The infinitive in Nif’al expresses the basic idea of a passive or reflexive action – like “to be opened,” “to be guarded,” or “to hide oneself”- without specifying tense or subject. It’s used in constructions like “I want to ___” or “He began to ___,” where the subject is affected by the action or performs it on themselves.
Structure
- Prefix: לְ (le-) meaning “to”
- Form: Typically follows the pattern לְהִפָּעֵל, with a הִ־ prefix and a doubled first root letter (marked by a dagesh)
Examples
- לְהִסָּגֵר – “to be closed” (from ס-ג-ר)
- לְהִשָּׁמֵר – “to be guarded” (from ש־מ־ר)
- לְהִכָּתֵב – “to be written” (from כ־ת־ב)
These forms reflect the passive or self-directed nature of Nif’al verbs.