Chapter 17 — Peal Participle Drill

Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Van Pelt — Ch17: Peal Participle

Instructions

For each numbered Peal participle form, enter: Act/Pass (Active or Passive), Root (3 consonants, Peal perfect 3ms), G/N (gender and number: ms / fs / mp / fp), and Translation. Click ▶ Answer to reveal the answer key row.

Quick reference — Active (qāṭēl): qamets on R1 + tsere on R2 → כָּתֵב.   Passive (qəṭīl): vocal shewa on R1 + hireq-yod on R2 → כְּתִיב.   Plural: mp -ִין, fp -ָן. Det. ms -ָא, det. mp -יָּא.
# Form Act/Pass Root G/N Translation
1
כָּתֵב
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: writing / one who writes
2
כְּתִיב
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: written / it is written
3
כָּתְבִין
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: mp  |  Translation: writing (mp) / ones who write
4
כְּתִיבִין
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: mp  |  Translation: written (mp) / those who are written
5
קָאֵם
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: קום  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: standing / one who stands (hollow II-waw)
6
שְׁלִיח
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: שׁלח  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: sent / one who has been sent
7
כָּתְבָן
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: fp  |  Translation: writing (fp) / those (f) who write
8
אֲסִיר
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: אסר  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: bound / imprisoned (I-aleph: hateph-patach under aleph)
9
חָזֵה
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: חזה  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: seeing / one who sees (III-he: final ה mater)
10
רְשִׁים
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: רשׁם  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: inscribed / signed / registered
11
כָּתְבָה
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: fs  |  Translation: writing (fs) / one (f) who writes
12
כְּתִיבָא
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: the written one / the one that is written (det.)
13
שָׁמֵעַ
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: שׁמע  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: hearing / one who hears (final ayin with patach furtivum)
14
שְׁלִיחִין
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: שׁלח  |  G/N: mp  |  Translation: sent ones (mp) / envoys
15
עָבְדִין
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: עבד  |  G/N: mp  |  Translation: doing / serving (mp)
16
נָפֵל
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: נפל  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: falling / one who falls (I-nun: nun retained as R1)
17
אֲסִירָא
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: אסר  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: the prisoner / the one who is bound (ms det.)
18
כָּתְבַיָּא
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: כתב  |  G/N: mp  |  Translation: the writers / the ones who are writing (mp det.)
19
בָּנֵא
Act/Pass: Active  |  Root: בנה  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: building / one who builds (III-he: final aleph mater)
20
יְהִיב
Act/Pass: Passive  |  Root: יהב  |  G/N: ms  |  Translation: given / that which is given

Reflection Questions

  1. Items 1 (כָּתֵב) and 2 (כְּתִיב) are from the same root. What single feature of the vowel pattern tells you immediately which is active and which is passive? Describe the diagnostic without looking at the answer key.
  2. Items 5 (קָאֵם) and 16 (נָפֵל) are both ms active participles from different weak root classes. What root class is each? Why do the two patterns look so different?
  3. Items 12 (כְּתִיבָא) and 18 (כָּתְבַיָּא) are both in the determined state. One is passive ms; the other is active mp. How do the determined-state suffixes distinguish singular from plural?
  4. Item 9 (חָזֵה) is a III-he active participle. What is unusual about the final consonant compared to the strong verb כָּתֵב? What does the final ה indicate?
  5. Using item 3 (כָּתְבִין, mp active), write the full periphrastic expression for "they were writing" using הֲוָה + participle. What form of הֲוָה is needed?