החליט hekhlít, “decide,” is hif'il from ח־ל־ט. As the cross-binyan guttural guide explains, initial ח cannot take the ordinary hif'il pattern unchanged, so the past begins הֶחְ־, not הִחְ־: hekhlít, never hikh-lít. The present, future and infinitive return to the familiar hif'il vowels: מחליט, יחליט, להחליט.
Complete paradigm
| Person | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| אני | הֶחְלַטְתִּי hekhláti | אַחְלִיט akhlít |
| אתה | הֶחְלַטְתָּ hekhláta | תַּחְלִיט takhlít |
| את | הֶחְלַטְתְּ hekhlát | תַּחְלִיטִי takhlíti |
| הוא | הֶחְלִיט hekhlít | יַחְלִיט yakhlít |
| היא | הֶחְלִיטָה hekhlíta | תַּחְלִיט takhlít |
| אנחנו | הֶחְלַטְנוּ hekhlátnu | נַחְלִיט nakhlít |
| אתם · אתן | הֶחְלַטְתֶּם · הֶחְלַטְתֶּן hekhlátem · hekhláten | תַּחְלִיטוּ takhlítu |
| הם · הן | הֶחְלִיטוּ hekhlítu | יַחְלִיטוּ yakhlítu |
| Form type | Forms | Register and use |
|---|---|---|
| present | מַחְלִיט makhlít · מַחְלִיטָה makhlitá · מַחְלִיטִים makhlitím · מַחְלִיטוֹת makhlitót | neutral |
| imperative | הַחְלֵט hakhlét · הַחְלִיטִי hakhlíti · הַחְלִיטוּ hakhlítu | true imperative; formal, written or forceful |
| conversational command | תַּחְלִיט · תַּחְלִיטִי · תַּחְלִיטוּ | ordinary speech |
| infinitive | לְהַחְלִיט lehakhlít | neutral |
| action noun | הַחְלָטָה hakhlatá | decision, resolution |
The 2nd-person-plural past normally has stem stress in modern speech, as shown. Dedicated feminine-plural future and imperative forms are formal or literary; ordinary plural forms serve all genders.
Like other hif'il verbs, החליט loses the long i and its yod before consonantal past endings: החליט / החלטתי, החליטו / החלטנו. The opening segol remains, so the suffixed stem is hekhlat-, not the hikhlat- a learner might build from regular hif'il.
תחליט כבר, אנחנו מאחרים.
takhlít kvar, anákhnu me'akharím.
Decide already; we're running late. (informal, to a man)
קשה לי להחליט כשכולם מדברים יחד.
kashé li lehakhlít kshekulám medabrím yákhad.
It's hard for me to decide when everyone talks at once.
Decide to do: להחליט ל־
When the decision concerns the subject's action, use ל־ plus an infinitive: החלטתי לעזוב. English also allows “decide on doing,” but Hebrew normally does not insert על before an infinitive in this meaning. Negation belongs directly before the infinitive: החלטתי לא ללכת.
החלטתי לא ללכת למסיבה הערב.
hekhláti lo lalékhet lamesibá ha'érev.
I decided not to go to the party tonight.
אחרי השיחה היא החליטה לחפש עבודה אחרת.
akharéi hasikhá hi hekhlíta lekhapés avodá akhéret.
After the conversation, she decided to look for another job.
Decide that: להחליט ש־
A full proposition follows ש־. This is useful when the decision includes its own stated subject, time or evaluation. The deciding subject and the subject inside the clause may be the same or different.
החלטנו שנישאר עוד יום ונחזור ביום שני.
hekhlátnu shenisha'ér od yom venakhazór beyóm shení.
We decided that we'd stay another day and return on Monday.
המנהלת החליטה שהפגישה תתחיל בתשע.
hamenahélet hekhlíta shehapgishá tatkhíl betésha.
The manager decided that the meeting would start at nine.
Hebrew can often alternate between an infinitive and a clause: החלטנו להישאר focuses on the chosen action; החלטנו שנישאר presents the decision as a proposition. The two are close, but the clause is more flexible.
Decide on a noun: להחליט על
Use על before the option, plan, change or arrangement selected: החליט על שינוי, “decided on a change.” The object is not marked with את because it belongs to the preposition על. With a definite noun, על combines with the article as על ה־ without changing its spelling.
בסוף החלטנו על הדירה הקטנה יותר.
basóf hekhlátnu al hadirá haktaná yotér.
In the end, we decided on the smaller apartment.
הוועדה החליטה על שינוי בלוח הזמנים.
hava'adá hekhlíta al shinúi belúakh hazmaním.
The committee decided on a change to the schedule. (formal)
Formal decisions and הוחלט
Institutions commonly use active החליט with their legal or administrative action. When the decision-maker is irrelevant or deliberately backgrounded, huf'al הוחלט means “it was decided” (formal/administrative) and normally introduces a ש־ clause or ל־ infinitive.
בית המשפט החליט לדחות את הבקשה.
beit hamishpát hekhlít lidkhót et habakashá.
The court decided to reject the application. (formal)
הוחלט שהמשרד יישאר סגור מחר.
hukhlát shehamisrád yisha'ér sagúr makhár.
It was decided that the office would remain closed tomorrow. (formal/administrative)
החלטה, קיבל החלטה and בהחלט
The ordinary noun is החלטה. Hebrew conventionally says קיבל החלטה, literally “received/made a decision,” and קבלת החלטות for decision-making. החלטה קשה is a difficult decision; החלטה פה אחד is a unanimous one. Adverb בהחלט behekhlét means “definitely, certainly”; historically it contains the rare noun החלט, but synchronically learners should treat it as a fixed adverb, not as a form of the verb.
קיבלנו את ההחלטה יחד אחרי דיון ארוך.
kibálnu et hahakhlatá yákhad akharéi diyún arókh.
We made the decision together after a long discussion.
זה בהחלט שווה בדיקה נוספת.
ze behekhlét shavé bediká noséfet.
That's definitely worth another look.
נחוש בדעתו, “determined,” is a useful semantic neighbor but not a member of the ח־ל־ט word family. It describes resolve after or around a decision; it is not another conjugated form of החליט.
Key Takeaways
- Past החליט begins הֶחְ־ because initial ח is guttural: hekhlít, not hikhlít.
- Use ל־ plus infinitive for an action, ש־ for a proposition, and על plus noun for an option or plan.
- הוחלט is the impersonal/passive “it was decided,” especially in formal and administrative language.
- The ordinary noun is החלטה; “make a decision” is conventionally קיבל החלטה.
- בהחלט is the fixed adverb “definitely,” while נחוש בדעתו is a semantic neighbor from outside the ח־ל־ט family.
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