Hebrew Vowels Consonants with Vowels

Home , He (letter), Shin (letter), Waw (letter)

Chapter 2a – Hebrew Vowels Consonants with Vowels

Deuteronomy 6:5

consonantal text with no vowel pointing

ואהבת את יהוה אלהיך בכל לבבך

וְאָהַבְ ָּת אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ

consonantal text with vowel pointing

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2b – Hebrew Vowels Vowel Chart 1

Long Vowels

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

Qamets a as in father å בָּ a-type ∑ Tsere e as in they בֵּ e-type Holem o as in role ø בֹּ o-type

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2c – Hebrew Vowels Vowel Chart 2

Short Vowels

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

Pathach a as in bat a בַּ a-type Seghol e as in better e בֶּ e-type Hireq i as in bitter i בִּ i-type Qamets Hatuf o as in bottle o בָּ o-type Qibbuts u as in ruler u בֻּ u-type

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2d – Hebrew Vowels Vowel Chart 3

Reduced (Hateph) Vowels

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

Hateph Pathach a as in amuse á בֲּ a-type Hateph Seghol a as in amuse é בֱּ e-type Hateph Qamets a as in amuse ó בֳּ o-type

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2e – Hebrew Vowels Summary Vowel Chart: Long, Short, Reduced

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בֹּ בֵּ בָּ Long Qamets Tsere Holem

בֻּ בָּ בִּ בֶּ בַּ Short Pathach Seghol Hireq Qamets Qibbuts Hatuf

בֳּ בֱּ בֲּ Reduced Hateph Hateph Hateph Pathach Seghol Qamets

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2f – Hebrew Vowels Hebrew Vowel Letters 1

Vowel Letters Written with He

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

Qamets He a as in father âh ָבּה a-type Tsere He e as in they êh ֵבּה e-type Seghol He e as in better êh ֶבּה Holem He o as in role ôh ֹבּה o-type

ה Vowel letters written with are used only at the end of a word, .(he will build) יִבְנֶה law) and) ָתּוֹרה as in

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2g – Hebrew Vowels Hebrew Vowel Letters 2

Vowel Letters Written with Waw

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

o-type וֹבּ Holem Waw o as in role ô u-type וּבּ Shureq u as in ruler û

These vowels are often referred to as unchangeable long vowels because they do not reduce or change.

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2h – Hebrew Vowels Hebrew Vowel Letters 3

Vowel Letters Written with Yod

Vowel Name Pronunciation Transliteration

Pathach Yod a as in bat â ָבּי a-type Tsere Yod e as in they ê ֵבּי e-type Seghol Yod e as in better ê ֶבּי Hireq Yod i as in machine ª ִבּי i-type

These vowels are often referred to as unchangeable long vowels because they do not reduce or change.

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt © א Chapter 2i – Hebrew Vowels Summary Vowel Chart: Vowel Letters

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ֹבּה בֵּה/ ֶבּה ָבּה ה With Qamets Seghol He/ Holem He Tsere He He

בּוּ בּוֹ ו With Holem Shureq Waw

ִבּי בֵּי/ ֶבּי ָבּי י With Qamets Seghol Yod/ Hireq Yod Tsere Yod Yod

This symbol is called Shewa. It is not listed in the vowel charts because it is not like any other vowel. It does not belong to any phonetic class. There are two types of Shewa in Hebrew: Silent Shewa and Vocal Shewa.

.above is called Daghesh Forte ב The dot in the It looks exactly like the Daghesh Lene but it is used to double the consonant in which it occurs. For example, the the heavens) has a Daghesh Forte in) הַשָּׁמַיִם Hebrew word the Shin (שּׁ). It is rendered, therefore, as two Shins (שׁשׁ), ha¡¡åmayim. The Daghesh Forte can occur in any .ר and (ע ,ח ,ה ,א) consonant except the gutturals

Four Hebrew letters are called gutturals. They are called gutturals because they are pronounced in the back of the throat.

ר and sometimes ע ,ח ,ה ,א

Guttural Preferences 1. Gutturals prefer a-class vowels. .cannot take Daghesh Forte ר Gutturals and .2 3. Gutturals cannot take Vocal Shewa, but do take can take ר reduced (Hateph) vowels. The consonant Vocal Shewa. Reduced vowels are always vocal; they are never silent.

Full Defective Writing Writing

Holem Waw to Holem בֹּ ➣ בּוֹ ram’s horn שֹׁפָר ➣ שׁוֹפָר

Shureq to Qibbuts בֻּ ➣ בּוּ ?why מַדֻּעַ ➣ מַדּוּעַ

Hireq Yod to Hireq בִּ ➣ ִבּי David דָּוִד ➣ דָּוִיד