חשב khasháv, “think,” is pa'al, root ח־שׁ־ב. Initial guttural ח changes the future prefix vowels and infinitive: יחשוב yakhshóv and לחשוב lakhshóv, not the yi- / li- pattern of כתב. Its most frequent uses organize a thought with על, a proposition with ש־, or an intention with an infinitive.
Complete paradigm
| Person | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| אני | חָשַׁבְתִּי khashávti | אֶחְשׁוֹב ekhshóv |
| אתה | חָשַׁבְתָּ khashávta | תַּחְשׁוֹב takhshóv |
| את | חָשַׁבְתְּ khashávt | תַּחְשְׁבִי takhsheví |
| הוא | חָשַׁב khasháv | יַחְשׁוֹב yakhshóv |
| היא | חָשְׁבָה khashvá | תַּחְשׁוֹב takhshóv |
| אנחנו | חָשַׁבְנוּ khashávnu | נַחְשׁוֹב nakhshóv |
| אתם / אתן | חֲשַׁבְתֶּם / חֲשַׁבְתֶּן khashavtém / khashavtén | תַּחְשְׁבוּ takhshevú |
| הם / הן | חָשְׁבוּ khashvú | יַחְשְׁבוּ yakhshevú |
| Form | Paradigm | Use |
|---|---|---|
| present | חוֹשֵׁב khoshév · חוֹשֶׁבֶת khoshévet · חוֹשְׁבִים khoshvím · חוֹשְׁבוֹת khoshvót | neutral |
| imperative | חֲשׁוֹב khashóv · חִשְׁבִי khishví · חִשְׁבוּ khishvú | firm advice or instruction |
| infinitive | לַחְשׁוֹב lakhshóv | neutral |
| action noun | חֲשִׁיבָה khashivá | thinking as a process or faculty |
| individual thought | מַחְשָׁבָה makhshavá | a thought, idea |
The feminine plural future תַּחְשׁוֹבְנָה takhshóvna is (formal or literary); ordinary Hebrew uses תחשבו. Conversational חָשַׁבְתֶּם / חָשַׁבְתֶּן is commonly stem-stressed, khashávtem / khashávten, beside the careful forms in the table.
What the initial ח changes
Except in first-person אחשוב, the future prefix has a: תחשוב, יחשוב, נחשוב. The infinitive likewise begins la- rather than כתב's li-: לחשוב versus לכתוב. In these forms ח carries a silent shva, not the reduced chataf vowel heard after initial ע in יעבוד. See the broader pe-guttural pattern.
מחר נחשוב על פתרון אחר.
makhár nakhshóv al pitarón akhér.
Tomorrow we'll think about another solution.
אני צריך לחשוב על זה.
aní tsaríkh lakhshóv al ze.
I need to think about it. (m. speaker)
Think about, think that, intend
Use חשב על when the complement is the object or topic of thought. This is a governed preposition; English think about/of does not license חשב ב־. Use חשב ש־ for a proposition judged true, and a bare infinitive when חשב means “considered/intended to.”
על מה את חושבת?
al ma at khoshévet?
What are you thinking about? (to a woman)
חשבתי שאתה כבר יודע.
khashávti she'atá kvar yodéa.
I thought you already knew. (to a man)
חשבתי ללכת מוקדם, אבל נשארתי עד הסוף.
khashávti lalékhet mukdám, avál nishárti ad hasóf.
I thought of leaving early, but I stayed until the end.
התחשב ב־ is hitpa'el and changes the relation: it means “take into account, be considerate of.” Thinking about a person is חשב על מישהו; accommodating that person's needs is התחשב במישהו.
תתחשב בשכנים ואל תפעיל מוזיקה בלילה.
titkhashév bashkhením ve'al taf'íl múzika baláyla.
Be considerate of the neighbors and don't play music at night. (to a man)
Opinions in everyday speech
אני חושב ש־ / אני חושבת ש־ is the default conversational way to frame an opinion. It often softens a claim rather than reporting an active mental process. Short אני חושב שכן / שלא gives a measured “I think so/not,” and מה אתה חושב על זה? invites an evaluation. These are neutral everyday frames, not formal hedges.
אני חושבת שכדאי להזמין מקום מראש.
aní khoshévet shekedái lehazmín makóm merósh.
I think we should book in advance. (f. speaker)
אתה חושב שזה יעבוד? אני חושב שכן.
atá khoshév shezé ya'avód? aní khoshév shekén.
Do you think it'll work? I think so. (m. speakers)
הוא חושב שהוא צודק תמיד.
hu khoshév shehú tsodék tamíd.
He thinks he's always right.
Reading חשוב and the root family
Unpointed חשוב can be imperative חֲשׁוֹב khashóv, “think!”, or adjective חָשׁוּב khashúv, “important.” A following על strongly favors the command; agreement or a copular frame favors the adjective.
חשוב לפני שאתה עונה.
khashóv lifnéi she'atá oné.
Think before you answer. (firm advice to a man)
חשוב שתענה עד מחר.
khashúv sheta'ané ad makhár.
It's important that you answer by tomorrow. (to a man)
The productive family includes מחשבה “thought,” מחשב “computer,” חשבון “account/calculation,” חישוב “calculation,” and חשוב “important.” The connections range from transparent to lexicalized; a computer is literally a calculating device, but learners should store the modern meanings rather than derive them afresh.
Common Mistakes
1. Choosing ב־ for a topic of thought.
❌ אני חושב בזה.
Incorrect for 'I'm thinking about it'; חשב governs על.
✅ אני חושב על זה כבר כמה ימים.
aní khoshév al ze kvar káma yamím.
I've been thinking about it for several days. (m. speaker)
2. Giving the infinitive a regular li- pronunciation.
❌ אני צריך לחשוב על זה.
aní tsaríkh likhshóv al ze
Incorrect only under this pronunciation—the written form is pronounced lakhshov because of initial ח.
✅ אני צריך לחשוב על זה בשקט.
aní tsaríkh lakhshóv al ze beshéket.
I need to think about it quietly. (m. speaker)
3. Omitting ש־ before a complete proposition.
❌ חשבתי אתה כבר יודע.
Incorrect—a finite 'you know' clause is introduced by ש־.
✅ חשבתי שאתה כבר יודע את הכתובת.
khashávti she'atá kvar yodéa et haktóvet.
I thought you already knew the address. (to a man)
אל תחשוב יותר מדי.
al takhshóv yotér midái.
Don't overthink it. (to a man)
Key Takeaways
- Initial ח gives יחשוב / נחשוב / לחשוב with a, but first-person אחשוב has e.
- Use חשב על for a topic, חשב ש־ for a proposition, and an infinitive for an intention.
- התחשב ב־ means take someone or something into account.
- Opinion אני חושב/חושבת ש־ agrees with the speaker.
- Unpointed חשוב can mean “think!” or “important.”
Now practice Hebrew
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Hebrew →Related Topics
- Pa'al with a Guttural First Radical (עמד, חשב, חזר)B1 — Roots beginning with ע, ח or ה conjugate normally in the past and the present, and then swap the future and infinitive prefix from yi-/li- to ya-/la-: יַעֲמוֹד and לַעֲמוֹד, יַחְשׁוֹב and לַחְשׁוֹב. That one syllable is the whole class.
- Verbs Governed by על: חשב על, ויתר על, הסתכל עלB2 — Learn common Hebrew verbs whose topic, protected object, repeated item, or target is introduced by על.
- Verbs Taking a ש־ Clause: אמר ש, חושב ש, מקווה שA2 — Connect verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, hoping and wanting to a complete clause with attached ש־.
- Giving an OpinionB1 — לדעתי, בעיניי and מבחינתי are not three ways of saying 'in my opinion' — one frames a reasoned position, one an impression, and one what you will accept. Plus the strength ladder from נראה לי to אני משוכנע, the ש that English drops and Hebrew never does, and the one place where adding ש breaks the sentence.