Free lessonLevel B112 min read12 practice words

Pu'al and Huf'al: the Passive of Pi'el and Hif'il

The flight was cancelled, you're invited, I'm interested: pi'el and hif'il each have a passive twin, and you hear them every day, above all as adjectives.

In these two binyanim the u is your signal: סֻדַּר and מְסֻדָּר in pu'al, הֻזְמַן and מֻזְמָן in huf'al. Something was done to the subject.

Two passive twinspi'el → pu'al · hif'il → huf'al

Every active binyan has a passive twin

In the lesson on nif'al you saw pa'al's passive: כָּתַב becomes נִכְתַּב, “was written”. The two binyanim from the lessons on pi'el and hif'il have passive twins of their own. Pi'el's twin is pu'al: סִדֵּר אֶת הַחֶדֶר (tidied the room) becomes הַחֶדֶר סֻדַּר (the room was tidied). Hif'il's twin is huf'al: הִזְמִין אוֹתָהּ (invited her) becomes הִיא הֻזְמְנָה (she was invited).

The sentence turns around just as it does in nif'al: the object becomes the subject, אֶת drops, and the verb agrees with its new subject. What's new is the sound. The root and the meaning stay, and the vowels change to u and a: סִדֵּר becomes סֻדַּר, הִזְמִין becomes הֻזְמַן.

Each twin keeps its partner's frame: pu'al keeps pi'el's doubled middle letter (the dagesh in סִדֵּר and סֻדַּר), and huf'al keeps hif'il's ה in the past and its מ in the present.

Active, then passive

סִדֵּרסֻדַּרtidied, arranged → was tidied, was arrangedפֻּעַל

בִּטֵּלבֻּטַּלcancelled → was cancelledפֻּעַל

הִזְמִיןהֻזְמַןinvited; ordered → was invited; was orderedהֻפְעַל

הִפְסִיקהֻפְסַקstopped → was stoppedהֻפְעַל

The tag shows the passive binyan. In each pair the root and the meaning are the same: only the vowels change, and with them the point of view.

Where you'll meet them

הַטִּיסָה לְאֵילַת בֻּטְּלָה.

ha-tisa le-Eilat butla

The flight to Eilat has been cancelled. (the news)

הַבַּקָּשָׁה שֶׁלְּךָ אֻשְּׁרָה.

ha-bakasha shelkha ushra

Your request has been approved. (a text from the bank)

אַתֶּם מֻזְמָנִים לַחֲתֻנָּה שֶׁלָּנוּ!

atem muzmanim la-khatuna shelanu!

You're invited to our wedding! (an invitation)

News, forms and, above all, adjectives

In the past tense, pu'al and huf'al are mostly the voice of the news, official letters and forms. In the present they're everywhere, because many of them have become everyday adjectives: מְסֻדָּר (tidy), מְעֻנְיָן (interested), מֻכָּר (familiar), מֻשְׁלָם (perfect).

Pu'al: u–a and a doubled letterסֻדַּר · מְסֻדָּר

Pi'el's frame, passive vowels

Pu'al keeps pi'el's frame, with the middle root letter doubled (that's the dagesh), and changes the vowels to u and a: סִדֵּר (sider) becomes סֻדַּר (sudar). You can hear the dagesh only in ב, כ and פ, which become b, k and p: סֻפַּר (supar), was told. The past takes the endings from the lesson on the past tense: הַחֶדֶר סֻדַּר, הַדִּירָה סֻדְּרָה, הַחֲדָרִים סֻדְּרוּ.

The present opens with מְ, as in pi'el, and has the four forms you know from adjectives: מְסֻדָּר, מְסֻדֶּרֶת, מְסֻדָּרִים, מְסֻדָּרוֹת. What pu'al lacks is an infinitive and an imperative: there's no single word for “to be tidied”.

Without nikud the u is written with a ו: סודר, סודרה, מסודר. That ו is what tells the pu'al מסודר (tidy) apart from the pi'el מסדר (tidies).

Pu'al of ס־ד־ר: past and present

Pu'al of ס־ד־ר: past and present
Form	Past: was tidied	Present: tidy
masc. sing.	סֻדַּר	מְסֻדָּר
fem. sing.	סֻדְּרָה	מְסֻדֶּרֶת
masc. plural	סֻדְּרוּ	מְסֻדָּרִים
fem. plural	סֻדְּרוּ	מְסֻדָּרוֹת

The past column shows the “he”, “she” and “they” forms, the ones you'll meet most (“they” is the same for men and women). The other persons exist too, with the usual endings: פֻּטַּרְתִּי, I was fired.

Pu'al in real life

הַסֶּרֶט צֻלַּם בְּתֵל אָבִיב.

ha-seret tsulam be-Tel Aviv

The film was shot in Tel Aviv.

הַבִּנְיָן שֻׁפַּץ בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁעָבְרָה.

ha-binyan shupats ba-shana she-avra

The building was renovated last year.

הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן כְּבָר שֻׁלַּם.

ha-kheshbon kvar shulam

The bill has already been paid.

פֻּטַּרְתִּי מֵהָעֲבוֹדָה.

putarti me-ha-avoda

I got fired from my job.

הַדִּירָה מְשֻׁפֶּצֶת וּמְרֻהֶטֶת.

ha-dira meshupetset u-meruhetet

The apartment is renovated and furnished. (a rental ad)

When the middle letter can't double

If the middle root letter is ח or ה, it can't take a dagesh, and the u simply stays: מְיֻחָד (special), מְרֻהָט (furnished). If it's א or ר, the u stretches into o: מְבֹרָךְ (blessed), מְפֹרָט (detailed). You only need to recognise these.

Interesting or interested? Pu'al as an adjective-ing · -ed

The state an action leaves behind

In everyday speech you'll hear pu'al mostly in the present, as an adjective for the state that an action leaves behind. Someone tidied the room, so now it's מְסֻדָּר, tidy. Someone renovated the apartment, so now it's מְשֻׁפֶּצֶת, renovated.

Many of these come in pairs with the pi'el present, exactly like English -ing and -ed. Pi'el is what causes the feeling: סֶרֶט מְעַנְיֵן, an interesting film. Pu'al is the one who has it: אֲנִי מְעֻנְיָן, I'm interested.

As adjectives they agree like any other, with ־ֶת in the feminine, as you saw in the lesson on adjectives: מְסֻדֶּרֶת, מְבֻלְבֶּלֶת. In fact you met one there: מְצֻיָּן, excellent, is pu'al too.

Pi'el causes it, pu'al has it

Pi'el causes it, pu'al has it
Pi'el: causes it	Pu'al: has it	Meaning
מְעַנְיֵן	מְעֻנְיָן	interesting · interested
מְבַלְבֵּל	מְבֻלְבָּל	confusing · confused
מְרַגֵּשׁ	מְרֻגָּשׁ	exciting, moving · excited, moved
מְאַכְזֵב	מְאֻכְזָב	disappointing · disappointed
מְלַכְלֵךְ	מְלֻכְלָךְ	makes things dirty · dirty

Four-letter roots like ב־ל־ב־ל and ע־נ־י־ן don't double anything: the extra root letter takes the place of the doubled one, and the vowels stay the same: מְבֻלְבָּל (mevulbal), מְעֻנְיָן (me’unyan).

Six more you'll hear every day

מְסֻדָּר

mesudar

tidy, organised

מְבֻשָּׁל

mevushal

cooked

מְסֻבָּךְ

mesubakh

complicated

מְיֻחָד

meyukhad

special

מְפֻרְסָם

mefursam

famous

מְאֻשָּׁר

me’ushar

very happy; approved

Each one is the state left by a pi'el verb: סִבֵּךְ (made complicated) gives מְסֻבָּךְ, פִּרְסֵם (published, made known) gives מְפֻרְסָם, אִשֵּׁר (approved) gives מְאֻשָּׁר, which also means “very happy”. Two more you'll hear everywhere: מְשֻׁעֲמָם, bored, and מְדֻבָּר, mostly in the question עַל מָה מְדֻבָּר? (what is it about?).

Pairs in action

אֲנִי לֹא מְעֻנְיָן, תּוֹדָה.

ani lo me’unyan, toda

I'm not interested, thanks. (to a telemarketer)

הַמַּפָּה מְבַלְבֶּלֶת, וַאֲנִי מְבֻלְבָּל.

ha-mapa mevalbelet, va-ani mevulbal

The map is confusing, and I'm confused.

זֶה רֶגַע מְרַגֵּשׁ, כֻּלָּנוּ מְרֻגָּשִׁים.

ze rega meragesh, kulanu merugashim

It's a moving moment; we're all so excited.

הַנַּעֲלַיִם שֶׁלְּךָ מְלֻכְלָכוֹת!

ha-na’alayim shelkha melukhlakhot!

Your shoes are dirty! (נַעֲלַיִם is feminine plural)

זֶה מְסֻבָּךְ, אֲבָל אֶפְשָׁרִי.

ze mesubakh, aval efshari

It's complicated, but possible.

מְעֻנְיָן or מִתְעַנְיֵן?

Both translate as “interested”, but it's not the same interest. מְעֻנְיָן בְּ־ is interested in getting or doing something: an offer, an apartment, a job, as in אֲנִי מְעֻנְיָן בַּדִּירָה. מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּ־, a hitpa'el verb we'll meet in the lesson on hitpa'el, is taking an interest in a subject: הִיא מִתְעַנְיֶנֶת בְּאָמָּנוּת, she's into art. And מְעַנְיֵן is what makes you curious: interesting.

Quick check

1 of 5

“The meeting was cancelled.”

הַפְּגִישָׁה ___.

Huf'al: the passive of hif'ilהֻזְמַן · מֻזְמָן

Hif'il's frame, passive vowels

Huf'al keeps the frame of hif'il: ה in front in the past, מ in the present, and the first two root letters side by side. The vowels change to u and a: הִזְמִין (hizmin) becomes הֻזְמַן (huzman), and the present מַזְמִין (mazmin) becomes מֻזְמָן (muzman).

The past takes the usual endings: הֻזְמַנְתִּי (I was invited), הֻזְמְנָה (she was invited), הֻזְמְנוּ (they were invited). The present has the four forms: מֻזְמָן, מֻזְמֶנֶת, מֻזְמָנִים, מֻזְמָנוֹת. Like pu'al, huf'al has no infinitive and no imperative.

Without nikud the u is written with a ו: הוזמן, מוזמנים. But not every ו in that spot is a u: מוכר can be מֻכָּר (familiar) or מוֹכֵר (sells). The context decides.

Huf'al of ז־מ־ן: past and present

Huf'al of ז־מ־ן: past and present
Form	Past: was invited	Present: invited
masc. sing.	הֻזְמַן	מֻזְמָן
fem. sing.	הֻזְמְנָה	מֻזְמֶנֶת
masc. plural	הֻזְמְנוּ	מֻזְמָנִים
fem. plural	הֻזְמְנוּ	מֻזְמָנוֹת

When the last root letter is ח or ע, the feminine present ends in ־ַחַת or ־ַעַת, as in nif'al: מֻצְלַחַת, מֻפְתַּעַת.

From hif'il verb to huf'al adjective

From hif'il verb to huf'al adjective
Hif'il: does it	Huf'al: the result	Meaning
הִזְמִין	מֻזְמָן	invited (someone) · invited, welcome
הִפְתִּיעַ	מֻפְתָּע	surprised (someone) · surprised
הִכִּיר	מֻכָּר	knew, recognised · familiar, well known
הִצְלִיחַ	מֻצְלָח	succeeded · successful, a success
הִשְׁלִים	מֻשְׁלָם	completed · perfect, complete
הִגְזִים	מֻגְזָם	exaggerated, overdid it · exaggerated, over the top

In מֻכָּר the root is נ־כ־ר: the נ melts into the dagesh of the כ, just as in הִכִּיר. מֻתָּר (allowed), from the lesson on modal verbs, works the same way: it's the huf'al of הִתִּיר (permitted), root נ־ת־ר. Its opposite אָסוּר comes from another pattern, which you'll meet in the chapter on pa'ul.

Huf'al in everyday sentences

הֻזְמַנְתִּי לַחֲתֻנָּה בְּיוּנִי.

huzmanti la-khatuna be-yuni

I've been invited to a wedding in June.

אַתְּ מֻזְמֶנֶת לָבוֹא מָתַי שֶׁאַתְּ רוֹצָה.

at muzmenet lavo matai she-at rotsa

You're welcome to come whenever you like. (to a woman)

הָיִיתִי מַמָּשׁ מֻפְתָּע.

hayiti mamash mufta

I was really surprised. (a man speaking)

הַמְּסִבָּה הָיְתָה מֻצְלַחַת.

ha-mesiba hayta mutslakhat

The party was a success.

זֶה קְצָת מֻגְזָם, לֹא?

ze ktsat mugzam, lo?

That's a bit over the top, isn't it?

מוּכָן and מוּבָן: a shuruk instead

In roots with a ו or a י, which we'll look at in the lesson on weak roots, huf'al has a shuruk (וּ) instead of a kubutz: מוּכָן (ready) from הֵכִין (prepared), מוּבָן (clear, understood) from הֵבִין (understood), הוּרַד (was lowered) from הוֹרִיד (lowered). The sound is the same u, and the feminine of מוּכָן takes ־ָה: אֲנִי מוּכָנָה, I'm ready.

מוּכָן

mukhan

ready

מוּבָן

muvan

understood; also “of course!”

In the news and in conversationformal vs spoken

The same tools as in nif'al

In the past tense, pu'al and huf'al are the voice of headlines, reports and official letters: הַטִּיסָה בֻּטְּלָה, הַמִּשְׂחָק הֻפְסַק. As in the lesson on nif'al, the doer, if it's named at all, comes with עַל יְדֵי: הַבִּנְיָן שֻׁפַּץ עַל יְדֵי הָעִירִיָּה, the building was renovated by the city council.

In conversation עַל יְדֵי sounds like a newspaper. If you know who did it, use the active pi'el or hif'il verb. If you don't, or it doesn't matter, use the “they” form with no subject, the impersonal sentence from the lesson on modal verbs: בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה, הִזְמִינוּ אוֹתָנוּ. And for your own news the passive without a doer is everyday too: הֻזְמַנְתִּי לַחֲתֻנָּה, הַטִּיסָה שֶׁלִּי בֻּטְּלָה.

The “they” form is active, so it keeps אֶת: בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה. A passive verb has no object, so it never takes אֶת: הַטִּיסָה בֻּטְּלָה.

One piece of news, four ways

One piece of news, four ways
Where you hear it	Sentence	Meaning
News, formal writing	הַטִּיסָה בֻּטְּלָה עַל יְדֵי חֶבְרַת הַתְּעוּפָה.	The flight was cancelled by the airline.
Speech, doer known	חֶבְרַת הַתְּעוּפָה בִּטְּלָה אֶת הַטִּיסָה.	The airline cancelled the flight.
Speech, doer unknown	בִּטְּלוּ לָנוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה.	They cancelled our flight.
Speech, only the result	הַטִּיסָה שֶׁלָּנוּ בֻּטְּלָה.	Our flight has been cancelled.

Only the first sounds like a news bulletin. The other three are what you'll hear in the queue at the airport.

Headline or conversation?

In the headlines

הַמִּשְׂחָק הֻפְסַק בִּגְלַל הַגֶּשֶׁם.

ha-miskhak hufsak biglal ha-geshem

The game was stopped because of the rain.

הַחֲנוּת שֻׁפְּצָה.

ha-khanut shuptsa

The shop has been renovated.

In conversation

הִפְסִיקוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׂחָק בִּגְלַל הַגֶּשֶׁם.

hifsiku et ha-miskhak biglal ha-geshem

They stopped the game because of the rain.

שִׁפְּצוּ אֶת הַחֲנוּת.

shiptsu et ha-khanut

They've renovated the shop.

“I was invited”: two everyday ways

Both sentences mean the same, and both are everyday. The second is built like קוֹרְאִים לִי: a plural verb with no subject, and you as the object.

הֻזְמַנְתִּי לַמְּסִבָּה.

huzmanti la-mesiba

I was invited to the party. (huf'al)

הִזְמִינוּ אוֹתִי לַמְּסִבָּה.

hizminu oti la-mesiba

I was invited to the party. (literally: they invited me)

Pa'ul: the state a pa'al verb leavesסָגוּר · כָּתוּב

Pa'al's own result adjective

Pi'el and hif'il verbs get an adjective for the result from pu'al and huf'al: מְסֻדָּר, מֻזְמָן. Pa'al verbs get theirs from the pa'ul form (פָּעוּל), with a and u: סָגוּר (closed), כָּתוּב (written), שָׁבוּר (broken). It doesn't tell you that something happened. It describes the state that's left.

So keep event and state apart, as you began to in the lesson on nif'al: הַדֶּלֶת נִסְגְּרָה is the event, the door closed; הַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה is the state, the door is closed. The pa'ul form agrees like an adjective, and before an ending its first vowel shrinks: סָגוּר, סְגוּרָה. Under א, ה, ח or ע it becomes a short a: אָהוּב, אֲהוּבָה.

You've been using pa'ul forms for a while: עָסוּק in the lesson on adjectives, and אָסוּר in the lesson on modal verbs, from אָסַר, forbade. Its opposite מֻתָּר is huf'al: two passive patterns side by side. That's also why, although they stay frozen before an infinitive (אָסוּר לְעַשֵּׁן), both agree when a noun is the subject: הַכְּנִיסָה אֲסוּרָה, entry is forbidden.

Six pa'ul adjectives in four forms

Six pa'ul adjectives in four forms
Meaning	masc. sing.	fem. sing.	masc. plural	fem. plural
closed	סָגוּר	סְגוּרָה	סְגוּרִים	סְגוּרוֹת
open	פָּתוּחַ	פְּתוּחָה	פְּתוּחִים	פְּתוּחוֹת
written	כָּתוּב	כְּתוּבָה	כְּתוּבִים	כְּתוּבוֹת
broken	שָׁבוּר	שְׁבוּרָה	שְׁבוּרִים	שְׁבוּרוֹת
loved; with עַל, favourite	אָהוּב	אֲהוּבָה	אֲהוּבִים	אֲהוּבוֹת
busy	עָסוּק	עֲסוּקָה	עֲסוּקִים	עֲסוּקוֹת

Two more to know: בָּטוּחַ (sure; safe) and רָשׁוּם (registered, written down). Words in ־וּחַ, like פָּתוּחַ and בָּטוּחַ, end in -akh: patuakh, batuakh.

Pa'ul in everyday speech

מָה כָּתוּב פֹּה?

ma katuv po?

What does it say here?

אַתָּה בָּטוּחַ?

ata batuakh?

Are you sure? (to a man)

סְלִיחָה, אֲנִי עֲסוּקָה עַכְשָׁיו.

slikha, ani asuka akhshav

Sorry, I'm busy right now. (a woman speaking)

זֶה הַשִּׁיר הָאָהוּב עָלַי.

ze ha-shir ha-ahuv alai

That's my favourite song. (literally: the song loved on me)

אַתֶּם רְשׁוּמִים לַקּוּרְס?

atem reshumim la-kurs?

Are you signed up for the course?

כָּתוּב can be frozen, with no subject, like אָסוּר: כָּתוּב שֶׁהַחֲנוּת סְגוּרָה, it says the shop is closed.

Event or state?

Event: it happened

הַדֶּלֶת נִסְגְּרָה.

ha-delet nisgera

The door closed. (nif'al)

הַחֶדֶר סֻדַּר.

ha-kheder sudar

The room was tidied. (pu'al, past)

State: how it is now

הַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה.

ha-delet sgura

The door is closed. (pa'ul)

הַחֶדֶר מְסֻדָּר.

ha-kheder mesudar

The room is tidy. (pu'al, present)

The whole passive family

The whole passive family
Active binyan	Active verb	Event: it happened	State: how it is
פָּעַל	סָגַר	נִסְגַּר	סָגוּר
פִּעֵל	סִדֵּר	סֻדַּר	מְסֻדָּר
הִפְעִיל	הִזְמִין	הֻזְמַן	מֻזְמָן

The event column holds nif'al, pu'al and huf'al in the past. The state column holds the pa'ul form for pa'al verbs, and the present of pu'al and huf'al for the other two.

Quick check

1 of 5

“The guests were invited for eight.”

הָאוֹרְחִים ___ לִשְׁמוֹנֶה.

Common mistakes and summary

Six mistakes worth fixing now

אֲנִי מְעַנְיֵן בַּדִּירָהאֲנִי מְעֻנְיָן בַּדִּירָה
מְעַנְיֵן means “interesting”. The one who has the interest is pu'al, מְעֻנְיָן; for a hobby, use the hitpa'el מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּ־.
אֲנִי קְצָת מְבַלְבֵּלאֲנִי קְצָת מְבֻלְבָּל
For “confused” use pu'al. מְבַלְבֵּל is someone who confuses other people.
הַפְּגִישָׁה בִּטְּלָההַפְּגִישָׁה בֻּטְּלָה
The meeting didn't cancel anything, so pu'al. In speech you can also say בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַפְּגִישָׁה.
בֻּטְּלוּ אֶת הַפְּגִישָׁהבִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַפְּגִישָׁה
A passive verb has no object, so no אֶת. With אֶת you need the active “they” form.
אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לְהֻזְמַןאֲנִי רוֹצֶה שֶׁיַּזְמִינוּ אוֹתִי
Pu'al and huf'al have no infinitive. Use the “they” form after שֶׁ: שֶׁיַּזְמִינוּ אוֹתִי, “that they invite me”.
הַדֶּלֶת סָגוּרהַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה
Pa'ul agrees like an adjective, and its first vowel shrinks before the ending: סְגוּרָה.

And keep event and state apart: הַחֶדֶר סֻדַּר (someone tidied the room), but הַחֶדֶר מְסֻדָּר (the room is tidy).

What to remember

Each active binyan has a passive twin: pa'al and nif'al, pi'el and pu'al, hif'il and huf'al. The root stays; in pu'al and huf'al the vowels turn into u and a: סֻדַּר from סִדֵּר, הֻזְמַן from הִזְמִין.
Pu'al: סֻדַּר, סֻדְּרָה, present מְסֻדָּר, מְסֻדֶּרֶת. Huf'al: הֻזְמַן, הֻזְמְנָה, present מֻזְמָן, מֻזְמֶנֶת. Neither has an infinitive.
The present is where you'll hear them most, as adjectives, often next to a pi'el twin: מְעַנְיֵן and מְעֻנְיָן, מְבַלְבֵּל and מְבֻלְבָּל.
News: the passive, with עַל יְדֵי if the doer is named. Speech: the “they” form, בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה, or the passive with no doer.
Event or state: נִסְגַּר and סָגוּר, סֻדַּר and מְסֻדָּר, הֻזְמַן and מֻזְמָן. The pa'ul form (סָגוּר, כָּתוּב, אָהוּב) is the state a pa'al verb leaves.

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Frequently asked questions

What are pu'al and huf'al in Hebrew?: They are the passive binyanim of pi'el and hif'il, just as nif'al is the passive of pa'al. Pu'al has u and a and a doubled middle letter: סֻדַּר (was tidied), present מְסֻדָּר (tidy). Huf'al has u and a after hif'il's ה or מ: הֻזְמַן (was invited), present מֻזְמָן (invited). Neither has an infinitive or an imperative, and their future (יְבֻטַּל, will be cancelled) is mostly formal.
What's the difference between מְעַנְיֵן, מְעֻנְיָן and מִתְעַנְיֵן?: מְעַנְיֵן (pi'el) means “interesting”: סֶרֶט מְעַנְיֵן. מְעֻנְיָן (pu'al) means “interested” in getting or doing something: אֲנִי מְעֻנְיָן בַּהַצָּעָה, I'm interested in the offer. מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּ־ (hitpa'el) means taking an interest in a subject: הוּא מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּהִיסְטוֹרְיָה, he's interested in history.
Do Israelis use pu'al and huf'al in everyday speech?: Yes, above all in the present, as adjectives: מְסֻדָּר, מְבֻלְבָּל, מֻכָּר, מוּכָן. In the past they're common for personal news (הֻזְמַנְתִּי, I was invited; הַטִּיסָה שֶׁלִּי בֻּטְּלָה, my flight was cancelled) and typical of the news. What sounds formal is naming the doer with עַל יְדֵי: in conversation people use the “they” form instead, בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה.
Is the pa'ul form (כָּתוּב, סָגוּר) a binyan?: No. It's a form of pa'al, its passive participle (בֵּינוֹנִי פָּעוּל), and it works like an adjective with four forms: סָגוּר, סְגוּרָה, סְגוּרִים, סְגוּרוֹת. It describes a state: הַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה, the door is closed. The event, “the door closed”, is nif'al: הַדֶּלֶת נִסְגְּרָה.

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Two passive twins
Pu'al: u–a and a doubled letter
Interesting or interested? Pu'al as an adjective (Free account)
Huf'al: the passive of hif'il (Free account)
In the news and in conversation (Free account)
Pa'ul: the state a pa'al verb leaves (Free account)
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Pu'al and Huf'al: the Passive of Pi'el and Hif'il

The flight was cancelled, you're invited, I'm interested: pi'el and hif'il each have a passive twin, and you hear them every day, above all as adjectives.

In these two binyanim the u is your signal: סֻדַּר and מְסֻדָּר in pu'al, הֻזְמַן and מֻזְמָן in huf'al. Something was done to the subject.

Form

Past: was tidied

Present: tidy

masc. sing.

סֻדַּר

מְסֻדָּר

fem. sing.

סֻדְּרָה

מְסֻדֶּרֶת

masc. plural

סֻדְּרוּ

מְסֻדָּרִים

fem. plural

סֻדְּרוּ

מְסֻדָּרוֹת

Pi'el: causes it

Pu'al: has it

Meaning

מְעַנְיֵן

מְעֻנְיָן

interesting · interested

מְבַלְבֵּל

מְבֻלְבָּל

confusing · confused

מְרַגֵּשׁ

מְרֻגָּשׁ

exciting, moving · excited, moved

מְאַכְזֵב

מְאֻכְזָב

disappointing · disappointed

מְלַכְלֵךְ

מְלֻכְלָךְ

makes things dirty · dirty

Form

Past: was invited

Present: invited

masc. sing.

הֻזְמַן

מֻזְמָן

fem. sing.

הֻזְמְנָה

מֻזְמֶנֶת

masc. plural

הֻזְמְנוּ

מֻזְמָנִים

fem. plural

הֻזְמְנוּ

מֻזְמָנוֹת

Hif'il: does it

Huf'al: the result

Meaning

הִזְמִין

מֻזְמָן

invited (someone) · invited, welcome

הִפְתִּיעַ

מֻפְתָּע

surprised (someone) · surprised

הִכִּיר

מֻכָּר

knew, recognised · familiar, well known

הִצְלִיחַ

מֻצְלָח

succeeded · successful, a success

הִשְׁלִים

מֻשְׁלָם

completed · perfect, complete

הִגְזִים

מֻגְזָם

exaggerated, overdid it · exaggerated, over the top

Where you hear it

Sentence

Meaning

News, formal writing

הַטִּיסָה בֻּטְּלָה עַל יְדֵי חֶבְרַת הַתְּעוּפָה.

The flight was cancelled by the airline.

Speech, doer known

חֶבְרַת הַתְּעוּפָה בִּטְּלָה אֶת הַטִּיסָה.

The airline cancelled the flight.

Speech, doer unknown

בִּטְּלוּ לָנוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה.

They cancelled our flight.

Speech, only the result

הַטִּיסָה שֶׁלָּנוּ בֻּטְּלָה.

Our flight has been cancelled.

Meaning

masc. sing.

fem. sing.

masc. plural

fem. plural

closed

סָגוּר

סְגוּרָה

סְגוּרִים

סְגוּרוֹת

open

פָּתוּחַ

פְּתוּחָה

פְּתוּחִים

פְּתוּחוֹת

written

כָּתוּב

כְּתוּבָה

כְּתוּבִים

כְּתוּבוֹת

broken

שָׁבוּר

שְׁבוּרָה

שְׁבוּרִים

שְׁבוּרוֹת

loved; with עַל, favourite

אָהוּב

אֲהוּבָה

אֲהוּבִים

אֲהוּבוֹת

busy

עָסוּק

עֲסוּקָה

עֲסוּקִים

עֲסוּקוֹת

Active binyan

Active verb

Event: it happened

State: how it is

פָּעַל

סָגַר

נִסְגַּר

סָגוּר

פִּעֵל

סִדֵּר

סֻדַּר

מְסֻדָּר

הִפְעִיל

הִזְמִין

הֻזְמַן

מֻזְמָן

Frequently asked questions

What are pu'al and huf'al in Hebrew?

They are the passive binyanim of pi'el and hif'il, just as nif'al is the passive of pa'al. Pu'al has u and a and a doubled middle letter: סֻדַּר (was tidied), present מְסֻדָּר (tidy). Huf'al has u and a after hif'il's ה or מ: הֻזְמַן (was invited), present מֻזְמָן (invited). Neither has an infinitive or an imperative, and their future (יְבֻטַּל, will be cancelled) is mostly formal.

What's the difference between מְעַנְיֵן, מְעֻנְיָן and מִתְעַנְיֵן?

מְעַנְיֵן (pi'el) means “interesting”: סֶרֶט מְעַנְיֵן. מְעֻנְיָן (pu'al) means “interested” in getting or doing something: אֲנִי מְעֻנְיָן בַּהַצָּעָה, I'm interested in the offer. מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּ־ (hitpa'el) means taking an interest in a subject: הוּא מִתְעַנְיֵן בְּהִיסְטוֹרְיָה, he's interested in history.

Do Israelis use pu'al and huf'al in everyday speech?

Yes, above all in the present, as adjectives: מְסֻדָּר, מְבֻלְבָּל, מֻכָּר, מוּכָן. In the past they're common for personal news (הֻזְמַנְתִּי, I was invited; הַטִּיסָה שֶׁלִּי בֻּטְּלָה, my flight was cancelled) and typical of the news. What sounds formal is naming the doer with עַל יְדֵי: in conversation people use the “they” form instead, בִּטְּלוּ אֶת הַטִּיסָה.

Is the pa'ul form (כָּתוּב, סָגוּר) a binyan?

No. It's a form of pa'al, its passive participle (בֵּינוֹנִי פָּעוּל), and it works like an adjective with four forms: סָגוּר, סְגוּרָה, סְגוּרִים, סְגוּרוֹת. It describes a state: הַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה, the door is closed. The event, “the door closed”, is nif'al: הַדֶּלֶת נִסְגְּרָה.