בבואו, בלכתי, and בצאתה are not exotic possessive nouns. They are classical infinitive construct forms whose suffix names the embedded subject: בבואו לעיר means “when he came to the city.” Modern speakers normally use a finite temporal clause, but these compact forms remain alive in literature, editorials, legal prose, formal reminiscence, and fixed public phrases.
בבואו למשרד, גילה שהמחשב נעלם.
bevo'ó lamisrád, gilá shehamakhshév ne'elám
When he arrived at the office, he discovered that the computer had disappeared. (formal/literary)
כשהוא הגיע למשרד, הוא גילה שהמחשב נעלם.
kshehú higía lamisrád, hu gilá shehamakhshév ne'elám
When he arrived at the office, he discovered that the computer had disappeared. (ordinary modern speech)
A suffix that acts as the subject
The structure contains three layers: a temporal preposition such as ב־ “when/on,” an infinitive construct, and often a person suffix. The suffix does not mean ordinary ownership. It identifies who performs the infinitive:
| Form | Embedded subject | Finite modern equivalent | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| בְּבוֹאוֹ | he | כשהוא בא · כשהוא הגיע | formal/literary |
| בְּלֶכְתִּי | I | כשהלכתי | literary |
| בְּצֵאתָהּ | she | כשהיא יצאה | formal/literary |
| כְּשׁוּבָם | they | כשהם חזרו | literary |
| צֵאתוֹ | he | שהוא יצא | formal/literary |
Despite their elevated appearance, these are not the infinitive absolute. The absolute form intensifies or stylizes a finite verb and does not carry these subject suffixes; בבואו and בלכתי are infinitive constructs embedded in temporal syntax.
The suffix therefore turns an infinitive that normally cannot state its subject into a compact clause. English has no morphological equivalent. Translating it word for word as in his coming obscures the syntax and usually produces bad English; translate the whole unit as when/while/before + finite clause. The productive modern alternatives belong to temporal clauses.
בלכתי הביתה, ראיתי אור בחלון המשרד.
belekhtí habáyta, ra'íti or bekhalón hamisrád
As I was walking home, I saw a light in the office window. (literary)
כשהלכתי הביתה, ראיתי אור בחלון המשרד.
kshehalákhti habáyta, ra'íti or bekhalón hamisrád
As I was walking home, I saw a light in the office window. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
בצאתה מהאולם, חיכו לה העיתונאים ליד הדלת.
betsetá meha'ulám, khikú la ha'itoná'im leyád hadélet
When she left the hall, the journalists were waiting for her by the door. (formal/literary)
כשהיא יצאה מהאולם, העיתונאים חיכו לה ליד הדלת.
kshehí yatse'á meha'ulám, ha'itoná'im khikú la leyád hadélet
When she left the hall, the journalists were waiting for her by the door. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
Other prepositions and an expressed noun subject
The construction is not limited to ב־. כ־ can mean “when/as,” and לפני or בטרם can place the event before another one. A following noun phrase can serve as the infinitive’s subject when there is no person suffix: בטרם עלות השחר is literally structured around “the dawn rising,” but idiomatic English says “before dawn.”
כשובם מהטיול, גילו שהדוד התקלקל.
keshuvám mehatiyúl, gilú shehadúd hitkalkél
When they returned from the trip, they discovered that the water heater had broken. (literary)
כשהם חזרו מהטיול, הם גילו שהדוד התקלקל.
kshehém khazrú mehatiyúl, hem gilú shehadúd hitkalkél
When they returned from the trip, they discovered that the water heater had broken. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
לפני צאתו לדרך, הוא בדק שוב את תחזית מזג האוויר.
lifnéi tsetó ladérekh, hu badák shuv et takhazít mézeg ha'avír
Before setting out, he checked the weather forecast again. (formal/literary)
לפני שהוא יצא לדרך, הוא בדק שוב את תחזית מזג האוויר.
lifnéi shehú yatsá ladérekh, hu badák shuv et takhazít mézeg ha'avír
Before he set out, he checked the weather forecast again. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
בטרם עלות השחר, יצאה המשלחת מן המחנה.
betérem alót hashákhar, yatse'á hamishlákhat min hamakhané
Before dawn, the expedition left the camp. (literary/elevated)
לפני שהשמש זרחה, המשלחת יצאה מהמחנה.
lifnéi shehashémesh zarkhá, hamishlákhat yatse'á mehamakhané
Before the sun rose, the expedition left the camp. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
Do not confuse every suffixed event word with an infinitive. אחרי מותו contains the noun מָוֶת “death” in the form מוֹתוֹ “his death.” It is a genuine possessed noun phrase, not a temporal infinitive clause. Morphology, not the English translation “after he died,” decides the analysis.
Current survivors in Israeli writing
These forms are recognition vocabulary, not a productive conversational paradigm. Yet several combinations remain perfectly current in edited Israeli text. בבוא העת (formal) means “when the time comes”; צאת השבת is conventional religious and scheduling language for the end of the Sabbath; בהיותי (formal/literary) still appears in autobiographical prose and official testimony. Their broader stylistic home is mapped on literary Hebrew.
בבוא העת נצטרך להחליט אם להרחיב את הפרויקט.
bevó ha'ét nitstarékh lehakhlít im leharkhív et haproyékt
When the time comes, we'll have to decide whether to expand the project. (current formal formula)
כשיגיע הזמן, נצטרך להחליט אם להרחיב את הפרויקט.
ksheyagía hazmán, nitstarékh lehakhlít im leharkhív et haproyékt
When the time comes, we'll have to decide whether to expand the project. (ordinary modern Hebrew)
האוטובוסים לא יחזרו לפעול לפני צאת השבת.
ha'otobúsim lo yakhzerú lif'ól lifnéi tset hashabát
The buses will not resume service before the Sabbath ends. (current religious/scheduling register)
האוטובוסים לא יחזרו לפעול לפני שהשבת תצא.
ha'otobúsim lo yakhzerú lif'ól lifnéi shehashabát tetsé
The buses will not resume service before the Sabbath ends. (finite modern clause)
בהיותי סטודנטית, עבדתי בלילות בבית מלון.
bihyotí studentít, avádti balelót bevét malón
When I was a student, I worked nights in a hotel. (f. speaker; formal/literary reminiscence)
כשהייתי סטודנטית, עבדתי בלילות בבית מלון.
kshehayíti studentít, avádti balelót bevét malón
When I was a student, I worked nights in a hotel. (f. speaker; ordinary modern Hebrew)
Pointing and an unpointed collision
Pointing is unusually informative here because unpointed suffixes can collide. בְּבוֹאָהּ, “when she came,” and the noun בָּבוּאָה, “reflection/image,” have the same unpointed skeleton בבואה. Only vowel pointing and context separate them. This is one reason these forms are hard to recover reliably from unpointed text.
בבואה לחדר, כולם השתתקו.
bevo'á lakhéder, kulám hishtátku
When she entered the room, everyone fell silent. (formal/literary; בבואה is bevo'a)
בבואה נשקפה מן המראה הישנה.
bavu'á nishkefá min hamar'á hayeshaná
A reflection appeared in the old mirror. (בבואה is the noun bavu'a)
Common Mistakes
1. Parsing בבואו as an ordinary possessed noun. The suffix is the doer of the embedded event, so the whole unit is a time clause.
❌ בבואו
bevo'ó, understood literally as ‘in his coming’
Incorrect analysis — the ־ו suffix supplies the subject ‘he’; in context, translate the form as ‘when he came/arrived.’
✅ בבואו לתחנה, הרכבת כבר יצאה.
bevo'ó latakhaná, harakévet kvar yatse'á
When he arrived at the station, the train had already left. (formal/literary)
2. Analyzing מותו as another suffixed infinitive. Its English translation may be clausal, but its Hebrew morphology is nominal.
❌ אחרי מותו
akharéi motó, analyzed as a suffixed infinitive
Incorrect analysis — מותו is the noun מוות ‘death’ plus ‘his,’ not an infinitive.
✅ אחרי מותו של הסופר פורסמו המכתבים.
akharéi motó shel hasofér pursemú hamikhtavím
After the author's death, the letters were published. (neutral/formal noun phrase)
3. Treating the literary and modern versions as a correctness contrast. Both are grammatical; choose by register.
✅ בצאתו מהישיבה, סירב השר להגיב.
betsetó mehayeshivá, serév hasár lehagív
On leaving the meeting, the minister declined to comment. (formal news style)
✅ כשהשר יצא מהישיבה, הוא סירב להגיב.
kshehasár yatsá mehayeshivá, hu serév lehagív
When the minister left the meeting, he declined to comment. (ordinary modern syntax)
4. Guessing the reading of unpointed בבואה without context. The two readings are different words and structures.
✅ בבואה באולם פסקו השיחות.
bevo'á ba'ulám paskú hasikhót
When she came into the hall, the conversations stopped. (formal/literary: bevo'a)
✅ בבואה מטושטשת הופיעה על המסך.
bavu'á metushtéshet hofi'á al hamasákh
A blurred image appeared on the screen. (noun: bavu'a)
Key Takeaways
- In בבואו, בלכתי, בצאתה, and כשובם, the suffix is the subject of an embedded infinitive, not an ordinary possessor.
- Translate the unit as a finite temporal clause: בבואו = כשהוא בא, “when he came.”
- The construction is classical and recognition-first in Modern Hebrew: literary, formal, legal, religious, and editorial—not ordinary conversation.
- Unsuffixed infinitive constructs can take a following noun subject: בטרם עלות השחר, לפני צאת השבת.
- אחרי מותו contains a noun, while unpointed בבואה can be either “when she came” or the noun “reflection”; morphology and context decide.
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
- Absolute and Circumstantial ConstructionsC1 — Formal Hebrew compresses a whole circumstantial clause into an opener: a ו־clause of state (פסוקית מצב) as in הוא יצא מהחדר והדלת פתוחה, the frozen prepositions בהינתן, לנוכח, בהיעדר and לאור, and the suffixed infinitive בהיותו צעיר, בהגיעו לתחנה, בבואי. Every one of them belongs to writing, and every one unpacks into an ordinary כש־ or מכיוון ש־ clause you would actually say out loud.
- Temporal Clauses and Their TenseB1 — After כש־, אחרי ש־, לפני ש־, עד ש־, מאז ש־ and בזמן ש־, Hebrew puts a future verb in the clause when the event is in the future — אחרי שאסיים, אלך הביתה — where English forces a present. All six need a ש in front of a clause, and their bare twins לפני, אחרי and בזמן take a noun instead.
- Literary Hebrew and Its SignalsC1 — How to recognize literary Hebrew through marked word order, suffixed infinitives, bound possessives, participial adjuncts and deliberately layered vocabulary.
- המקור המוחלט: הָלוֹךְ וָשׁוֹב and Emphatic InfinitivesC2 — Recognize the Biblical infinitive absolute in emphatic and command-like uses, then learn the few fossilized forms that remain in Modern Hebrew.
- Prepositions of Time: ב, ל, מ, עד, תוך, כעבורB1 — Map Hebrew time with ב־ for points, מ־…עד for spans, תוך for deadlines, בעוד for time from now and כעבור for later narrative events.