Huf’al is the passive counterpart of Hif’il. In the future tense, it describes actions that will be caused to happen to the subject – typically by someone else. These verbs are formal and often used in technical, bureaucratic, or descriptive contexts, such as “he will be activated,” “she will be influenced,” or “they will be enlarged.”
Structure of Huf’al in Future Tense
- Prefixes: א / ת / י / נ (depending on person)
- Vowel Pattern: u–a (as in אֻפְעַל – “I will be activated”)
- Base Form: יֻפְעַל – masculine singular, 3rd person
The base form is: יֻפְעַל – using the root פ.ע.ל
Conjugation Table (Using פ.ע.ל – “to be activated”)
| Person & Gender | Hebrew Form | Transliteration | English Meaning |
| I | אֻפְעַל | uf’al | I will be activated |
| You (m) | תֻפְעַל | tuf’al | You will be activated |
| You (f) | תֻפְעֲלִי | tuf’ali | You will be activated |
| He (base form) | יֻפְעַל | yuf’al | He will be activated |
| She | תֻפְעַל | tuf’al | She will be activated |
| We | נֻפְעַל | nuf’al | We will be activated |
| You (pl) | תֻפְעֲלוּ | tuf’alu | You will be activated |
| They | יֻפְעֲלוּ | yuf’alu | They will be activated |
Common Huf’al Verbs in Future Tense
| Base Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
| יֻפְעַל | yuf’al | will be activated |
| יֻגְדַל | yugdal | will be enlarged |
| יֻשְׁפַּע | yushpa | will be influenced |
| יֻצְלַח | yutzlakh | will be succeeded |
| יֻכְנַס | yukhnas | will be brought in |
Tip for Learners
Huf’al verbs in the future tense describe passive actions caused by someone else. They’re easy to recognize by the u–a vowel pattern. The masculine singular form (יֻפְעַל) is the base form used in dictionaries. These verbs are more common in formal writing than in casual speech. 