Hebrew Verb Tenses

Excerpt from Wikipedia, 18Jul2020:

Biblical Hebrew has two main conjugation types, the suffix conjugation, also called the Perfect, and the prefix conjugation, also called Imperfect. The Perfect verb form expressed the idea of the verb as a completed action, viewing it from start to finish as a whole, and not focusing on the process by which the verb came to be completed, stating it as a simple fact. This is often used in the past tense, however there are some contexts in which a Perfect verb translates into the present and future tenses.^[177]

The Imperfect portrays the verb as an incomplete action along with the process by which it came about, either as an event that has not begun, an event that has begun but is still in the process, or a habitual or cyclic action that is on an ongoing repetition. The Imperfect can also express modal or conditional verbs, as well as commands in the Jussive¹ and Cohortative² moods. While often future tense, it also has uses in the past and present under certain contexts. Biblical Hebrew tense is not necessarily reflected in the verb forms per se, but rather is determined primarily by context. The Participles also reflect ongoing or continuous actions, but are also subject to the context determining their tense.

Jussive mood: a mild command, wish, request, or permission, often directed toward a third person (“let him…,” “let them…”).
Cohortative mood: a verb form expressing a speaker’s strong desire, intention, encouragement, or self-exhortation—usually in the first person.

The verbal forms can be Past Tense in these circumstances:^[178]

Perfect, Simple Past: in narrative, reflects a simple completed action, perception, emotion or mental process, and can also be past tense from the perspective of a prior verb which is used in future tense
Imperfect, Waw Consecutive Preterite: simple past tense which takes the וַ prefix as a conjunction, appears at the beginning of a clause when it's connected in a narrative sequence with previous clauses, where the conjunction can be translated as 'and then', 'then', 'but', 'however', sometimes is not translated at all, and can even have a parenthetical function as if suggesting the clause is like a side note to the main focus of the narrative
Imperfect, Past: reflecting not just a past action but also suggesting the process with which it was being done, e.g.: "I brought the horse to a halt", "I began to hear"
Imperfect, Cyclic Past: reflecting a habitual or cyclic action over time, e.g. "this is what Job would always do"
Participle in Past Tense: an active or passive Participle being used in its imperfect verbal sense in the past, e.g. "and the Spirit of God was hovering"

The verbal forms can be Present Tense in these circumstances:^[178]

Perfect, Proverbial/General Present: a general truth in the present tense which is not referring to a specific event, e.g. "the sun sets in the west"
Perfect, Stative Present: present tense with verbs that depict a state of being rather than an action, including verbs of perception, emotion or mental process, e.g. "I love", "I hate", "I understand", "I know"
Perfect, Present Perfect: a Present Perfect verb, e.g. "I have walked"
Imperfect, Present Condition: an Imperfect verb in the present, one which implies that an action has been going on for some time and is still ongoing in the present, especially used of questions in the present, e.g. "what are you seeking?"
Imperfect, Cyclic Present: an Imperfect verb in the present, reflecting a cyclic action in the present, e.g. "it is being said in the city", "a son makes his father glad"
Participle in Present Tense: an active or passive Participle being used in its imperfect verbal sense in the present, e.g. "I am going"

The verbal forms can be Future Tense in these circumstances:^[178]

Perfect, Waw Consecutive Future: by analogy to the Preterite, a simple future tense verb which takes the וְ prefix as a conjunction, appears at the beginning of a clause when it's connected in a narrative sequence with previous clauses, where the conjunction can be translated as 'and then', 'then', 'but', 'however', sometimes is not translated at all, and can even have a parenthetical function as if suggesting the clause is like a side note to the main focus of the narrative
Perfect, Waw Consecutive Subjunctive: takes the וְ prefix as a conjunction to continue the Subjunctive Mood in a narrative sequence
Perfect, Waw Consecutive Jussive/Cohortative: takes the וְ prefix as a conjunction to continue the Jussive and Cohortative Moods in a narrative sequence
Perfect, Promise Future: the completeness of the verb form here expresses an imminent action in the context of promises, threats and the language of contracts and covenants in general, e.g. "I will give you this land", "will I have this pleasure?"
Perfect, Prophetic Future: the completeness of the verb form here expresses an imminent action in the context of prophecy, e.g. "you will go into exile"
Imperfect, Future: reflects a future event which has not yet come into completion, or one that has not yet begun, or future tense from the perspective of a prior verb which is used in past tense
Imperfect, Subjunctive: reflects a potential, theoretical or modal verb, such as in conditional clauses, e.g. "If you go...", "she should stay"
Imperfect, Jussive/Cohortative: reflects a non-immediate command, invitation, permission or wishful request, e.g. "let there be light", "you may eat from the tree", "let's go", "O that someone would get me a drink"

Extract from ChatGPT AI query:

“In Hebrew, the perfect and imperfect verb tenses describe actions or states in different ways:

Perfect Tense (עבר, Avar):

The perfect tense typically refers to actions or states that have been completed in the past.

It is used to describe events that are finished or viewed as a whole.

The perfect tense often indicates something that happened or was completed at a definite point in the past.

Example: למדתי (lamadti) – "I learned" or "I have learned."

Imperfect Tense (עתיד, Atid or הווה, Hoveh):

The imperfect tense describes actions that are ongoing, repeated, or incomplete. It can refer to actions in the future, or habitual actions in the present or past.

It also can describe actions that are not yet completed or that are supposed to happen.

Example: אני לומד (ani lomed) – "I am learning" or למד (lamed) – "I will learn."

Key Differences:

Perfect = Completed action, often past.

Imperfect = Ongoing or future action, often not yet finished or habitual.

The usage of these tenses can sometimes depend on context, especially for the imperfect tense, which can refer to future actions or incomplete actions.”