What Is the Difference Between -OT and -VOT Endings in Hebrew?

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 important: for many students, the real difficulty starts even earlier. Not with borrow and lend. Not with paal and hifil. But with the moment they see any Hebrew verb ending in -OT (ות) — and especially -VOT (וות).

The moment students freeze

I see it all the time. A student is reading along just fine, and then suddenly a verb ends in -OT (ות). If there is a double vav in there — -VOT (וות) — everything stops. The questions come immediately:

-              Is this part of the root?

-              Is this irregular?

-              How am I supposed to pronounce this?

-              What will happen when I conjugate it?

And very often, instead of moving forward, the student freezes. This fear is understandable — but it is unnecessary.

First things first: what -OT (ות) actually is

The most important thing to understand is this: -OT (ות) is not part the root.

It is part of the infinitive form. You already know many verbs that end in -OT (ות), even if you never thought about it consciously.

For example:

- לִקְנוֹת — to buy

- לִבְנוֹת — to build

In both cases, the first two root letters are visible:

- ק-נ-ה 

- ב-נ-ה 

The -OT (ות) does not belong to the root. It belongs to the structure of the infinitive. The final root-hey turns into -OT (ות). Always. In every banyan. Once this clicks, a lot of tension disappears.

Now we can talk about -VOT (וות).

Verbs like לִלְווֹת or לְהַלְווֹת often look scary because of the double vav. Students tend to see it as “too much” — too many letters. But here is the key point: -VOT (וות) is still just the infinitive ending plus an additional vav. And double-vav is always pronounced like the English “v”.

That is it. No new rule.

Why I explain -OT (ות) before the double vav

In the new video, I spent time explaining -OT (ות) first, and only then move on to the double vav. And there is a reason for that: If you do not know what -OT (ות) represents, the double vav will always feel threatening. But once you understand that -OT (ות) is structural, the second vav suddenly has a place.

This is usually the moment when students say: “Oh… so that is all it is.” Yes. That really is all it is.

What this means for conjugation

At this point I recommend, you watch the video. The visuals will do the heavy lifting of explanation.

Here is another very important reassurance about these infinitives:

-        The infinitive ending does not destroy the binyan logic.

-        The vowels that belong to the binyan stay in place.

-        They continue to guide the conjugation — just as they do in verbs without -OT (ות) or -VOT (וות).

Verbs ending on -OT (ות) or -VOT (וות) come with some modifications in the conjugations. For example:

-        the present tense singular always ends on hey (yes, the root-hey that disappeared in the infinitive) -> he buys (הוא קונה) / she buys (היא קונה)

-        in the past tense of the first and second personswe have to fiddle in a yud. Even though you start with: he bought (הוא קנה), it is for I bought (אני קניתי)

Once students see this, conjugation stops feeling random and starts feeling familiar again.

Takeaway: what I want you to remember

-        -OT (ות) is part of the infinitive form, not the root

-        -VOT (וות) follows the same logic, with an additional vav that stems from the root

-        Binyan patterns remain intact and reliable

When you understand the structure, the fear disappears — almost instantly.

FAQ: questions students ask all the time

Is -OT (ות) part of the root?

No. The root appears before it.

Are verbs ending in -VOT (וות) irregular?

Not technically speaking. They follow binyan patterns. For some students, the mere fact that we do here something that normally is not happening, might feel and sound irregular. But it is a special form within each banyan. And it is the same special form with the same answers.

Why is there a double vav?

This is the combination of letters when a root has a vav in the middle and a hey as end-letter.

Should I avoid these verbs until I am more advanced?

No. Once you understand the structure, they are no harder than any others. But yes, understanding the very standard verb patterns makes more sense before you start with the less frequent sub-groups.

Hebrew verbs are systematic.

They only feel intimidating when the structure is hidden.