HEBREW VERBS with Rut Avni

Love in Hebrew is not only אהב. Discover the surprising root נשא — “to carry,” “to lift,” and even “to marry” — and the ancient wisdom hidden inside Hebrew grammar.

TL;DR If Hebrew verbs ending in -OT (ות) or -VOT (וות) make you hesitate, the good news is that nothing “special” is happening. -OT (ות) is part of the infinitive form, not the root, when roots end on hey (ל״ה) and -VOT (וות) contains an additional vav from the root. This post was inspired by last week’s video on to borrow  vs. to lend  in Hebrew, where we looked at verbs like לִלְווֹת and לְהַלְווֹת — both ending in -VOT (וות). But while working on it, I realized something i

In English, the difference between borrow and lend is straightforward: to borrow means to receive something, and to lend means to give it. The direction of the action is always clear. Hebrew does make this distinction as well — but it is not always strictly maintained in everyday speech; to really understand what is going on, it helps to look at how Hebrew builds this meaning into its verb system.