Pi’el is an expressive and active binyan. In the past tense, it continues to convey intensive, repetitive, or causative actions. These verbs often describe deliberate or emphasized behavior.
Structure of Pi’el in Past Tense
- No prefix
- Vowel Pattern: i-e or a-e depending on the form (as in דִּבֵּר – “he spoke”)
- Middle Root Letter: Doubled (marked with a dagesh)
The base form is: פִּעֵל – using פ.ע.ל as the placeholder root
Conjugation Table (Using ד.ב.ר – “to speak”)
| Person & Gender | Hebrew Form | Transliteration | English Meaning |
| אני | דִּיבַּרְתִּי | dibarti | I spoke |
| אתה | דִּיבַּרְתָּ | dibarta | You (m) spoke |
| את | דִּיבַּרְתְּ | dibart | You (f) spoke |
| הוא | דִּיבֵּר | diber | He spoke |
| היא | דִּיבְּרָה | dibrah | She spoke |
| אנחנו | דִּיבַּרְנוּ | dibarnu | We spoke |
| אתם/אתן | דִּיבַּרְתֶּם/ן | dibartem/dibarten | You (pl) spoke |
| הם/הן | דִּיבְּרוּ | dibru | They spoke |
Common Pi’el Verbs in Past Tense
| Verb (Past) | Transliteration | Meaning |
| דִּיבֵּר | diber | spoke |
| סִדֵּר | sider | organized |
| בִּקֵּשׁ | bikesh | requested |
| צִיֵּר | tziyer | drew / painted |
| בִּשֵּׁל | bishel | cooked |
Tip for Learners
Pi’el verbs in the past tense are easy to recognize by their doubled middle letter and distinctive vowel pattern. They often express purposeful or intensified actions, and many are commonly used in everyday speech. 