ביקש — to ask for, to request | Hebrew Grammar

ביקש bikésh, “ask for, request,” is pi'el, root ב־ק־שׁ, in the sound class. English uses ask both for posing a question and requesting something; Hebrew normally splits them. ביקש introduces the thing or action wanted, while שאל introduces a question.

Complete paradigm

Person	Past	Future
אני	בִּיקַּשְׁתִּי bikáshti	אֲבַקֵּשׁ avakésh
אתה	בִּיקַּשְׁתָּ bikáshta	תְּבַקֵּשׁ tevakésh
את	בִּיקַּשְׁתְּ bikásht	תְּבַקְּשִׁי tevakshí
הוא	בִּיקֵּשׁ bikésh	יְבַקֵּשׁ yevakésh
היא	בִּיקְּשָׁה bikshá	תְּבַקֵּשׁ tevakésh
אנחנו	בִּיקַּשְׁנוּ bikáshnu	נְבַקֵּשׁ nevakésh
אתם / אתן	בִּיקַּשְׁתֶּם / בִּיקַּשְׁתֶּן bikáshtem / bikáshten	תְּבַקְּשׁוּ tevakshú
הם / הן	בִּיקְּשׁוּ bikshú	יְבַקְּשׁוּ yevakshú

Form type	Forms	Use
present	מְבַקֵּשׁ mevakésh · מְבַקֶּשֶׁת mevakéshet · מְבַקְּשִׁים mevakshím · מְבַקְּשׁוֹת mevakshót	neutral
imperative	בַּקֵּשׁ bakésh · בַּקְּשִׁי bakshí · בַּקְּשׁוּ bakshú	grammatical; future commands are common in speech
infinitive	לְבַקֵּשׁ levakésh	neutral
action noun	בַּקָּשָׁה bakashá	request; the everyday noun
pu'al participle	מְבוּקָּשׁ mevukásh	wanted, sought-after, in demand

The table gives ordinary retracted stress in ביקשתם / ביקשתן; careful speech has bikashtém / bikashtén. Dedicated feminine plural תבקשנה is (formal or literary); contemporary speech uses תבקשו. The past has the ktiv-male yod of regular three-radical pi'el—ביקש—while present, future and infinitive have none: מבקש, יבקש, לבקש.

ביקשתי חשבון לפני עשר דקות ועדיין לא הביאו.

bikáshti kheshbón lifnéi éser dakót va'adáyin lo heví'u.

I asked for the bill ten minutes ago, and they still haven't brought it.

תבקשי ממנו את הכתובת לפני שאת יוצאת.

tevakshí miménu et haktóvet lifnéi she'at yotsét.

Ask him for the address before you leave. (to a woman)

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Store the four anchors בִּיקֵּשׁ – מְבַקֵּשׁ – יְבַקֵּשׁ – לְבַקֵּשׁ. The past alone writes a yod because it alone begins with an i vowel.

The requested thing and the person asked

The thing wanted is the direct object. An indefinite thing stands bare—ביקשתי עזרה—and a definite thing takes את—ביקשתי את החשבון. The person from whom it is requested takes מ־, including ממני, ממך, ממנו, ממנה. English puts a person directly after ask; Hebrew's מ־ makes the source role explicit.

Role	Frame	Model
indefinite request	ביקש + noun	ביקשתי עזרה
definite request	ביקש + את	ביקשתי את החשבון
person asked	ביקש + מ־	ביקשתי ממנו / ממנה

אפשר לבקש ממך טובה קטנה?

efshár levakésh mimkhá tová ktaná?

Can I ask you a small favor? (to a man)

היא ביקשה מהמלצר את התפריט בלי גלוטן.

hi bikshá mehameltsár et hatafrít bli glúten.

She asked the waiter for the gluten-free menu.

The apparent exception מבקשים אותך בטלפון means “someone is asking for you on the phone”: the person is now the thing sought, not the addressee of a request. That is why את is possible there but not in מבקש ממך לחכות.

Requesting an action: infinitive or ש־ clause

An action can appear in two constructions. With מ־ + person + infinitive, the person after מ־ is understood as the infinitive's subject. With ש־ + future form, the subordinate verb overtly marks its own subject. English often uses ask someone to… for both, so the Hebrew future inside the second structure is not predictable from translation.

Frame	What identifies the actor?	Model
ביקש מ־ + infinitive	the מ־ phrase	ביקשתי ממנה לסגור
ביקש ש־ + future	person marking on the future verb	ביקשתי שהיא תסגור

ביקשתי ממנה לסגור את החלון לפני היציאה.

bikáshti miména lisgór et hakhalón lifnéi hayetsi'á.

I asked her to close the window before leaving.

ביקשתי שיבוא מוקדם כדי שנעבור יחד על החומר.

bikáshti sheyavó mukdám kdei shena'avór yákhad al hakhómer.

I asked him to come early so we could go over the material together.

המנהלת ביקשה שנשלח את הטפסים עד יום חמישי.

hamenahélet bikshá shenishlákh et hatefasím ad yom khamishí.

The manager asked us to send the forms by Thursday.

This clause is part of the wider ש־ complement system. It is not a future prediction: the future form marks the requested, not-yet-realized action.

ביקש versus שאל

ביקש requests a thing or action. שאל poses a question, questions a person, or asks about a topic. The nouns split the same territory: בקשה is a request; שאלה is a question. There is no safe English shortcut because ask covers both.

שאלתי אותו מתי החנות נסגרת, ואז ביקשתי ממנו עזרה.

sha'álti otó matái hakhanút nisgéret, ve'áz bikáshti miménu ezrá.

I asked him when the shop closed, and then I asked him for help.

The שאל reference card gives the opposite frames: the person questioned is a direct object, while the topic takes על.

Polite, official and lexical uses

אני מבקש סליחה is a neutral, slightly deliberate apology; סליחה alone is often enough in casual speech. אני מבקש can also reinforce a demand, so intonation and context determine whether it sounds courteous or firm. Formal notices favor מבקש להודיע “wishes to announce.”

אני מבקש סליחה, לא שמתי לב שאתה מחכה.

aní mevakésh slikhá, lo sámti lev she'atá mekhaké.

I'm sorry; I didn't notice you were waiting. (m. speaker)

הוועדה מבקשת להודיע שהדיון נדחה.

hava'adá mevakéshet lehodía shehadiyún nidkhá.

The committee wishes to announce that the hearing has been postponed. (formal/official)

The noun family includes בבקשה “please / you're welcome,” בקשה מיוחדת “special request,” לפי בקשה “on request,” and על פי בקשתו “at his request” (formal). מבוקש means “wanted,” “required,” or “in demand”: עובדים מבוקשים in employment language and מבוקש on a wanted notice. Distinct ביקוש means market demand or search, not an ordinary personal request.

Key Takeaways

The requested thing is a direct object; the person asked takes מ־.
Requested actions use מ־ + person + infinitive or ש־ + future-form clause.
ביקש / בקשה concern requests; שאל / שאלה concern questions.
מבוקש means wanted, sought-after or in demand; ביקוש is demand, not an ordinary request.
Register matters: מבקש להודיע is official, while אפשר לבקש ממך…? is an everyday service request.

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