What is Huf'al?
Huf'al is the passive counterpart of Hif'il. Where Hif'il expresses a causative action being performed actively, Huf'al expresses that same causative action being received by the subject. Like Pu'al, it is more common in written, formal, and news Hebrew than in everyday speech.
If Hif'il is לְהַכְנִיס (to bring in), then Huf'al is הוּכְנַס (was brought in). If Hif'il is לְהַחְלִיט (to decide), then Huf'al is הוּחְלַט (was decided).
Recognition signs: הֻ or הוּ prefix in the past tense, and a מוּ prefix in the present tense. The characteristic u vowel runs through all forms.
Everyday usage: מוּבָן (muvan) — meaning "understood" or "of course" — is one of the most-used Huf'al forms in daily Hebrew. You'll hear it constantly in conversation.
Full Conjugation — ב-י-ן (to be understood, לְהוּבַן)
| Person | Past (עָבָר) | Present (הוֹוֶה) | Future (עָתִיד) |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי | הוּבַנְתִּי | מוּבָן (m) / מוּבֶנֶת (f) | אוּבַן |
| אַתָּה | הוּבַנְתָּ | מוּבָן | תּוּבַן |
| אַת | הוּבַנְתְּ | מוּבֶנֶת | תּוּבְנִי |
| הוּא | הוּבַן | מוּבָן | יוּבַן |
| הִיא | הוּבְנָה | מוּבֶנֶת | תּוּבַן |
| אֲנַחְנוּ | הוּבַנּוּ | מוּבָנִים (m) / מוּבָנוֹת (f) | נוּבַן |
| אַתֶּם | הוּבַנְתֶּם | מוּבָנִים | תּוּבְנוּ |
| אַתֶּן | הוּבַנְתֶּן | מוּבָנוֹת | תּוּבְנוּ |
| הֵם / הֵן | הוּבְנוּ | מוּבָנִים (m) / מוּבָנוֹת (f) | יוּבְנוּ |
8 Common Huf'al Forms
| Huf'al Form | Hif'il Source | English |
|---|---|---|
| הוּבַן | הֵבִין | was understood |
| הוּכְנַס | הִכְנִיס | was brought in |
| הוּצַא | הוֹצִיא | was taken out |
| הוּחְלַט | הֶחְלִיט | was decided |
| הוּזְמַן | הִזְמִין | was invited / ordered |
| הוּסְבַּר | הִסְבִּיר | was explained |
| הוּשְׁלַם | הִשְׁלִים | was completed |
| הוּחְזַר | הֶחְזִיר | was returned |