Causative and Passive Verb Pairs

Level 4

הזמין and הוזמן can express invited someone and was invited. In the passive, the invited person controls subject agreement.

How It Works

A Useful Pair

Learn active הזמין, מזמין and יזמין beside passive הוזמן, מוזמן and יוזמן. The passive pattern is הופעל, commonly transliterated Huf’al. Actual vowels and full spelling distinguish the families.

The Affected Subject

הם הוזמנו למסיבה identifies the people who received the invitation. The inviter need not be named. If relevant, על ידי can identify the agent: יעל הוזמנה על ידי דנה. The former active object becomes a subject and loses its object marker את.

Meaning and Form Limits

Some הפעיל verbs have causative meanings, but the pattern alone does not prove one English cause-to translation. להזמין means invite or order according to context. Huf’al does not provide an ordinary productive infinitive for every passive event; use a complete finite or participial construction.

Examples (4)

  1. דנה הזמינה את יעל.

    Dana invited Yael.

    Dana is the active subject.

  2. יעל הוזמנה למסיבה.

    Yael was invited to the party.

    The invited woman controls feminine agreement.

  3. הם הוזמנו אתמול.

    They were invited yesterday.

    הוזמנו is the plural passive past.

  4. היא תוזמן לפגישה.

    She will be invited to the meeting.

    תוזמן is the future feminine singular passive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a masculine passive verb with a female invited subject.

    יעל הוזמן למסיבה.
    יעל הוזמנה למסיבה.

    The passive verb agrees with Yael as the feminine subject.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Causative and Passive Verb PairsLevel 4

Learn This First

Relate familiar Hif'il vocabulary to attested Huf'al forms without generating an unattested partner.