In Hebrew
Hebrew does have a few ergative verbs, due in part to calques from other languages; nonetheless, it has fewer ergative verbs than English, in part because it has a fairly productive causative construction and partly distinct mediopassive constructions. For example, the verbs שָׁבַר (active) and נִשְׁבַּר (its mediopassive counterpart) both mean to break, but the former is transitive (as in "He broke the window") and the latter is intransitive (as in "The window broke"). Similarly, the verbs לַעֲבֹר (active) and לְהַעֳבִיר (its causative counterpart) both mean to pass, but the former is intransitive (as in "He passed by Susan") and the latter is transitive (as in "He passed the salt to Susan")
Read more about this topic: Ergative Verb
Famous quotes containing the word hebrew:
“What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse
and his rider.
Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?”
—Bible: Hebrew Job (l. XXXIX, 17–19)
“Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of
drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the
Lord,”
—Bible: Hebrew Judges (l. V, 10–11)