# Qal Imperative Paradigms

BBH Chapter 18 · Reference file

## Qal Imperative — Strong Verbs

Derived from the Qal Imperfect by removing the 2nd-person prefix (תּ–).

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Transliteration
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | שְׁמֹר | sh'mor
2nd | Singular | Feminine | שִׁמְרִי | shim'ri
2nd | Plural | Masculine | שִׁמְרוּ | shim'ru
2nd | Plural | Feminine | שְׁמֹרְנָה | sh'mor'nah

> Key marker: No prefix; begins with the root. 2ms has shewa under R1 + holem (A-class). 2fs adds ִי; 2mp adds וּ; 2fp adds נָה.

## Qal Imperative — B-class (Guttural / Patach)

Root: שָׁמַע (hear) — gutt. R3 forces patach in 2ms.

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | שְׁמַע
2nd | Singular | Feminine | שִׁמְעִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | שִׁמְעוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | שְׁמַעְנָה

> Key marker: Patach (not holem) in 2ms when R2 or R3 is a guttural or R3 is resh. Same suffix pattern as A-class.

## Qal Imperative — III-ה

Root: עָשָׂה (do/make).

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | עֲשֵׂה | ה retained in 2ms; I-gutt. chateph under ע
2nd | Singular | Feminine | עֲשִׂי | ה drops before -ִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | עֲשׂוּ | ה drops before -וּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | עֲשֶׂינָה | ה drops; seghol-yod before נָה

Root: רָאָה (see).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | רְאֵה
2nd | Singular | Feminine | רְאִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | רְאוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | רְאֶינָה

> Key marker: 2ms retains ה with tsere or seghol before it. The ה drops in all other forms before the vowel suffix.

## Qal Imperative — Biconsonantal

Root: קוּם (arise).

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | קוּם | Full long vowel retained
2nd | Singular | Feminine | קוּמִי | + ִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | קוּמוּ | + וּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | קוּמְנָה | + נָה

Root: בּוֹא (come/enter).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | בֹּא
2nd | Singular | Feminine | בֹּאִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | בֹּאוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | בֹּאנָה

Root: שׁוּב (return).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | שׁוּב
2nd | Singular | Feminine | שׁוּבִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | שׁוּבוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | שׁוּבְנָה

> Key marker: Biconsonantal imperatives retain the full long vowel of the root (shureq/holem-waw). No prefix; root begins immediately.

## Qal Imperative — I-י

Root: הָלַךְ (go) — behaves as I-י.

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | לֵךְ / לֶךְ | Extremely short; tsere; ה drops
2nd | Singular | Feminine | לְכִי |
2nd | Plural | Masculine | לְכוּ |
2nd | Plural | Feminine | לֵכְנָה |

Root: יָשַׁב (sit/dwell).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | שֵׁב
2nd | Singular | Feminine | שְׁבִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | שְׁבוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | שֵׁבְנָה

Root: יָצָא (go out) — I-י + III-א.

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | צֵא
2nd | Singular | Feminine | צְאִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | צְאוּ
2nd | Plural | Feminine | צֵאנָה

> Key marker: I-י imperatives use tsere under the first visible consonant (לֵךְ, שֵׁב, צֵא). The original yod (or ה of הלך) is absent from the surface form.

## Qal Imperative — I-נ

Root: נָתַן (give) — nun assimilates completely.

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | תֵּן | Both nuns drop/assimilate; very short
2nd | Singular | Feminine | תְּנִי |
2nd | Plural | Masculine | תְּנוּ |
2nd | Plural | Feminine | תֵּנָּה |

Root: נָסַע (set out, travel).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | סַע
2nd | Plural | Masculine | סְעוּ

Root: נְשָׂא (lift, carry) — I-נ + I-aleph.

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | שָׂא | נ drops; aleph quiesces; very short
2nd | Plural | Masculine | שְׂאוּ |

> Key marker: I-נ imperatives are often strikingly short because the nun assimilates or drops. תֵּן (give!) appears frequently in Torah.

## Qal Imperative — I-aleph

Root: אָמַר (say).

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | אֱמֹר | Hateph-seghol under aleph
2nd | Singular | Feminine | אִמְרִי |
2nd | Plural | Masculine | אִמְרוּ |
2nd | Plural | Feminine | אֱמֹרְנָה |

Root: אָכַל (eat).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | אֱכֹל
2nd | Singular | Feminine | אִכְלִי
2nd | Plural | Masculine | אִכְלוּ

> Key marker: I-aleph imperatives have hateph-seghol (or hateph-patach) under the aleph in the 2ms form. The aleph is pronounced but takes a composite shewa.

## Qal Imperative — Geminate

Root: סָבַב (surround/turn around).

Person | Number | Gender | Form | Notes
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | סֹב | Dagesh forte in R2 (= R3)
2nd | Singular | Feminine | סֹבִּי |
2nd | Plural | Masculine | סֹבּוּ |

Root: תָּמַם (be complete/finished).

Person | Number | Gender | Form
--- | --- | --- | ---
2nd | Singular | Masculine | תֵּם

> Key marker: Geminate imperatives are very short. The doubled root consonant carries dagesh forte. Less common than other weak classes.

## Summary Table

Root Type | 2ms Form | Key Feature | Example
--- | --- | --- | ---
Strong A-class | שְׁמֹר | Shewa + holem | guard
Strong B-class | שְׁמַע | Shewa + patach | hear
III-ה | עֲשֵׂה / רְאֵה | ה retained (2ms only) | do / see
Biconsonantal | קוּם / שׁוּב | Full long vowel | arise / return
I-י | לֵךְ / שֵׁב | Tsere; yod absent | go / sit
I-נ | תֵּן / סַע | Nun drops/assimilates; short | give / travel
I-aleph | אֱמֹר | Hateph-seghol under א | say
Geminate | סֹב | Dagesh forte in R2 | turn