| Type of Form | Hebrew Example | Pronunciation | Tone/Register | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive as Imperative | לָשֶׁבֶת | lashevet | Neutral, distant, formal | Used for instructions, signs, where number/gender of addressees is unknown; creates social distance. |
| Infinitive + בבקשה (before) | בבקשה לשבת | bevakasha lashevet | Slightly more personal, polite | Adds politeness (e.g., teacher asking class). |
| Infinitive + בבקשה (after) | לשבת בבקשה | lashevet bevakasha | Slightly impatient or ironic | May sound ironic or impatient depending on tone. |
| Infinitive + נא | נא לשבת | na lashevet | Formal, distancing | Formal polite requests (official notices, chairman to committee). |
| Type of Form | Hebrew Example | Pronunciation | Tone/Register | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperative Form | שֵׁב | shev | Formal, standard | Classical grammatical imperative; direct order (e.g., teacher to student). |
| Imperative + נא | נא שב | na shev | Very literary, archaic | Very rare today; formal in old Hebrew texts. (“נא קרא” exists formally.) |
| Imperative + אנא | אנא שב | ana shev | Pleading, emotional | Used for emotional requests (“please don’t leave”). |
| Type of Form | Hebrew Example | Pronunciation | Tone/Register | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Form Used Imperatively | תשב | teshev | Informal, tone-dependent | Very common in casual speech and casual writing (texts, messages). |
| Future + בבקשה (before) | בבקשה תשב | bevakasha teshev | Slightly forceful polite | Teacher correcting a student (testy politeness). |
| Future + בבקשה (after) | תשב בבקשה | teshev bevakasha | Polite invitation | Friendly invitation (e.g., interview setting). |
| Truncated Future (spoken only) | תשב (spoken: tshev) | tshev | Very casual, colloquial | Spoken form: vowels reduced but consonants identical (תשב). Used between friends. |
| Truncated Future + בבקשה (after) | תשב בבקשה (spoken: tshev bevakasha) | tshev bevakasha | Borderline acceptable casual politeness | Sounds slightly odd, better with a questioning tone. |
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Infinitive Imperative | Formal distancing form (e.g., לשבת), used in signs and official speech. |
| True Imperative | Grammatical ציווי form (e.g., שֵׁב, פְּתַח) — classic imperatives. |
| Future Imperative | Future tense verb used as a polite or casual command (e.g., תשב). |
| Truncated Future | Casual spoken shortening of future tense (תשב), pronounced tshev (same consonants, vowels clipped). |
| Type | Key Example | Tone/Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet) | Neutral, formal instructions |
| True Imperative | שֵׁב (shev) | Formal spoken command |
| Future Form (command) | תֵּשֵׁב (teshev) | Informal everyday speech |
| Truncated Future (spoken) | תשב (tshev) | Very casual spoken command |
| Imperative + נא | נא שב (na shev) | Very formal, literary |
| Imperative + אנא | אנא שב (ana shev) | Emotional pleading |
| בבקשה (before/after) | תשב בבקשה (tshev bevakasha) | Spoken only. Adds politeness (tone matters) |