III-Aleph verbs ל״א lamed-aleph
In verbs ending in א, that א loses its sound when it closes a syllable without a vowel. The letter stays but is not read, and the vowel before it lengthens. So the Bible’s first verb בָּרָא (he created, Gen 1:1) is “bara,” with a different second vowel from the strong קָטַל (qatal). This page shows these changes one by one in words actually used in the Bible.
א in the ל (third root) position
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 III-Aleph verbs are
These are verbs whose last root letter is א (aleph) — בָּרָא (create) · קָרָא (call) · מָצָא (find) · מָלֵא (be full) · יָצָא (go out) · יָרֵא (fear) · חָטָא (sin) · נָשָׂא (lift). The very first verb of the Bible, בָּרָא (Gen 1:1), is one of them.
Their weakness is that a final א with no vowel at the end of a syllable loses its sound. The letter is still written but not pronounced (a “quiescent” א). In compensation the preceding vowel lengthens (בָּרָא bara — ָ rather than ַ), and a following ת loses its dot (בָּרָאתִי).
Compared with other weak verbs the changes are few. The ending never drops off as in III-He verbs, so the wayyiqtol is not shortened (וַיִּבְרָא 1:21). So this page has two main points: where the א is silent, and how the vowel before it changes.
2Where the name comes from — ל״א Lamed-Aleph
Traditional grammar names the root positions after the model verb פָּעַל (pa‘al); the third position is ל (lamed). A verb “with א in the third position” is therefore Lamed-Aleph (ל״א), also written III-Aleph.
3At a glance — four signs of a III-Aleph verb
- Second vowel of the perfect “he” is ָThe strong קָטַל (qatal) has ַ; a III-Aleph verb has ָ — בָּרָא (Gen 1:1) · מָצָא (2:20).
- The imperfect’s last vowel is ָ tooNot the “o” of the strong יִקְטֹל (yiqtol) but “a” — יִקְרָא (he will call, 2:19).
- ת נ before “I, you, we”The א rests silent and the ת after it has no dot — בָּרָאתִי (I created, 6:7).
- Before a vowel ending the א is a consonant againA vowel appears under א and it is pronounced — וַיִּקְרְאוּ (and they called, 19:5).
4Paradigm — מצא (find)
The main Qal and Niphal forms. A purple א is silent; an uncoloured א carries a vowel and is pronounced.
| Form | מצא | Reading | Difference from strong קטל |
|---|---|---|---|
| perfect (he) | מָצָא | matsa | second vowel ָ (קָטַל has ַ) |
| perfect (she) | מָצְאָה | matse’ah | א has the vowel ָ and is sounded |
| perfect (you, m) | מָצָאתָ | matsata | א silent · no dot in ת |
| perfect (I) | מָצָאתִי | matsati | א silent · no dot in ת |
| perfect (they) | מָצְאוּ | matse’u | א sounded |
| perfect (we) | מָצָאנוּ | matsanu | א silent |
| imperfect (he) | יִמְצָא | yimtsa | last vowel ָ (יִקְטֹל has ֹ) |
| imperfect (they) | יִמְצְאוּ | yimtse’u | א sounded |
| wayyiqtol (and he) | וַיִּמְצָא | vayyimtsa | not shortened |
| imperative (2ms) | מְצָא | metsa | ָ |
| infinitive construct | מְצֹא | metso | ֹ as in the strong verb |
| participle (ms) | מֹצֵא | motse | same as the strong verb |
| Niphal perfect (he) | נִמְצָא | nimtsa | second vowel ָ (נִקְטַל has ַ) |
| Niphal imperfect (he) | יִמָּצֵא | yimmatse | ֵ as in the strong verb |
Stative verbs like מָלֵא (be full) and יָרֵא (fear) have ֵ in the perfect and keep it before “I” — יָרֵאתִי (I was afraid, Gen 31:31).
5Why — the quiescent א
- 1. א is a very weak soundא is a brief catch of the breath in the throat. With no vowel after it, the sound becomes inaudible and only the letter remains — a “quiescent” א.
- 2. When the syllable opens, the vowel lengthensOnce the א is silent, the syllable before it is open. A stressed open-syllable “a” lengthens in Hebrew, so ַ becomes ָ → בָּרָא (bara). The “a” of the imperfect (יִמְצָא) comes from the throat letter at the end and lengthens for the same reason.
- 3. After a vowel the ת loses its dotThe weak dot (dagesh lene) in letters like ת is written only right after a closing consonant. When the א before the “I” ending תִּי is silent, the sound right before ת is the vowel ָ, so the dot goes → מָצָאתִי.
- 4. Followed by a vowel it is sounded againWhen a vowel ending is added — “she” ָה, “they” וּ — the א takes that vowel and is a consonant again → מָצְאָה (matse’ah).
6The perfect — real examples from the Bible
bara — he created
Qal perfect (he): בָּ + רָ + א (silent). A strong verb would have ַ as in קָטַל; because the final א lost its sound and the syllable opened, the vowel lengthened to ָ. So it is two syllables, “ba-ra.” The first verb in the Bible.
YLVIn beginning (bereshit) God created the heavens and the earth.
matsa — (he did not) find
Qal perfect (he): מָצָ + א (silent), the same shape as בָּרָא in 1:1. With לֹא before it: “for the man he did not find a helper fit for him.”
YLVAnd Adam called names to all the cattle and to the bird of the heavens and to every living thing (chai) of the field; but for Adam he did not find a helper as his counterpart.
barati — I have created
Qal perfect (I): בָּרָ + א (silent) + תִי (I). The strong verb’s “I” ending is תִּי with a dot; here the א before it is silent, a vowel precedes the ת, and the dot is gone. “I will wipe out man whom I have created.”
YLVAnd YHWH said, "I will blot out man (adam) whom I created from upon the face of the ground (adamah), from man (adam) to beast, to creeping thing, and to bird of the heavens; for I am sorry that I made them."
matse’ah — she (the dove) did not find
Qal perfect (she): מָצְ + א (now carrying ָ) + ה. With the vowel ending ָה the א is a sounded consonant again. “The dove found no resting place” — “dove” is feminine.
YLVBut the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him, to the ark, for the waters were upon the face of all the earth; and he put forth his hand and took her and brought her to him into the ark.
7Imperfect · wayyiqtol — final ָ, never shortened
yiqra — he would call
Qal imperfect (he): יִ + קְרָ + א (silent). Instead of the “o” of the strong יִקְטֹל it has “a” (ָ). “To see what he would call them.”
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.
vayyivra — and he created
Qal wayyiqtol: וַיִּ + בְרָ + א. Its ending is the same as the imperfect יִבְרָא; unlike III-He verbs (וַיַּעַשׂ) nothing drops. The same root ב-ר-א as in 1:1.
YLVAnd God created the great sea-creatures (tannin), and every living soul (nephesh) that creeps, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
vayyiqra — and he called
וַיִּ + קְרָ + א. It stands beside the perfect קָרָא (he called) in the same verse: “God called the light Day … and the darkness he called Night.”
YLVAnd God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, day one.
vayyiqre’u — and they called
וַיִּ + קְרְ + א (sounded before וּ) + וּ (they). With a vowel after it the א is a consonant again, and the vowel of ר before it reduces to a sheva.
YLVAnd they called to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men (ish) who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them."
8Imperative · infinitive · participle · other stems
umil’u — and fill
Qal imperative (2mp): וּ (and) + מִלְ + א (sounded) + וּ (you all). Root מ-ל-א (be full, fill). “Fill the waters in the seas.”
YLVAnd God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth."
liqro — to call
לִ (to) + the infinitive construct קְרֹא. The infinitive construct keeps “o” (ֹ) like the strong verb. “Then men began to call on the name of YHWH.”
YLVAnd to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then it was begun to call upon the name of YHWH.
yiqqare — (it) shall be called
Niphal imperfect: יִ + קָּ (dot of the merged Niphal נ) + רֵ + א (silent). The Niphal imperfect keeps ֵ as in the strong verb. “She shall be called Woman.”
YLVAnd Adam said, "This now is bone of my bones and flesh (basar) of my flesh (basar); for this one it shall be called Woman (ishah), because from Man (ish) this one was taken."
nimtsa — (it) was found
Niphal perfect (he): נִ (Niphal) + מְצָ + א (silent). The ַ of the strong Niphal נִקְטַל lengthens to ָ. The same verse also has the Qal מָצָא (he found out): “God has found out the iniquity … in whose hand the cup was found.”
YLVAnd Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? And how shall we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are servants to my lord, both we and he in whose hand the goblet was found."
tadshe — let (the earth) sprout
Hiphil jussive: תַּ (she — Hiphil prefix vowel ַ) + דְשֵׁ + א (silent). Root ד-שׁ-א (sprout). A III-He jussive would be shortened; a III-Aleph jussive looks the same as the imperfect. “Let the earth sprout vegetation.”
YLVAnd God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, herb yielding seed, fruit tree making fruit after its kind, in which is its seed, upon the earth"; and it was so.
yotse — going out
Qal participle: יֹ + צֵ + א (silent), with the same vowels as the strong קֹטֵל. This verb י-צ-א also has a weak first letter: in the Hiphil וַתּוֹצֵא (1:12) it appears as וֹ.
YLVAnd a river was going out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four heads.
9Easy to confuse
A final א is not always the third root letter. The final א of וַיַּרְא (and he saw, 1:4) is the middle letter of ר-א-ה, in a short form that has lost its third letter ה (see “III-He verbs”). בָּא (he came) is the hollow verb ב-ו-א (see “Hollow verbs”).
וַיִּירָא (feared) · וַיַּרְא (saw) · וַיִּקְרָא (called). All three seem to end in א. וַיִּירָא (28:17) is י-ר-א, וַיַּרְא is ר-א-ה, וַיִּקְרָא is ק-ר-א. The prefix vowel (ִי · ַ · ִ) and the number of letters left tell them apart.
Verbs with two weak letters. נָשָׂא (lift) is weak at both ends: in וַיִּשָּׂא (13:10) the נ merges into a dot and the א is silent. יָצָא and יָרֵא are weak in the first י and the final א. Apply both pages’ rules to such words.
A ָ does not always mean III-Aleph. In pause (at a resting point of the sentence) a strong verb’s ַ also lengthens to ָ. First check that there really is an א at the end.