Nif'al in the Past

Level 3

Past נפעל forms include נכנסתי, I entered, and נכנסה, she entered. The initial נ is part of this verb’s pattern.

How It Works

The Enter Family

Learn נכנסתי, נכנסת, נכנס, נכנסה, נכנסנו, נכנסתם, נכנסתן and נכנסו. The two singular second-person past readings of נכנסת differ in pronunciation; the same written word is also the feminine present form.

Use Context and Pronunciation

אתמול הוא נכנס לבית says he entered the house yesterday. עכשיו הוא נכנס לבית says he is entering the house now. Written letters alone do not always identify tense. In these two sentences, נכנס also has the same pronunciation in Modern Israeli Hebrew; the time phrase and context distinguish the readings. Pronunciation distinguishes some other overlapping written forms.

Meaning Is Lexical

להיכנס means enter and does not require an English passive. Other נפעל verbs can be passive, as in הספר נכתב, or describe a change of state. Keep that distinction with the verb’s actual meaning and relationships. לא נכנסתי means I did not enter.

Examples (4)

  1. נכנסתי לחדר.

    I entered the room.

    תי identifies first-person past.

  2. דנה נכנסה לבית.

    Dana entered the house.

    The past feminine form ends in ה.

  3. הם נכנסו ביחד.

    They entered together.

    נכנסו is third-person plural.

  4. אתמול הוא לא נכנס למשרד.

    He did not enter the office yesterday.

    אתמול establishes the past-time reading of נכנס; לא negates the statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the feminine present form to state a completed past entry.

    אתמול היא נכנסת לחדר.
    אתמול היא נכנסה לחדר.

    For the ordinary completed event, choose past נכנסה. The isolated present wording can have special narrative uses, which are a separate register.

How It Connects

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

Nif'al in the PastLevel 3

Learn This First

Add person-marked past forms to familiar Nif'al vocabulary.