# The verb learn in present



## Konstantinos

I learn (male): לומד
I learn (female): לומדת
You learn (singular male): לומד
You learn (singular female): לומדת
He learns: לומד
She learns: לומדת
We / You (plural, male, female), they (male, female) learn: לומדים

Am I right? And what about "it learns" and present continuous "learning"?


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## arbelyoni

The Hebrew present tense (participle) has only four persons:
*masculine singular (m. I/ m. you/ he): לומד
*feminine singular (f. I/ f. you/ she): לומדת
*masculine plural (m. we/ m. you/ m. they): לומדים
*feminine plural (f. we/ f. you/ f. they): לומדות

"It" is not a distinct person in Hebrew. All inanimate objects are either feminine or masculine and are referred to as "he" or "she".

Hebrew verbs don't express continuous and progressive aspects.


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## arielipi

arbelyoni said:


> All objects are either feminine or masculine.


would be better.




Konstantinos said:


> and present continuous "learning"?


hebrew has only 3(+1) time tenses - 
present (simple would be the core way to see it)
past (simple)
future (simple)
commanding (this tense is timeless in the sense it is not time-bounded, it is a command, exit! go! out!)

to provide progressive we add verbs or adjectives or the horrible way of using היה.
to provide would\could and stuff like that we simply have words and constructs of sentences falling into one of the three tenses. (usually present, then past, then future)


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## Konstantinos

So beautiful language??? Learning Hebrew, it helps me to increase the level of my mind. I feel it clearly... Thank you arbelyoni... and arielipi... And present continuous does not exist? For present only one tense?

Thank you again arielipi for the explanation of tenses. Maybe commanding is like imperative in Greek. I insist on. Hebrew is very beautiful language.


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## arbelyoni

Konstantinos said:


> Thank you again arielipi for the explanation of tenses. Maybe commanding is like imperative in Greek. I insist on. Hebrew is very beautiful language.


Yes, it is imperative (commanding would be a literal translation of it in Hebrew: ציווי). It's not a grammatical tense, it's a grammatical mood.


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## Konstantinos

Two questions:

1) It is general rule that the feminine singular present is just an addition of ת in the end in masculine singular present? For example: לומד-לומדת or סופר-סופרת

2) If we have "3 men and 2 women", it belongs to masculine plural or to feminine one? "3 men and 3 women"? "2 men and 3 women"?

In Greek, if there is at least one man, it belongs to masculine plural (αυτοί). Feminine plural (αυτές), only if all of them are women.


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## arielipi

Konstantinos said:


> Two questions:
> 
> 1) It is general rule that the feminine singular present is just an addition of ת in the end in masculine singular present? For example: לומד-לומדת or סופר-סופרת
> 
> 2) If we have "3 men and 2 women", it belongs to masculine plural or to feminine one? "3 men and 3 women"? "2 men and 3 women"?
> 
> In Greek, if there is at least one man, it belongs to masculine plural (αυτοί). Feminine plural (αυτές), only if all of them are women.


1. yes (mostly)
2. old rules were:
more than 1 man is masculine, 1 man and 1 woman is masculine, rest is by majority.

new rules are:
majority, if even the speaker should use its own sex form.


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## Konstantinos

Thank you, I will use the majority.


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## arielipi

To clarify - if even = if not odd.


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## ystab

arielipi said:


> 1. yes (mostly)
> 2. old rules were:
> more than 1 man is masculine, 1 man and 1 woman is masculine, rest is by majority.
> 
> new rules are:
> majority, if even the speaker should use its own sex form.



1. That depends on the Binyan and the three letter root, but I don't want to confuse you at this point of your learning, so for now, as arielipi said, mostly yes.
2. That is an urban legend. In Hebrew it is the same as in Greek - the default form is masculine, unless you talk about women only.


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## arielipi

ystab said:


> 1. That depends on the Binyan and the three letter root, but I don't want to confuse you at this point of your learning, so for now, as arielipi said, mostly yes.
> 2. That is an urban legend. In Hebrew it is the same as in Greek - the default form is masculine, unless you talk about women only.


no it is not, a. the academy have changed it. b. the old rules were.


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## k8an

Konstantinos said:


> So beautiful language??? Learning Hebrew, it helps me to increase the level of my mind. I feel it clearly... Thank you arbelyoni... and arielipi... And present continuous does not exist? For present only one tense?
> 
> Thank you again arielipi for the explanation of tenses. Maybe commanding is like imperative in Greek. I insist on. Hebrew is very beautiful language.



That's lovely! Thank you. I feel the same about Greek  

We will do our best to help you when we can.


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## arbelyoni

arielipi said:


> no it is not, a. the academy have changed it. b. the old rules were.


The Academy itself didn't hear they changed the rules...


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## arielipi

arbelyoni said:


> The Academy itself didn't hear they changed the rules...


taken into notice, thank you.


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## Konstantinos

So, what I have to use? Masculine, unless I talk about women only, so feminine? Or just the majority?

@ k8an, thank you.


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## amikama

Konstantinos said:


> So, what I have to use? Masculine, unless I talk about women only, so feminine? Or just the majority?


The former. Use the feminine forms when you address women only.


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## Albert Schlef

arbelyoni said:


> The Hebrew present tense (participle) has only four persons:
> *masculine singular (m. I/ m. you/ he): לומד
> *feminine singular (f. I/ f. you/ she): לומדת
> *masculine plural (m. we/ m. you/ m. they): לומדים
> *feminine plural (f. we/ f. you/ f. they): לומדות




 Just wanted to add that it's like in English.

In Hebrew, the present tense is somewhat like a noun. So, like in English, there are 4 possibilities: 
actor
actress
actors
actresses


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## arielipi

Albert Schlef said:


> Just wanted to add that it's like in English.
> 
> In Hebrew, the present tense is somewhat like a noun. So, like in English, there are 4 possibilities:
> actor
> actress
> actors
> actresses


not really...


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