הַדִּיקְדוּק הָעִבְרִי Hebrew Grammar Class 1 - Reading Hebrew אותיות - Consonants The Hebrew language posses 22 distinct letters written right to left, top to bottom. .מנצפ"ך - Five of these letters have a form that appears only at the end of a word Modern Israeli pronunciation only) בג"ד כפ"ת ר"ש Eight have dual sounds is currently unknown רּ The exact sound of the .(ב כ פ ש pronounces four of them .תהילים and is only seen once in Letter Name Sounds Final Form Alef Silent א V - ב B - בּ Bet ב (Guttural G - ג G - גּ .Gimel G (tr ג (DH - ד D - דּ .Dalet D (tr ד Heh H ה (Vav V (tr. W ו Zayin Z ז (Het Guttural H (trans lit ch ח Tet T ט Yud Y י ך (CH (as in German noch) (trans lit c/kh - כ K - כּ Kaf/Khaf כ Lamed L ל ם Mem M מ ן Nun N נ Samekh S ס (' .Ayin Silent (tr. Glottal Stop) (trans lit ע ף f - פ p - פּ Pey/Fey פ ץ (Tsadi Ts (tr. Strong S צ (Kuf K (tr. Guttural K ק (Resh Rolling R (tr. R ר S - שׂ SH - שׁ Shin/Sin ש (Th - ת T - תּ .Tav T (tr ת The above follows the modern Israeli pronunciation with tr. meaning the original traditional pronunciation much of which is still preserved by Jews whose families are from Israel and its surrounding territories and countries. Many Jews of European decent pronounce during prayers and studies hebrew in a traditional yiddish / germanized style. The most significant differences being the S - ת T - תּ pronunciation of the Tav as תנועות - Vowels (קטנות) and Lesser (גדולות) The vowels are divided in to two groups, the Greater Vowels. The difference in the groups is grammatical and not in pronunciation. Greater Name Lesser Name Pronunciation Vowel Vowel (Patach Ah (trans lit a אַ Kamatz Gadol אָ (Kamatz Katan Oh (trans lit o אָ Cholam אֹ אוֹ (Segol Eh (trans lit e אֶ אֶי Tsere אֵ אֵי (Kubuts Oo (trans lit u אֻ Shuruk אוּ (Chirik Katan Ee (trans lit i אִ Chirik Gadol אִי .is used as a place holder above א The שְוָא - Sheva that often are vowel indicators only) in א ה ו י Every consonant (accept the letters under it unless it is the last letter of a (אְ) hebrew must have a vowel or a Sheva word. If the Sheva is ends the syllable it is silent and is called a Sheva Nach - and pronounced as (שְוָא נָע) 'If it starts the syllable it is called a Sheva Na .שְוָא נָח Eh. חֲטָפִים - Chatafim As such will instead have one of .שְוָא נָע can not receive a א ה ח ע The letters that is written as a combination of a (חֲטָף) three semi-vowels called a Chataf .אָ אַ אֶ Sheva and either Semi-Vowel Name Sound Chataf Kamatz (Katan) Oh אֳ Chataf Patach Ah אֲ Chataf Segol Eh אֱ פַּתַח גְּנוּבָה - Patach Genuvah fall at the end of a word with the vowel patach, the ע ח ה When the consonants patach is vocalized before the consontant. דָּגֵשׁ - Dagesh may be found in the middle of a letter. This occurs in the דָּגֵשׁ A dot called a to indicate the alternative sound of the letter and is called a בג"ד כפ"ת letters to indicate what is ע ח ה א ר In any other letter accept .דָּגֵשׁ קַל - Dagesh Kal traditionally pronounced as a doubling of the consonant with the first double having a Sheva Nach (this is not used in modern pronunciation) and is called a at the end of a word that should ה A dot can also be found in the letter .דָּגֵשׁ חָזָק be pronounced instead of absorbed in to the sound of the preceding vowel and is .מַפִּיק called a הַנְּגִינָה - Accent ,מִלְרַע The accent in hebrew is usually on the last syllable of a word and is called .מִלְעֵיל but at times can be the second to last and is called.