English

Feelings live in the hitpael

Feelings like being ashamed, being proud or getting upset mostly live in one verb pattern: hitpael. You spot it by mit- at the front in the present and lehit- in the infinitive, the dictionary form. For example: “הוא מתבייש לדבר עברית, היא מתגאה בילדים.” — He is ashamed to speak Hebrew, she is proud of the children. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

Feelings like being ashamed, being proud or getting upset mostly live in one verb pattern: hitpael. You spot it by mit- at the front in the present and lehit- in the infinitive, the dictionary form.

The pattern says the feeling happens inside you: lehitbayesh (להתבייש (леитбайеш)) — to be ashamed; lehitatzev (להתעצב (леитацев)) — to get upset, from the same root as atzuv, sad.

The present changes for gender and number, not person: mitbayesh — he is ashamed, mitbayeshet — she is, mitbayeshim — they are. Learn it once and it fits everyone.

One trap: in the past the front becomes hit-: hitbayeshti — I was ashamed, hitatzev — he got upset. The m- of the present is gone.

Table

Feelings live in the hitpael
infinitiveheshetranslation
להתביישמתביישמתביישתto be ashamed
להתגאותמתגאהמתגאהto be proud
להתעצבמתעצבמתעצבתto get upset
להתנהגמתנהגמתנהגתto behave

By example

  • הוא מתבייש לדבר עברית, היא מתגאה בילדים.
    у митбайеш ледабер иврит, хи митгаа ба-йеладим.
    He is ashamed to speak Hebrew, she is proud of the children.
  • היא מתעצבת כשהגשם חזק.
    хи митацевет кше-ха-гешем хазак.
    She gets upset when the rain is heavy.
  • הילדים מתנהגים יפה בבית הספר.
    ха-йеладим митнагим яфе бе-бейт сефер.
    The children behave well at school.
  • להתבייש לפני כולם אין סיבה.
    леитбайеш лифней кулам эйн сиба.
    There is no need to be ashamed of everyone around.

How the rule settles in your head

A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.

Frequently asked

How to say I am ashamed in Hebrew?

The pattern says the feeling happens inside you: lehitbayesh (להתבייש) — to be ashamed; lehitatzev (להתעצב) — to get upset, from the same root as atzuv, sad.

The hitpael binyan for feelings?

Feelings like being ashamed, being proud or getting upset mostly live in one verb pattern: hitpael. You spot it by mit- at the front in the present and lehit- in the infinitive, the dictionary form.

How to say to be proud in Hebrew?

The pattern says the feeling happens inside you: lehitbayesh (להתבייש) — to be ashamed; lehitatzev (להתעצב) — to get upset, from the same root as atzuv, sad.

What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?

“הוא מתבייש לדבר עברית, היא מתגאה בילדים.” (у митбайеш ледабер иврит, хи митгаа ба-йеладим.) — He is ashamed to speak Hebrew, she is proud of the children. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

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