יכול

Hebrew

Etymology

Possibly cognate with Arabic وَكَلَ‎ (wakala, “to trust”) (Shared with Akkadian and Ethiopic), from Proto-Semitic *wakal-. Alternatively, Huehnergardand and Olyan propose k-h-l as the proto root.[1]

Root
י־כ־ל‎ (y-k-l)

Pronunciation

Verb

יכול /יָכֹל • (yakhól) (pa'al construction)

  1. can, to be able to

Usage notes
  • הָיָה‎ (hayá, “was”) is commonly added to the third-person singular past tense to differentiate it from the present tense: היה יכול \ הָיָה יָכֹל‎ (hayá yakhól) or יכול היה \ יָכֹל הָיָה‎ (yakhól hayá).

Conjugation
Conjugation of יכול \ יָכֹל (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)
non-finite forms
  • to-infinitive: לִהְיוֹת יָכוֹל‎
finite forms masculine
singular		 feminine
singular		 masculine
plural		 feminine
plural
past first person יכולתי \ יָכֹלְתִּי‎ יכולנו \ יָכֹלְנוּ‎
second person יכולת \ יָכֹלְתָּ‎ יכולת \ יָכֹלְתְּ‎ יכולתם \ יְכָלְתֶּם‎ יכולתן \ יְכָלְתֶּן‎
third person יכול \ יָכֹל יָכְלָה‎ יָכְלוּ‎
present all persons יָכוֹל יְכוֹלָה‎ יְכוֹלִים‎ יְכוֹלוֹת‎
future first person אוּכַל‎ נוּכַל‎
second person תּוּכַל‎ תּוּכְלִי‎ תּוּכְלוּ‎ תּוּכַלְנָה‎1
third person יוּכַל‎ תּוּכַל‎ יוּכְלוּ‎ תּוּכַלְנָה‎1
imperative second person – – – –1
notes
  1. Uncommon in modern informal Hebrew, but used in formal speech and writing.

References

References
  1. Huehnergard, J., & Olyan, S. M. (2013). The Etymology of Hebrew and Aramaic Ykl ‘to be able’. Journal of semitic studies, 58(1), 13-19.

Anagrams
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