1. Know that although I said that in every root category there are seven verb patterns, this applies only to the division of transitive verbs. But the class of intransitive verbs has only three active patterns, for the passive patterns are not needed for them, since they themselves are already passive, as I have already hinted in section 2. Only a few are found that appear in the Nif‘al and Hitpa‘el patterns, as will be explained in the Eighth Principle:

2. And as for what I said, that every verb pattern has six tenses, this applies only to the three active patterns; for in the other four the passive does not apply, since they themselves are passive, and in some of them the imperative does not apply either, as will be explained with respect to each one:

3. And as for what I said, that each tense has two genders, this is correct for all the tenses except for the makor, to which no gender applies at all, for it is the same for all. It is called the makor because from it all the actions derive, as will be further explained.

And as for what I said, that each gender has two numbers, this too is correct in all cases except for the makor.

4. And as for what I said, that each number has three persons, this applies only in the past and in the future. But the other tenses have only one person, for the participle and the passive have only the third person.

And if you wish to use them with the other persons, it is necessary to add a pronominal word of the second person together with the second person.

And likewise a pronominal word of the first person with the first person, for example: atta poqed, ani poqed, attem poqedim, anachnu poqedim, att poqedet, atten poqedot; and so too in the passive.

And the imperative has only the second person, and it cannot be used in the other persons, for commands are given only to one who is addressed.

5. And as for what I said, that each person has a distinct form of expression, this applies only to the second person and the third person. But the form of expression of the first person is the same for masculine and feminine in all verbs and in all suffixes, such as ani, anachnu, and likewise all ni and nu found among the suffixes.

However, the form of the third person that is the same for masculine and feminine applies only in the past tense alone, such as paqdu.

And the general rule is that all forms of speech are divided into four parts: singular masculine, plural masculine, singular feminine, and plural feminine.

And for each of these there are three persons: second person, third person, and first person. Accordingly, in each tense there should have been three forms for the masculine plural, three for the feminine singular, and three for the feminine plural. But since in the past tense the three persons are the same for masculine and feminine, as will be explained, there remain in it nine forms of expression.

6. And likewise in the future tense there ought to have been twelve forms of expression; but since the two first-person forms are also the same in it, there remain only ten forms of expression. And although the forms of the feminine third person and the feminine second person come in the same form — for the word tifqadnah serves for both — nevertheless it is not considered identical, for two reasons:

The first is that every instance of “identical” that I have mentioned means identical for masculine and feminine, and this is not the case here:

And the second reason is that their meaning is not the same: for one applies to the third-person feminine plural, and the other to the second-person feminine plural. Likewise, even though two distinct forms are made from tifqod, they are not called identical, for one is for the second person and the other for the third person; and one is not substituted for the other. Therefore, they are not called identical.