Hebrew present tense is the simplest tense - it has only four forms based on gender and number, not person. Whether you say 'I write', 'you write', or 'he writes', the verb form is the same.
Only Four Forms
The present tense has just 4 forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural. The form depends on the subject's gender and number, not the person (I/you/he all use the same form).
Present Tense - כּוֹתֵב (write)
| Form | Hebrew | Transliteration | Used with |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. sg. | כּוֹתֵב | ko-TEV | אֲנִי/אַתָּה/הוּא |
| F. sg. | כּוֹתֶבֶת | ko-TE-vet | אֲנִי/אַתְּ/הִיא |
| M. pl. | כּוֹתְבִים | kot-VIM | אֲנַחְנוּ/אַתֶּם/הֵם |
| F. pl. | כּוֹתְבוֹת | kot-VOT | אֲנַחְנוּ/אַתֶּן/הֵן |
More Common Verbs in Present
| Meaning | M. sg. | F. sg. | M. pl. | F. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| learn/study | לוֹמֵד (lo-MED) | לוֹמֶדֶת (lo-ME-det) | לוֹמְדִים (lom-DIM) | לוֹמְדוֹת (lom-DOT) |
| eat | אוֹכֵל (o-KHEL) | אוֹכֶלֶת (o-KHE-let) | אוֹכְלִים (okh-LIM) | אוֹכְלוֹת (okh-LOT) |
| walk/go | הוֹלֵךְ (ho-LEKH) | הוֹלֶכֶת (ho-LE-khet) | הוֹלְכִים (hol-KHIM) | הוֹלְכוֹת (hol-KHOT) |
| speak | מְדַבֵּר (me-da-BER) | מְדַבֶּרֶת (me-da-BE-ret) | מְדַבְּרִים (me-dab-RIM) | מְדַבְּרוֹת (me-dab-ROT) |
No 'To Be' in Present
Hebrew has no present-tense form of 'to be'. Sentences like 'I am a student' or 'she is tall' use no verb at all:
• אֲנִי תַּלְמִיד = I (am a) student
• הִיא גְּבוֹהָה = she (is) tall
In Sentences
אֲנִי לוֹמֵד עִבְרִית
a-NI lo-MED iv-RIT
I study Hebrew
male speaker - m. sg. form
הִיא כּוֹתֶבֶת מִכְתָּב
hi ko-TE-vet mikh-TAV
She is writing a letter
f. sg. form
אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹכְלִים בַּמִּסְעָדָה
a-NAKH-nu okh-LIM ba-mis-a-DA
We are eating at the restaurant
m. pl. form
הַיְלָדוֹת הוֹלְכוֹת לַגַּן
ha-ye-la-DOT hol-KHOT la-GAN
The girls are walking to the garden
f. pl. form
Quick Tip
Present tense in Hebrew also describes habitual actions (I write every day) and current actions (I am writing now). Context tells you which meaning is intended.