I request unlinking from
http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/311301

I'll unlink for now. Saeb can sort it out if need be. This can't be linked to both English sentences.

superb

استمعت > إستمعت
?

Marcelo, do you also understand Arabic? :)

nop, I asked enteka about it :P

Ahaa :-)

Hi Eldad, I am almost sure that it's written without hamza because it's the form of the grammatical paradigm افتعل and these verbs don't take hamza. Sometimes, even in grammar books, you can find them with hamza, but it's wrong. For example, I am using a grammar book in university that has a lot of these kind of errors, can you believe it?
By the way, last year I had Hebrew lessons and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, the lessons in university only lasted one year, and now I am quite too busy. Anyway, maybe I can learn a bit more through Tatoeba..

Yes, you can surely learn through Tatoeba, and, of course, I'll help you anytime. By the way, it's really lonely to be practically the only one who translates into Hebrew. I would like to have other eyes reading what I write, and also commenting or correcting... ;)

As for the hamza, I happen to know the hamza rules, and in this case, when it's at the beginning of the sentence, I don't see a reason to omit it. You're right, the hamza should drop in case it's a masdar, being written in the middle of the word (where the alif takes a wasla).

Let me explain (although I'm sure you know it, so I'm not telling you anything new): after all, it is pronounced "Istama'tu", so if it's "I-", then the kasra has to be written under a hamza, oder?

Yes, enteka, you challenged me, so I took Wright's book and have just read about the "hemza". You're right, it says that grammarians tend to omit the hamza and only write the kasra etc. So, you live and learn :)

Of course, in this wazn, the hamza usually drops (not only as a masdar). Well, it seems you were right. But I thought that a hamza should be written at least when the verb is at the beginning of the sentence.

I understand what you want to say about hamza at the beginning of a sentence as you spell the hamza always before the vocal which stands at the beginning of a sentence even if there is no hamza written. That's so in every language I suppose. But if the verb would begin with hamza, it also would continue with hamza in the middle of a sentence because the hamza is a letter and the alif just the support for it. I think there is only one kind of masdar which takes hamza, and right now I just suppose that it is the masdar of the paradigm أفعل - you see that it begins with hamza. The other masdars don't take hamza at all, even not at the beginning of the sentence (even though you are obligated to spell it at the beginning). That's the grammar rule but of course, many people don't follow it.

Hello Eldad, I didn't see you comments first.
1. "after all, it is pronounced "Istama'tu", so if it's "I-", then the kasra has to be written under a hamza, oder":
The kasra is written under the alif, that's right, and it can be written under it without the need of hamza.
By the way, I have to say that this sentence can be translated as well as : you listened to me. (istama'ta li. / istama'ti li.) because the verb is not marked with short vocals.
The pronunciation of "she listened to me" would be:
istama't li. (with sukun: istama't).

I accept all your comments above.
As to the various possible readings of the verb - yes, I'm aware of them.

You are right, only the fourth wazn is the one where the hamza remains throughout. Well, I now know that you don't have to write the hamza on all the other awzan. Wasn't aware of that during the past years... :) Thanks for your elaborate explanation.

בבקשה :)

כל הכבוד!
:)