# לפחוד/לפחד



## Macnas

What's the difference in meaning between לפחוד and לפחד? As far as I can tell the latter isn't used in the past tense, but other than that is there a difference?


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## scriptum

я боюсь אני מפחד (piel)
я боялся פחדתי   (qal)


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## Macnas

Yes, that I understand, but what about, say, פוחד vs. מפחד?


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## scriptum

Macnas said:


> Yes, that I understand, but what about, say, פוחד vs. מפחד?


מפחד is rather colloquial
פוחד seems to be of higher register
(I hope I am not talking nonsense)


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## Gadyc

Hi,

I don't agree with Scriptum, although it is not totally wrong.

One of the usages of Binyan Pi-el - פִעל  (the Pi3el conjugation) is to mention a stronger action or condition. 
Since fear is usually a hard feelling spoken Hebrew uses Mefahed in pi3el.
Still, "pohed" is acceptable to mention a smoother, not focused fear or misgiving.


Blessings,

Gadyc


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## bat777

I'll open with a quote from Sriptum: I hope I am not talking nonsense...

I think that it is simply the case that לפחוד is correct and לפחֶד is not, when by "correct" I mean purely grammatically. 
The way I see it, the verb should be used in binyan pa'al: 
פחד, פוחד, לפחוד
compare for example to:
שמר, שומר,לשמור
However, in the colloquial language, the root is used also in binyan pi'el:
פּיחֵד, מפחד, לפחד
compare with:
שִימֵר, משמר, לשמר

I think that while לפחד and מפחד sound quite alright to native ears, פּיחֵד, which is part of the pi'el paradigm sounds pretty bad.

So, trying to answer Macnas's question, I can say that as far as I understand, there is no real difference in semantic meaning, and if there is any difference at all, it probably lies in the pragmatics of the words (register etc.)
The reason that לפחד cannot be used in the past tense: פיחד, is probably due to the ongoing process of change in the spoken language in which only part of the pi'el paradigm of the verb is already accepted, and not yet all of it.


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## CrimsonMacaw

*<<< NEW QUESTION - threads merged by moderator >>>*​
In Israel which one is more commonly used when saying that someone was afraid of something - pakhad or pikhed?


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## Drink

I was taught in ulpan to use pachad for the past tense, either one for the present tense, and piched for all other tenses. Perhaps a native speaker could confirm whether that aligns with actual usage.


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## slus

Pakhad is the proper verb for past singular male.
Pikhed is a mistake.


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## bazq

Drink said:


> I was taught in ulpan to use pachad for the past tense, either one for the present tense, and piched for all other tenses. Perhaps a native speaker could confirm whether that aligns with actual usage.



Yes, that's correct.


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## Drink

bazq said:


> Yes, that's correct.



So how often do people use "poched" in the present?


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## bazq

Drink said:


> So how often do people use "poched" in the present?



All the time.


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## utopia

Pakhad is the only verb Israelis use for the past (except small children), and pokhed and mefakhed are both used in the present tense.

Pokhed is more literary, and less used than mefakhed in spoken hebrew.

In the future tense, yefakhed and yifkhad are both ok.


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