התקשר — to phone, to get in touch | Hebrew Grammar

התקשר hitkashér, “phone, call, get in touch,” is a regular strong-root hitpa'el verb from ק־שׁ־ר. The first radical is ק, not the later שׁ, so metathesis does not occur: the prefix ת stays put in הִתְקַשֵּׁר. Compare metathesized הסתכל and השתמש on the hitpa'el metathesis page.

Complete paradigm

Person	Past	Future
אני	הִתְקַשַּׁרְתִּי hitkashárti	אֶתְקַשֵּׁר etkashér
אתה	הִתְקַשַּׁרְתָּ hitkashárta	תִּתְקַשֵּׁר titkashér
את	הִתְקַשַּׁרְתְּ hitkashárt	תִּתְקַשְּׁרִי titkashrí
הוא	הִתְקַשֵּׁר hitkashér	יִתְקַשֵּׁר yitkashér
היא	הִתְקַשְּׁרָה hitkashrá	תִּתְקַשֵּׁר titkashér
אנחנו	הִתְקַשַּׁרְנוּ hitkashárnu	נִתְקַשֵּׁר nitkashér
אתם · אתן	הִתְקַשַּׁרְתֶּם · הִתְקַשַּׁרְתֶּן hitkashártem · hitkashárten	תִּתְקַשְּׁרוּ titkashrú
הם · הן	הִתְקַשְּׁרוּ hitkashrú	יִתְקַשְּׁרוּ yitkashrú

Form type	Forms	Register and use
present	מִתְקַשֵּׁר mitkashér · מִתְקַשֶּׁרֶת mitkashéret · מִתְקַשְּׁרִים mitkashrím · מִתְקַשְּׁרוֹת mitkashrót	neutral; agrees in gender and number
imperative	הִתְקַשֵּׁר hitkashér · הִתְקַשְּׁרִי hitkashrí · הִתְקַשְּׁרוּ hitkashrú	true imperative; common in notices and urgent instructions
conversational command	תִּתְקַשֵּׁר · תִּתְקַשְּׁרִי · תִּתְקַשְּׁרוּ	ordinary informal speech
infinitive	לְהִתְקַשֵּׁר lehitkashér	neutral
action noun	הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת hitkashrút	contact or contractual engagement; especially administrative/legal

Modern plural forms generally serve all genders; dedicated feminine-plural past and future forms are formal or literary. Unpointed התקשר can be 3ms past or the masculine-singular true imperative. In conversation, future-shaped תתקשר is the normal command.

התקשרתי אליך שלוש פעמים ולא ענית.

hitkashárti elékha shalósh pe'amím veló aníta.

I called you three times and you didn't answer. (to a man)

תתקשרי אליי כשתצאי מהפגישה.

titkashrí elái kshetets'í mehapgishá.

Call me when you leave the meeting. (ordinary speech, to a woman)

Calling a person: אל or ל־

For the person or service being phoned, dictionaries give התקשר אל, and present-day speech also very commonly uses ל־. Both are neutral: התקשרתי אל אימא / התקשרתי לאימא. With pronouns, the full inflected אל forms are especially useful: אליי, אליך, אליו, אליה, אלינו, אליהם. The telephone pragmatics guide expands the openings and closings used once someone answers.

אפשר להתקשר אליך מחר בבוקר?

efshár lehitkashér elékha makhár babóker?

May I call you tomorrow morning? (polite, to a man)

אני אתקשר לאימא ואעדכן אותה.

aní etkashér le'íma va'adkén otá.

I'll call Mom and update her.

התקשרנו למוקד החירום וביקשנו עזרה.

hitkashárnu lemokéd hakherúm uvikáshnu ezrá.

We called the emergency hotline and asked for help.

The called person is not a direct object. את belongs with what you say after the call—עדכנתי אותה “I updated her”—not with התקשר itself. When no target is stated, התקשר can stand alone: מי התקשר? “Who called?”

מי התקשר בזמן שהייתי במקלחת?

mi hitkashér bizmán shehayíti bamiklákhat?

Who called while I was in the shower?

💡

For a phone call, store two safe frames: להתקשר אל מישהו and the very common להתקשר למישהו. A called person is never a direct object with את.

Missed calls, appointments and reciprocal contact

A missed call is שיחה שלא נענתה, literally “a call that was not answered.” The person who receives it can לחזור למישהו “call someone back.” Clinics and businesses use התקשר neutrally for reminders and follow-up, and the future is common when promising a later response.

ראיתי שיחה שלא נענתה; אני אחזור אליך בעוד דקה.

ra'íti sikhá sheló na'antá; aní ekhzór elékha be'ód daká.

I saw a missed call; I'll call you back in a minute. (to a man)

המרפאה התקשרה כדי להזכיר לי את התור.

hamirpa'á hitkashrá kdei lehazkír li et hatór.

The clinic called to remind me about the appointment.

הוא לא מתקשר אף פעם, אבל שולח הודעות כל יום.

hu lo mitkashér af pá'am, avál sholéakh hoda'ót kol yom.

He never calls, but he sends messages every day.

For lasting reciprocal contact, Hebrew usually chooses the noun קשר: להישאר בקשר “stay in touch,” לשמור על קשר “keep in touch,” and ליצור קשר “make contact.” These expressions may include phone, messages or email; they do not promise a voice call.

נשארנו בקשר גם אחרי שהיא עברה לחיפה.

nishárnu bekésher gam akharéi shehí avrá lekhéifa.

We stayed in touch even after she moved to Haifa.

התקשר עם and the contractual sense

התקשר עם means establish contact or enter into a formal connection with a person, organization or contracting party. In business and legal writing, it often describes entering an agreement: החברה התקשרה עם ספק. This is where the action noun התקשרות is especially frequent. התקשרות עם ספק is engagement with a supplier, and הסכם התקשרות is a service or engagement agreement. These are formal/administrative or legal, not ordinary ways to say “I called the supplier.”

החברה התקשרה עם ספק חדש לשירותי מחשוב.

hakhevrá hitkashrá im sapák khadásh lesherutéi mikhshúv.

The company contracted with a new IT-services supplier. (formal/business)

הסכם ההתקשרות ייכנס לתוקף בחודש הבא.

heském hahitkashrút yikanés letókef bakhódesh habá.

The engagement agreement will take effect next month. (formal/legal)

💡

Preposition changes viewpoint: התקשר אל / ל־ profiles a phone target; התקשר עם profiles mutual or contractual connection. In administrative prose, expect the noun התקשרות.

The synonym צלצל

צלצל also means “ring” or “phone”: צלצלתי אליך, צלצלתי לאימא. It is an established, current synonym, though individual speakers vary in how often they choose it. התקשר is the safest broad neutral default and also extends into contact and contracts; צלצל retains a transparent association with ringing. There is no sound basis for treating it as obsolete or assigning it categorically to older speakers.

תצלצל אליי כשתגיע, כדי שאפתח את הדלת.

tetsaltsél elái kshetagía, kdei she'eftákh et hadélet.

Ring me when you arrive so I can open the door. (neutral, to a man)

Key Takeaways

Initial ק does not trigger metathesis, so the prefix order remains התקשר.
Use אל or common ל־ for the person or service called; do not use a direct object with את.
Use עם for establishing mutual contact and especially for contracting with a party.
קשר supplies everyday “stay in touch” expressions; התקשרות is frequent in administrative and legal contexts.
צלצל remains a current synonym, while התקשר is the broad neutral default.

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