# Ch14 Weak-Form ID Drill — Qal Perfect Weak Verbs

BBH Chapter 14 · 40 forms

Instructions: For each form, give: (a) Weak Class, (b) Person, (c) Number, (d) Gender, (e) Root (3ms lexical form).
Part A: forms are grouped by weak class with a diagnostic hint. Part B: mixed — identify the class first.

## Part A — By Weak Class

### Group 1: III-ה

Diagnostic: 3ms ends in ָה- (vowel letter, not suffix); hireq-yod before 2ms/1cs suffix.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | עָשָׂה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | עָשָׂה | III-ה | 3 | s | m | עשה | Final ה = vowel letter
2 | רָאִיתָ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | רָאִיתָ | III-ה | 2 | s | m | ראה | Hireq-yod before 2ms suffix
3 | גָּלְתָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | גָּלְתָה | III-ה | 3 | s | f | גלה | 3fs ending תָה- (not ָה-)
4 | עָשׂוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | עָשׂוּ | III-ה | 3 | p | c | עשה | Final ה drops before וּ-
5 | עֲלִיתֶם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | עֲלִיתֶם | III-ה | 2 | p | m | עלה | Hireq-yod before 2mp תֶּם-

### Group 2: III-א

Diagnostic: silent aleph at R3; qamets before א in 3ms; 3cp ends in ָאוּ-.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
6 | מָצָא |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | מָצָא | III-א | 3 | s | m | מצא | Silent aleph; qamets before א
7 | קָרְאָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | קָרְאָה | III-א | 3 | s | f | קרא | III-א 3fs: ָאָה-
8 | חָטָאתִי |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | חָטָאתִי | III-א | 1 | s | c | חטא | III-א 1cs; aleph quiesces
9 | מָצְאוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | מָצְאוּ | III-א | 3 | p | c | מצא | III-א 3cp: ָאוּ-
10 | מְצָאתֶם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | מְצָאתֶם | III-א | 2 | p | m | מצא | III-א 2mp

### Group 3: III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural)

Diagnostic: patach furtive before final ח or ע in 3ms/3fs (word-final open syllable only).

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
11 | שָׁמַעַ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁמַעַ | III-gutt. | 3 | s | m | שמע | Patach furtive before ע
12 | שָׁלַחַ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁלַחַ | III-gutt. | 3 | s | m | שלח | Patach furtive before ח
13 | שָׁמַעְתִּי |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁמַעְתִּי | III-gutt. | 1 | s | c | שמע | Closed syllable; no patach furtive
14 | שָׁמְעוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁמְעוּ | III-gutt. | 3 | p | c | שמע | 3cp; guttural in closed syllable
15 | שְׁלַחְתֶּם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שְׁלַחְתֶּם | III-gutt. | 2 | p | m | שלח | 2mp

### Group 4: I-Guttural (Pe-Guttural)

Diagnostic: R1 is ה/ח/ע/א — reduces to chateph before vocalic suffixes. Nearly identical to strong verb in Perfect.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
16 | אָמַר |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | אָמַר | I-gutt. | 3 | s | m | אמר | I-gutt.; virtually like strong
17 | עָמַדְתָּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | עָמַדְתָּ | I-gutt. | 2 | s | m | עמד | 2ms; regular
18 | אָמַרְתִּי |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | אָמַרְתִּי | I-gutt. | 1 | s | c | אמר | 1cs; regular
19 | אֲמַרְתֶּם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | אֲמַרְתֶּם | I-gutt. | 2 | p | m | אמר | Chateph-patach under aleph in reduced form
20 | עָמְדוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | עָמְדוּ | I-gutt. | 3 | p | c | עמד | 3cp; R1 reduces

### Group 5: I-נ and I-י

Diagnostic: both are largely regular in the Perfect (unlike the Imperfect). I-נ: watch for R3 assimilation dagesh in נָתַן. I-י: regular suffix pattern.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
21 | נָתַן |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | נָתַן | I-נ | 3 | s | m | נתן | I-נ regular in Perfect
22 | נָתְנָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | נָתְנָה | I-נ | 3 | s | f | נתן | 3fs; I-נ regular
23 | יָלַדְתָּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | יָלַדְתָּ | I-י | 2 | s | m | ילד | I-י regular in Perfect
24 | יָלְדוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | יָלְדוּ | I-י | 3 | p | c | ילד | 3cp
25 | יָדַעְתִּי |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | יָדַעְתִּי | I-י | 1 | s | c | ידע | I-י regular; 1cs

### Group 6: Biconsonantal

Diagnostic: short monosyllabic 3ms (קָם, שָׁב); patach in suffix forms (שַׁבְתֶּם).

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
26 | קָם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | קָם | Biconsonantal | 3 | s | m | קום | Short 3ms form; qamets
27 | שָׁבָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁבָה | Biconsonantal | 3 | s | f | שוב | 3fs
28 | בָּאתָ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | בָּאתָ | Biconsonantal | 2 | s | m | בוא | 2ms
29 | קָמוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | קָמוּ | Biconsonantal | 3 | p | c | קום | 3cp
30 | שַׁבְתֶּם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שַׁבְתֶּם | Biconsonantal | 2 | p | m | שוב | 2mp

### Group 7: Geminate

Diagnostic: dagesh forte in R2 (R2 = R3); monosyllabic 3ms like Biconsonantal, but two identical root consonants distinguish it.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
31 | סָבַב |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | סָבַב | Geminate | 3 | s | m | סבב | Dagesh forte in R2; double-bet
32 | תַּמּוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | תַּמּוּ | Geminate | 3 | p | c | תמם | 3cp; dagesh forte in double-mem
33 | סַבֹּתָ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | סַבֹּתָ | Geminate | 2 | s | m | סבב | 2ms
34 | תָּם |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | תָּם | Geminate | 3 | s | m | תמם | Contracted form; compare to Biconsonantal קָם
35 | סָבָּה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | סָבָּה | Geminate | 3 | s | f | סבב | 3fs; dagesh forte in final bet

## Part B — Mixed Forms

Identify the Weak Class first, then parse completely.

# | Form | Weak Class | Pers. | Num. | Gen. | Root |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
36 | הָיִיתִי |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | הָיִיתִי | III-ה | 1 | s | c | היה | 1cs of היה; hireq-yod + תִּי-
37 | נָפְלָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | נָפְלָה | I-נ | 3 | s | f | נפל | I-נ regular in Perfect 3fs
38 | מָת |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | מָת | Biconsonantal | 3 | s | m | מות | Short 3ms of מות; tsere form
39 | בָּאנוּ |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | בָּאנוּ | Biconsonantal | 1 | p | c | בוא | 1cp of בוא
40 | שָׁמְעָה |  |  |  |  |  |
✓ | שָׁמְעָה | III-gutt. | 3 | s | f | שמע | 3fs; no patach furtive in closed syllable

Discussion Questions

1. Forms #26 (קָם, Biconsonantal) and #34 (תָּם, Geminate) are both Qal Perfect 3ms and have a similar shape. What is the only reliable way to distinguish them? What root knowledge do you need?
2. Compare #6 (מָצָא, III-א) and #26 (קָם, Biconsonantal). Both are Qal Perfect 3ms with qamets. How would you tell which class each belongs to? What are the visual cues?
3. Forms #1 (עָשָׂה, III-ה, 3ms) and a hypothetical Qal Perfect 3fs of a strong root (e.g., שָׁמְרָה) both end in ָה-. How do you distinguish the III-ה 3ms from a strong 3fs? What is the key difference?
4. In Group 5, forms #21 (נָתַן, I-נ) and #23 (יָלַדְתָּ, I-י) are both regular in the Perfect. When will the difference between I-נ and I-י become important? What form will first reveal the I-נ assimilation pattern?
5. The I-guttural perfect (#16–20) looks nearly identical to strong roots. Why does the I-guttural class cause more significant changes in the Imperfect (Ch16) than in the Perfect? What phonological property of the Imperfect triggers the change?