how to say “passed away” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /]נִפְטָר, נִפְטְרָה

Yesterday we saw that להיפטר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /] can mean to get rid of something, but also to pass away.

But unlike most Hebrew verbs that can appear in all kinds of tenses (past, present, etc.) and persons (first, second, third), you’re likely to hear להיפטר in the sense of to pass away only in the past tense, third person (he, she, it, they): הוא נפטר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /] – he passed away, היא נפטרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /] – she passed away, הם נפטרו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /] – they passed away.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /]היא נפטרה בגיל תשעים.

She passed away at age ninety.

(see full conversation)

להיפטר is a נפעל verb of the root פ.ט.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/נפטר-#.m4a” /].