Imperfect יִקְטֹל yiqtol
The imperfect is one of the two basic forms of the Hebrew verb. Where the perfect puts “who” at the end, the imperfect puts “who” at the front — י in front means “he,” א means “I.” Some forms add a letter at the end as well. It views an action as not yet complete, ongoing or still to come, so it is often rendered “will,” but it also expresses repeated past action, permission and obligation. This page colors the prefixes and endings for every person and shows them one by one in words from Genesis.
the “he will kill” form of the model קטל. Traditional Hebrew grammar calls it עָתִיד (atid, “what is to come”).
Colour key blue = added at the front · orange = added at the end · purple = a mark inside (dot · doubled letter · changed vowel) · underline = the word this page is about
1What the imperfect is
The imperfect attaches “who” at the front of the word, so English grammars also call it the “prefix conjugation.” There are only four prefix letters — א י ת נ. Students remember them as אֵיתָן (eitan).
Where the perfect views an action as one completed whole, the imperfect views it as still in progress or still to come, or as repeated. So it is rendered “will do” (future), “used to do” (repeated past), or “may / must do” (modal).
By the OSHB morphology the imperfect occurs 14,478 times in the Old Testament (all stems, not counting forms analyzed separately as wayyiqtol, jussive or cohortative), 537 of them in Genesis.
2Where the name comes from — יִקְטֹל yiqtol
The imperfect “he will kill” of the model verb קטל is יִקְטֹל (yiqtol), and that sound is used as the name. The front יִ is “he,” and קְטֹל is the root.
“Imperfect” comes from Latin imperfectum, “not yet completed.” Traditional Hebrew grammar calls it עָתִיד (atid, “what is to come”). Despite the names, the imperfect is not always future (see “Meaning” below).
3At a glance — how to recognize the imperfect
- A “who” letter in frontיִ he · they · תִּ she · you · אֶ I · נִ we. In the Qal the prefix vowel is usually ִ (i) — יִקְרָא (Gen 2:19).
- Some add an endingוּ they · you (m pl) · י you (f) · נָה they (f) · you (f pl). Read the prefix and the ending together to know who.
- ֹ (o) on the second root letterThe basic Qal imperfect vowel is ֹ (o) on the second root letter, as in יִקְטֹל. With a guttural third letter or a stative verb it becomes ַ (a) — יִשְׁלַח (3:22).
4Paradigm — Qal imperfect, prefixes and endings
The Qal imperfect of the model קטל (kill). Blue is the “who” in front, orange the “who” at the end.
| Who | Qal imperfect | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| he (3ms) | יִקְטֹל | yiqtol | he will kill |
| she (3fs) | תִּקְטֹל | tiqtol | she will kill |
| you (2ms) | תִּקְטֹל | tiqtol | you (m) will kill |
| you (2fs) | תִּקְטְלִי | tiqteli | you (f) will kill |
| I (1cs) | אֶקְטֹל | ’eqtol | I will kill |
| they (3mp) | יִקְטְלוּ | yiqtelu | they will kill |
| they (3fp) | תִּקְטֹלְנָה | tiqtolnah | they (f) will kill |
| you (2mp) | תִּקְטְלוּ | tiqtelu | you (m pl) will kill |
| you (2fp) | תִּקְטֹלְנָה | tiqtolnah | you (f pl) will kill |
| we (1cp) | נִקְטֹל | niqtol | we will kill |
Two forms appear twice: תִּקְטֹל is “she” and “you (m),” and תִּקְטֹלְנָה is “they (f)” and “you (f pl).” The subject tells which. The prefixes resemble the pronouns too — א and אֲנִי (I), נ and אֲנַחְנוּ (we), ת and אַתָּה (you).
5The same table in Bible words
Each word below is analyzed by OSHB as a Qal imperfect in Genesis.
| Who | Bible word | Reading | Place · meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| he | יִקְרָא | yiqra | Gen 2:19 · he would call |
| she | תִּרְמֹשׂ | tirmos | Gen 9:2 · (the ground) creeps |
| you (m) | תִּמְשָׁל | timshal | Gen 4:7 · you shall rule |
| you (f) | תֵּלְדִי | teledi | Gen 3:16 · you shall bear |
| I | אֶדְרֹשׁ | ’edrosh | Gen 9:5 · I will require |
| they | יִשְׁרְצוּ | yishretsu | Gen 1:20 · let them swarm |
| you (m pl) | תִּשְׁמְרוּ | tishmeru | Gen 17:10 · you shall keep |
| we | נִקְרָא | niqra | Gen 24:57 · we will call |
תִּמְשָׁל (4:7) stands at the end of a clause (pause), so it has ָ instead of ֹ. תֵּלְדִי (3:16) has lost its first root letter י, so the prefix vowel is ֵ (e) (see “Weak verbs”). In 2:19 יִקְרָא the third letter א gives the second vowel ָ (a).
6Real examples from the Bible — splitting prefix and ending
Read the blue (front) and the orange (end) together.
yiqra — he would call
יִ (he) + the root ק-ר-א (call). No ending, so a single “he.” The subject הָאָדָם (Adam) follows. “Whatever Adam would call it” — something not yet settled is told with the imperfect.
YLVAnd YHWH God formed out of the ground (adamah) every living thing (chai) of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought it to Adam to see what he would call it; and whatever Adam called it, the living soul (nephesh), that was its name.
yishretsu — let (them) swarm
יִ (front) + the root שׁ-ר-ץ + וּ (end). The front י alone looks like “he,” but with וּ at the end it is “they.” The subject is הַמַּיִם (the waters). Same root as the perfect שָׁרְצוּ (swarmed) in 1:21 — the imperfect has a front letter, the perfect does not.
YLVAnd God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms, a living soul (nephesh); and let birds fly above the earth upon the face of the firmament of the heavens."
’edrosh — I will require
אֶ (I) + the root ד-ר-שׁ (seek, require), with ֹ (o) on the second letter — exactly the shape of the model אֶקְטֹל. It occurs three times in this verse — something he will do.
YLVAnd surely your blood, for your souls (nephesh), I will require; from the hand of every living thing (chai) I will require it, and from the hand of man (adam), from the hand of a man (ish), his brother, I will require the soul (nephesh) of man (adam).
tishmeru — you (pl) shall keep
תִּ (front) + the root שׁ-מ-ר (keep) + וּ (end) = “you (m pl).” Front ת with וּ is “you (pl)”; front י with וּ is “they.”
YLVThis is my covenant (berit) which you shall keep, between me and you and between your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
niqra — we will call
נִ (we) + the root ק-ר-א. Only the front letter differs from יִקְרָא in 2:19. This נִ is the “we” prefix, not the נ of the Niphal.
YLVAnd they said, "We will call the young woman (na'arah), and ask her mouth."
teledi — you (f) shall bear
תֵּ (front) + לְד (the second and third letters of י-ל-ד) + י (end). Front ת with end י is “you (feminine).” God is speaking to the woman.
YLVTo the woman (ishah) he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception; in pain you shall bear children, and to your man (ish) shall be your desire, and he shall rule over you."
7What the imperfect does — future · ongoing · modal · prohibition
(1) What is to come “will” — אֶדְרֹשׁ (I will require, 9:5) · תֵּלְדִי (you shall bear, 3:16) · 1:29 לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה (“to you it shall be for food”).
(2) Ongoing action in the past — even in a past story the imperfect is used when an action continues or is not yet realized: 2:5 טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח (“was not yet … had not yet sprouted” — after טֶרֶם “not yet, before”) · 2:6 וְאֵד יַעֲלֶה (“a mist went up”). Many grammars explain 2:6 as repeated past action (“used to go up”).
(3) May / must — 2:16 אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל (“you shall surely eat,” the infinitive absolute אָכֹל adding force) · 4:7 וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל־בּוֹ (“but you shall rule over it”).
(4) לֹא + imperfect = prohibition — 2:17 לֹא תֹאכַל (“you shall not eat”). God’s commandments (“you shall not”) are mostly in this form. For the difference from אַל + jussive, see the jussive page.
So when you meet an imperfect, ask from the context which kind of unfinished action it is — to come, repeated, or required.
8When the root has a weak letter — the prefix vowel changes
The prefixes א י ת נ stay, but their vowel or the shape of the root changes. The changed part is colored purple.
tokhel — you shall eat
The root א-כ-ל (eat) begins with א. The א loses its sound and the prefix ת takes ֹ (o): not “ti-’a-khel” but “tokhel.” תֹאכַל in 2:17 is the same verb.
YLVAnd YHWH God commanded (tzivvah) Adam, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you shall surely eat,
ya‘azov — he shall leave
The first root letter ע is a guttural, so it takes hateph patah (ֲ) instead of sheva, and the prefix vowel becomes ַ (a) instead of ִ (i): יַעֲ. נַעֲשֶׂה (let us make, 1:26) is the same.
YLVTherefore a man (ish) shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his woman (ishah), and they shall become one flesh (basar).
yishlaḥ — he would put forth
The third root letter ח is a guttural, so the vowel before it is ַ (a), not ֹ (o). Compared with יִקְטֹל, only that vowel differs. יִצְמָח in 2:5 is the same.
YLVAnd YHWH God said, "Behold, Adam has become like one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life (chai), and eat, and live forever—"
’etten — I will give
The first root letter נ of נ-ת-ן (give) has no vowel before ת, so it merges into it (en-ten → etten). The doubled ת is written with a dot (dagesh) — the same thing that happens to the נ of the Niphal imperfect.
YLVAnd YHWH appeared to Abram, and said: "To your seed I will give this land." And he built there an altar to YHWH, who had appeared to him.
tamut — you shall die
The root מ-ו-ת (die) has ו in the middle. In the imperfect that ו becomes the vowel וּ (u), and the prefix takes ָ (a). With מוֹת (infinitive absolute) before it: “you shall surely die.”
YLVbut of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die."
yihyeh — it shall be
The root ה-י-ה (be) ends in ה. Imperfects of final-ה verbs end in ֶה (eh). The short form without it, יְהִי, is the “let there be” of 1:3 (jussive).
YLVAnd God said, "Behold, I have given to you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.
9Easy to confuse
A ת prefix can mean several persons. תִּקְטֹל is both “she” and “you (m).” In 9:2 תִּרְמֹשׂ the subject is הָאֲדָמָה (the ground, feminine), so “she”; in 2:16 תֹּאכֵל God is speaking to Adam, so “you.” The subject and context decide.
וַ + prefix + dot is not the imperfect but the wayyiqtol. וַיִּקְרָא (1:5, and he called) carries a past story forward. An ordinary imperfect with a conjunction has וְ (וְיִ), with no dot in the prefix.
The imperfect and the jussive usually look the same. OSHB analyzes 1:20 יִשְׁרְצוּ as an imperfect, while YLV renders it “Let … swarm” (a wish). For strong verbs the jussive has the same form, so the context decides. Only final-ה verbs, the Hiphil and a few others have a shorter jussive (see the jussive page).
The “we” נִ and the Niphal. נִקְרָא (24:57, we will call) is the Qal imperfect “we.” It can look like the Niphal perfect נִקְרָא (“was called”), so check the context and the morphology.
10Where this appears in Genesis 1–2
All 17 places, found from the OSHB morphology. Tap one to go to that word’s notes.