The verbs גָּדַל and יָשַׁן belong to the קל verb conjugation group. This conjugation group contains three distinct patterns, primarily noticeable today in the present tense (בינוני) forms.
The most common pattern is פָּעַל (e.g., כָּתַב, אָכַל), with present tense forms like פּוֹעֵל (e.g., כּוֹתֵב, אוֹכֵל). Another pattern is פָּעֵל, as in דָּבֵק or חָפֵץ. These forms are now used mainly in the present tense, but in biblical Hebrew, they were also used for the past tense. The third, and rarest, pattern is פָּעֹל, as in יָכֹל. Its present tense form is יָכוֹל.
The verb יָשַׁן follows the פָּעֵל pattern, so the correct present tense form is יָשֵׁן (not יוֹשֵׁן). Similarly, the correct forms are עָמֵל (not עוֹמֵל) and שְׂבֵעִים (not שׂוֹבְעִים). The verb גָּדַל also follows this pattern, making its present tense form גָּדֵל, גְּדֵלִים.
The verb 'לגדול' has another meaning: 'to create fringes, to braid (hair).' In this sense, the present tense form is גּוֹדֵל, as in: "האשה הזו כשגודלת שער ראשה נותנת את השער לאחוריה והוא נאה לה" (תנחומא, פרשת תצוה).
What about the past tense forms in the פָּעֵל pattern?
Conjugated past tense forms are typically identical to those in the פָּעַל pattern. Examples include יָשַׁנְתִּי (like כָּתַבְתִּי), גָּדְלָה (like שָׁמְרָה), and חֲפַצְתֶּם (like אֲכַלְתֶּם). However, the third-person singular past tense preserves the distinct vowel pattern of פָּעֵל, as in:
In Genesis 27:1: "וַיְהִי כִּי זָקֵן יִצְחָק וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת."
In 1 Kings 9:1: "וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת שְׁלֹמֹה לִבְנוֹת אֶת בֵּית ה' וְאֶת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל חֵשֶׁק שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר חָפֵץ לַעֲשׂוֹת."
In Isaiah 15:6: "כִּי יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר כָּלָה דֶשֶׁא יֶרֶק לֹא הָיָה."
Even in biblical sources, there are instances where the פתח vowel appears in the third-person past tense, such as:
In Genesis 26:13: "וַיִּגְדַּל הָאִישׁ וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וְגָדֵל עַד כִּי גָדַל מְאֹד."
In Mishnah Eruvin 4:5: "מי שֶיָּשַׁן בדרך."
Based on these forms and contemporary usage, the Academy of the Hebrew Language has broadly permitted the use of the פתח vowel in the third-person past tense of פָּעֵל verbs (except for verbs of the ל"א root, such as יָרֵא or צָמֵא).
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