Full inflection tables for geminate (II=III) roots in the Qal Perfect.
| Person | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3ms | סָבַב | Qamets-patach-patach; R2 and R3 are both ב |
| 3fs | סָבְבָה | Shewa under R1; both ב visible |
| 2ms | סַבֹּ֫תָ | Dagesh forte in R2 (= R3); distinctive vowel |
| 2fs | סַבֹּת | Same pattern |
| 1cs | סַבֹּ֫תִי | |
| 3cp | סָבְבוּ | Shewa under R1; both ב visible |
| 2mp | סַבֹּתֶם | Dagesh forte in ב |
| 2fp | סַבֹּתֶן | |
| 1cp | סַבֹּ֫נוּ |
Key: In the 3ms/3fs/3cp, both root consonants appear (R2 and R3 are visible as a
doubled letter). In suffix forms (2ms, 1cs, etc.), dagesh forte appears in the doubled
consonant, and the vowel pattern shifts (often to holem or patach + dagesh).
| Person | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3ms | תָּמַם | Qamets-patach-patach; both מ visible |
| 3fs | תָּמְמָה | Shewa under R1 |
| 2ms | תַּמֹּ֫תָ | Dagesh forte in second מ |
| 2fs | תַּמֹּת | |
| 1cs | תַּמֹּ֫תִי | |
| 3cp | תָּמְמוּ | Both מ visible |
| 2mp | תַּמֹּתֶם | |
| 1cp | תַּמֹּ֫נוּ |
Both classes show a short-looking root; both may have qamets in the 3ms. The key
differences:
| Feature | Geminate (סָבַב) | Biconsonantal (קָם) |
|---|---|---|
| 3ms form | Two root consonants visible: סָבַב | One root consonant visible: קָם |
| 3fs form | Both consonants: סָבְבָה | One consonant: קָמָה |
| Suffix forms | Dagesh forte in R2 | Patach, no dagesh in root |
| Root structure | R2 = R3 (same letter repeated) | R2 = vowel letter (ו or י) |
Distinguishing rule: If the final root consonant appears twice (with dagesh forte
in suffix forms), it is Geminate. If there is only one final root consonant (monosyllabic
3ms, no dagesh in root), it is Biconsonantal.
| Person | Strong (קָטַל) | Geminate (סָבַב) | Geminate (תָּמַם) | Biconsonantal (קָם) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms | קָטַל | סָבַב | תָּמַם | קָם |
| 3fs | קָטְלָה | סָבְבָה | תָּמְמָה | קָמָה |
| 2ms | קָטַלְתָּ | סַבֹּתָ | תַּמֹּתָ | קַמְתָּ |
| 2fs | קָטַלְתְּ | סַבֹּת | תַּמֹּת | קַמְתְּ |
| 1cs | קָטַלְתִּי | סַבֹּתִי | תַּמֹּתִי | קַמְתִּי |
| 3cp | קָטְלוּ | סָבְבוּ | תָּמְמוּ | קָמוּ |
| 2mp | קְטַלְתֶּם | סַבֹּתֶם | תַּמֹּתֶם | קַמְתֶּם |