שאל

See also: שאַל

Aramaic

From root ש-א-ל.

שאל • (transliteration needed)

Root
שׁ־א־ל (sh-ʾ-l)

Compare Arabic سَأَلَ (saʔala), Ge'ez ሰአለ (säʾälä).

שָׁאַל • (sha'ál) (pa'al construction, future יִשְׁאַל, passive participle שָׁאוּל, passive counterpart נִשְׁאַל)

(ask): Unlike English ask, Hebrew שָׁאַל is not usually used in the sense of “request”; for that, ביקש / בִּקֵּשׁ (bikésh, “ask for, request”) is used.
(borrow): Unlike English borrow, Hebrew שָׁאַל is not used with loans that are not returned exactly, such as money (since one does not return the same money that one borrows, as in the same bills or coins or the like, but rather an equivalent amount of money); for that, הלווה / הִלְוָה (hilvá, “borrow (money, etc.)”) is used.

Conjugation of שָׁאַל (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לשאול / לִשְׁאֹל action noun: שְׁאִילָה passive participle: שָׁאוּל
finite forms		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	שָׁאַלְתִּי		שָׁאַלְנוּ
	second	שָׁאַלְתָּ	שָׁאַלְתְּ	שְׁאַלְתֶּם¹	שְׁאַלְתֶּן¹
	third	שָׁאַל	שָׁאֲלָה	שָׁאֲלוּ
present		שׁוֹאֵל	שׁוֹאֶלֶת	שׁוֹאֲלִים	שׁוֹאֲלוֹת
future	first	אֶשְׁאַל		נִשְׁאַל
	second	תִּשְׁאַל	תִּשְׁאֲלִי	תִּשְׁאֲלוּ	תִּשְׁאַלְנָה²
	third	יִשְׁאַל	תִּשְׁאַל	יִשְׁאֲלוּ	תִּשְׁאַלְנָה²
imperative		שְׁאַל	שַׁאֲלִי	שַׁאֲלוּ	שְׁאַלְנָה²
notes		Pronounced שָׁאַלְתֶּם and שָׁאַלְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

שאל • (shal) f, plural שאלן (shaln), diminutive שאליקל (shalikl)