ע־ש־ה
עָשָׂה (asah, "to do / make / act") is one of the most important and semantically broad roots in Hebrew. It doesn't just mean "do," but also "make," "perform," "cause," and "deal with." It appears thousands of times in both Biblical and modern Hebrew.
🧱 The Root: ע.ש.ה
Core meaning: to perform an action, to make, to create, to act
Frequency: Top 5 root in the Hebrew language — used in almost every context: work, religion, relationships, art, feelings, etc.
🔤 Base Verb Forms (Binyanim)
| Binyan | Verb | Translation | Usage / Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pa'al (פעל) | עָשָׂה – asah | he did / made | general "do/make" verb |
| Infinitive | לַעֲשׂוֹת – la'asot | to do / to make | infinitive |
| Participle | עוֹשֶׂה – oseh / osah | doing / makes | ongoing action |
| Future | יַעֲשֶׂה – ya'aseh | he will do | also used in "let him do" |
| Imperative | עֲשֵׂה! – aseh! | do! (m) | command form |
Note: There are no productive derived verbs in other binyanim (Nifal, Hifil, etc.) — עשה mainly lives in Pa'al.
🧩 Noun & Adjective Derivations
| Word | Transliteration | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַעֲשֶׂה | ma'aseh | noun | act, deed, work | מעשה טוב — a good deed |
| עֲשִׂיָּה | asiyah | noun | doing, making, production | עשייה קולנועית — film production |
| עָשׂוּי | asuy | adjective | made / likely to | הוא עשוי מזהב — it's made of gold |
| עָשׂוּי ל... | asuy le… | idiomatic | likely / prone to | הוא עשוי לטעות — he might make a mistake |
| עֲשִׁיר | ashir | adj. | rich, literally "one who has made (wealth)" | אדם עשיר — a rich man |
🗣️ Common Expressions and Idioms
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| מה אתה עושה? | ma ata oseh? | What are you doing? |
| אין מה לעשות | ein ma la'asot | There's nothing to do (resignation) |
| לעשות חיים | la'asot chayim | To have fun (lit. "to make life") |
| לעשות רושם | la'asot roshem | To make an impression |
| לעשות בלגן | la'asot balagan | To make a mess / cause chaos |
| עושה רושם ש... | oseh roshem she... | It seems that... / gives the impression that… |
| עושה לי את זה | ose li et ze | "It does it for me" (slang, like "I like it") |
🧠 Semantic Network (Concept Map)
Used in:
- Work: עשה עבודה (did a job)
- Creation: עשה ציור (made a painting)
- Social: עשה טובה (did a favor)
- Morality: עשה מצווה (did a mitzvah)
- Emotion: עשה לי רע (made me feel bad)
- Decision-making: עשה משהו עם זה (do something about it)
🧍♀️ Conjugation Summary (Pa'al)
| Person | Past | Present | Future | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אני | עשיתי (asiti) | עושה (oseh/osah) | אעשה (e'eseh) | — |
| אתה | עשית (asita) | עושה (oseh) | תעשה (ta'aseh) | עשה (aseh!) |
| את | עשית (asit) | עושה (osah) | תעשי (ta'asi) | עשי (asi!) |
| הוא | עשה (asah) | עושה (oseh) | יעשה (ya'aseh) | — |
| היא | עשתה (as'tah) | עושה (osah) | תעשה (ta'aseh) | — |
| אנחנו | עשינו (asinu) | עושים (osim/osot) | נעשה (na'aseh) | — |
| הם/הן | עשו (asu) | עושים / עושות | יעשו (ya'asu) | — |
💬 Real-Life Examples
- אני עושה קפה. – I'm making coffee.
- היא עשתה סרט חדש. – She made a new film.
- מה עשית אתמול? – What did you do yesterday?
- אנחנו נעשה מסיבה. – We'll throw a party.
- אין מה לעשות. – There's nothing to do.
🔁 Related or Collocated Roots
| Related Concept | Common Roots | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Work / performance | עבד, פעל, ביצע | לעבודה (work), פעולה (action), ביצוע (execution) |
| Creation / making | יצר, ברא, בנה | ליצור (to create), לבנות (to build) |
| Cause / effect | גרם, פעל, השפיע | לגרום (to cause), להשפיע (to influence) |
📝 Summary
עשה is among the most versatile and frequent roots in Hebrew. It spans concrete action ("made a table") to abstract processes ("did a favor"), appears in countless idioms, and serves as a building block for understanding other action-oriented roots.