיסוּ | hikhnisu | They brought in |
Common Hif’il Verbs in Past Tense
| Verb (Past) | Transliteration | Meaning |
| הִכְנִיס | hikhnis | brought in |
| הִפְעִיל | hif’il | activated |
| הִגְדִּיל | higdil | enlarged |
| הִצְלִיחַ | hitzliakh | succeeded |
| הִשְׁפִּיעַ | hishpi’a | influenced |
Tip for Learners
Hif’il verbs in the past tense are easy to recognize by the הִ prefix and the i–i vowel pattern. They describe actions that the subject caused or initiated, and are common in both spoken and written Hebrew. 