# גבוה



## vrubble

Hello! ☺ I started learning Hebrew some weeks ago. Today I wanted to look up the adjective גבוה with all its forms. What I found on the Wiktionary are plenty of forms - two for masc. sg, two for fem. sg and so on. I'm not even quite sure what is the main form - גבה or גבוה. 

So my question is: what its the difference between those forms? Why are there always two? That's the first time I see something like that. 

Thank you in advance! ☺
Ula


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## origumi

Adjectives and participles in Hebrew have two genders (masculine, feminine) and two pluralities (singular, plural). 2 x 2 = 4.

The root is גבה. The form you're referring to is גבוה = gavoah (sing. masc.). With punctuation marks, matres lectionis (like the vav in our word) may be omitted (according to specific rules), therefore גבוה is written גָּבֹהַּ.


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## vrubble

origumi said:


> Adjectives and participles in Hebrew have two genders (masculine, feminine) and two pluralities (singular, plural). 2 x 2 = 4.
> 
> The root is גבה. The form you're referring to is גבוה = gavoah (sing. masc.). With punctuation marks, matres lectionis (like the vav in our word) may be omitted (according to specific rules), therefore גבוה is written גָּבֹהַּ.


 I see. So גבה is only the root. I know there are feminine an masculine forms but what I don't understand is why there are two feminine forms singular, two feminine forms plural and two masculine forms plural. This makes 6, not 4.


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## origumi

There are 4. It looks like more because the two possible spellings, with and without punctuation ("niqqud"), appear.


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## vrubble

origumi said:


> There are 4. It looks like more because the two possible spellings, with and without punctuation ("niqqud"), appear.



All of them are written with niqquds, except for גבוה and I still don't know where the difference is.


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## amikama

vrubble, where is the image taken from? An online dictionary/website? Can you give us the link?


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## vrubble

amikama said:


> vrubble, where is the image taken from? An online dictionary/website? Can you give us the link?



Sure! It's from Wiktionary גבוה - Wiktionary


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## origumi

vrubble said:


> All of them are written with niqquds, except for גבוה and I still don't know where the difference is.


You're right, I looked at it too hastily. There are two traditional ways to write גבוה with punctuation - either with or without vav. Do not let this peculiarity mislead you, having two ways to write a word. The pronunciation of both is identical in some conjugation and different in other. Again - such ambiguity is not the typical case.


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## vrubble

origumi said:


> You're right, I looked at it too hastily. There are two traditional ways to write גבוה with punctuation - either with or without vav. Do not let this peculiarity mislead you, having two ways to write a word. The pronunciation of both is identical in some conjugation and different in other. Again - such ambiguity is not the typical case.



Thank you so much! I was totally confused and thought that maybe there are some meaning differences. Now it's all clear!


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## Ali Smith

By the way, the word גָּבֹהַּ or גבוה ("high") is supposed to be pronounced ga-vo-ah, but everybody pronounces it ga-vo-ha. Why is that?


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## Drink

It's a mistake. But it's a very common mistake.


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