15.9 Building the Qal Imperfect Strong Paradigm

Study the graphic and the steps below carefully. It may seem confusing at first but, with practice, you’ll get it. You’ll note that the steps work from left to right.

1. Add Imperfect Preformatives
2. Add Imperfect Sufformatives
3. A Sheva goes before a finite sufformative
   • Sheva goes under \(R_2\) (displacing \(V_S/V_2\)) when \(R_3\) already has a vowel
4. \(V_S = \bar O\) unless already reduced by the Sheva of the finite sufformative
5. Accent \(V_S\) unless it reduced
6. \(V_P = I\) and \(V_1 = \ :\), except 1cs (\(V_P = E\))
   • Qal Imperfect \(Pre =\) יִקְ - and we simply need to remember to replace the י with the applicable imperfect preformative