Huf’al is the passive counterpart of Hif’il. Verbs in this binyan describe actions that are caused to happen to the subject – typically by someone else. While Hif’il means “he activated,” Huf’al means “he was activated.”
Structure of Huf’al in Present Tense
- Prefix: מֻ (mu-)
- Vowel Pattern: u–a (as in מֻכְנָס – “is brought in”)
- Middle Root Letter: Doubled (marked with a dagesh)
The base form is: מֻפְעָל – using פ.ע.ל as the placeholder root
Conjugation Table (Using כ.נ.ס – “to be brought in”)
| Person & Gender | Hebrew Form | Transliteration | English Meaning |
| Masculine Singular | מֻכְנָס | mukhnas | He is brought in |
| Feminine Singular | מֻכְנֶסֶת | mukhneset | She is brought in |
| Masculine Plural | מֻכְנָסִים | mukhnasim | They (m) are brought in |
| Feminine Plural | מֻכְנָסוֹת | mukhnasot | They (f) are brought in |
Common Huf’al Verbs in Present Tense
| Verb (Present) | Transliteration | Meaning |
| מֻכְנָס | mukhnas | is brought in |
| מֻפְעָל | muf’al | is activated |
| מֻגְדָּל | mugdal | is enlarged |
| מֻצְלָח | mutzlakh | is succeeded / successful |
| מֻשְׁפָּע | mushpa | is influenced |
Tip for Learners
Huf’al verbs are passive and formal. They’re easy to identify by the מֻ prefix and u–a vowel pattern. You’ll often encounter them in written Hebrew, especially in technical, academic, or bureaucratic contexts. 