The patterns here are listed in the order I started to remember them in. This way I feel most common patterns will be at the top. I wouldn’t say they are ordered by their frequency. It’s rather that they are loosely grouped, starting with the group of the most popular ones and ending with a group of the most rare ones.
Gender: M – masculine, F – feminine, A-a – any gender with the “-a” ending used for the feminine form, A-t – the same with the “-t” ending, A-it – with the “-it” ending. For example, “katlan” is A-it, which means its feminine form is “katlanit”.
The עול֫ה cantillation mark is used to indicate the stress where it’s not on the last syllable.
Note that semantics is very vague and can’t be relied upon. Translations are also very rough (a word may have a lot of different meanings, but only one listed here as an example).
Table III.2.4. Shem patterns
| מנוקד | לא מנוקד | Gender | Semantics | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| קֶ֫טֶל | קטל | Typically M. Sometimes forms feminine using the “k(i/a/e)tla” model | Just about any noun. Probably the most popular model with the stress not on the last syllable | דלק | Fuel |
| מַקְטֵל | מקטל | M | A tool or a device | מחשב | Computer |
| מִקְטָל | מקטל | M | A place or an organized activity | מזרח | East |
| קָטָל | קטל | A-a | Just about any word, typically an adjective | לבן | White |