24/01/2017 LearntoReadHebrewOnline

LearntoReadHebrewOnline
LearnToReadHebrew
Learnhowtoread
PointedHebrewTexts(Nikud)Correctly
NikudTopronounceHebrew,youhavetolearnandknowthenikud,pointsandvowelsofHebrew.Thenikudteachesandguidesreadershowtoread
Hebrewtext.Attheendofeachchapterthereareexercisesforbeginnerstudentstopracticetheirnewskills
ThisIsTheWayToRead
PointedHebrewTexts(nikud)Correctly.

ManypeopleknowhowtoreadHebrewletters,butfindpointedHebrewtextsquitecomplicated.Thisisacourse,whichdealswiththevowelsand
pointssystem,orasitiscalledinHebrew,nikud.Thecourseisdividedintotwoparts.Thefirstpartwillpresentaquickandbasicreviewofthepoints
andvowelssystemandthesecondwillpresentpointedtextsfromotheraspects.Theideaofthecourseistosimplifythesystemandenableeachand
everyonetounderstandthisuniquewayofspellingandreadingwithoutgettinglostontheway.

ThevowelsandpointssystemsimplifiesthereadingofHebrew.UnlikeEnglish,thevowelsdonothavetoappearinthewordsinordertoenablethe
readertopronouncethemcorrectly.Pointsandlines,whichappearin,onandunderthelettersassistreadersinpronouncingthewordscorrectly.
Beginnerswillfindreadingwithoutthelinesanddotsalmostimpossiblehowever,willmanagewithoutthem,oncethey
practiceandgetthehangofit.

TherehasbeenagreatdemandfromYanshufreadersforasimplecourseinthevowelsandpointssystem.Thesystemisnoteasyandbytheway
quitedifficultandsometimesevenunknowntomanyIsraelis.Manyofthemfindthelinesanddotsquiteconfusingandmanageverywellwithoutthem.
Thiscoursewillnotgointominordetails,whicharenotrelevanttoreadingcorrectly.


PART1


A= , ,

(patach)
(kamatz)
(hatafpatach)
AllthesesymbolsarepronouncedA
ForexampletheHebrewwordfornoseisaf.
Sometimesapatachmayappearundertheletters,andattheendofaword.Forexample: , , , ThesoundAwillnotbe
pronouncedaftertheconsonantbutbeforeit.shavuaa,sameach,mishloach,gavoah.
Sometimesakamatzwillbefoundintheletter"".Itshouldbepronouncedcha.Theword,meaningyourbrotherinthemasculine,is
pronouncedachicha.Withnokamatz,itispronouncedachichmeaningyourbrother,inthefeminine.

Arule:
Whenakamatzappearsintheletter""itreferstothemasculine.
Forexample:.,Daniel,kachetmechonitchavesaleveitcha.(Daniel,takeyourcarandgotoyourhome.)
Whentheletter"appearswithnokamatz,itreferstothefeminine.
Forexample:.,Dinakchietmechonitechuseileveitech.(Dina,takeyourcaranddrivehome.)

Letspractice.
Readthefollowingsentences.
. ? .
Danakama.Lama?Kacha.
Danagotup.Why?Justbecause.

?
MaHaShaah?
Whattimeisit?

.
HaZamaralalabama.
Thesingergotontothestage.

1)Readthefollowingsentencesandplacesuitablenikudsymbols.

1..
2.?
3..

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i=

chirik
AchirikispronouncedI

ForexampletheHebrewwordfor"if"isim.
InwrittenHebrewwhichdoesnotcontaindots,theletterusuallyrepresentsthevowelIandisnotpronounced
y.
Forexample:tikim(bags),sipur(astory)
Manywordsinwritten,dottedHebrew,whichcontainthesoundIwillsubstitutetheIsoundwiththeletter"".
Forexample:
(hero)
(lookedfor)
(divided,handedout)
Letspractice.
Readthesewords.
shishi(Friday)
ish(man)
ima(mother)
matzza(matzza)
ishi(privet)
tzair(young)
e= , ,

=. tzere
= segol
= chatafsegol
Allthesesymbolsarepronouncede.
Forexample:theHebrewwordformotherisem.
Letspractice.
Thesewordscontainthetzereandsegol.Readthem.
yeled(boy)
shemesh(sun)
semel(symbol)
erev(evening)
gever(man)
sheleg(snow)
2)Thewordsbelowdonothavelinesanddots.Putthesuitablesignsaccordingtothepronunciation,whichappearsinitalics.
Paris
kibel(received)
Cafiterya(cafeteria)
zayit(olive)
chavita(pancake)
hitalef(fainted)
= O
= cholam
= chatafkamatz
ThesesymbolsarepronouncedO.
TheCholamusuallyappearsabovetheletter"",howeveritmaybefoundaboveotherlettersaswell.
Forexample:theHebrewwordforlightisor.

Asexplainedearlierreferringtothechirik,indottedwrittenHebrewawillnotalwaysbeusedaspartofthecholam.Whennotdotted,a""willbe
used.
Forexample:

shalosh(three)
chofesh(freedom)
meod(very)
chodesh(month)


( chatafkamatz)isalsopronouncedO.
Thiswordshouldbepronouncedoniyaandnotaniyaasmanypeoplemistakablythink.
Herearemoreexamples:
tochnit(program)
korban(sacrifice)

=u
==shuruk(Thedot,whichisusedtospecifytheusound,alwaysappearswiththeletter.)
= =kubutz

Hereareexamples:
sukut(tabernacles)
mulbash(dressed)

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mushlam(perfect)
pursam(advertised)



(shva)
Thelastsymbolwearegoingtodealwithistheshva,whichconsistsoftwodotsundertheletter.Theshvaisnotpronouncedinaspecialway.The
presenceoftheshvameansthereisnovowelafterthedottedletter.
Hereareexamples:
lavkan(albino)
cartis(ticket).
mizrach(east)

ManywordsindottedHebrewdonotcontainanysignundersomeoftheletters.Itisassumedthatthereshouldbeashvaunderthem.However,
seemsithasnouniquewayofpronunciation,itisnotused.

Thefollowingchartsummarizesallthenikudsymbolswehavestudied.

Thenikudsymbol. Thenameofthenikudsymbol. Thisishowyoupronouncethesymbol.

,, patach,kamatz,chatafpatach a
, tzerei,segol e
chirik i
, Cholam,chatafkamatz o
, Shuruk,kubutz u
shva
dagesh

Letspractice.
3)Putasuitablenikudsymbolaccordingtothecorrectpronunciation,whichappearsinitalics.

Yerushalaimshelzahav..
Jerusalemofgold.

Yisrael,eretzhakodesh..
Israel,theholyland.
Haseferhuyedidohatovshelhaadam.
.
Thebookismansbestfriend.

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Part2
Morenikudsymbols.

dagesh
Thedageshisadot,whichappearsinthecenteroftheletter.Themeaningoftheworddageshisemphasisandthisistheideaofthisnikudsymbol.
Forexample,theletter""intheHebrewword,"" meaningviolation,ispronouncedf(hafara).Byplacingadageshinthe""the
pronunciationchangestopwhichchangesthemeaningoftheword."" thecow.WhenreadingdottedHebrewwordsitisimportanttolookoutfor
thedageshandpronouncethewordsaccordingly.Thedageshchangesthepronunciationoftheletters:,,.(=b=
v,=p=f,=k=ch)Otherletterscontainingadagesharepronouncedthesamewaywithorwithoutit.Theletters:,,,,willnever
containthissymbol.
Therearemanydifferentrulesconcerningthedagesh,whichwillnotbeexplainedinthiscourse.

mapik
Adot,whichappearsintheletterattheendofawordiscalledamapik.Themapik
specifiesthatthisshouldbepronouncedasaconsonant(h)andnotaspartofthenikudsignwhichappearsbeforeit.
Themapikappearsintheforanumberofgrammaticalreasons.Themostcommonlyusedistoindicatethefemininepossessive.
Forexample: mother hermother.()
woman .herman()
aunt heruncle()

boat
herpot()

( shin&sin)
Thesameletterisusedtorepresentthesetwodifferentsounds.Whatmakesthedifferenceisasmalldot,whichisplacedabovetheletter.Whenthe
dotisonthelefthandsideoftheitispronounceds.Forexample: (sar)meaningminister.
Whenthedotisontherighthandsideoftheitispronouncedsh.Forexample:, (shar)meaningsang.
Herearesomemoreexamples:

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roseshoshana
happinesssimcha
completeshalem
putsam
theresham

Letspractice.
4)Placesuitablenikudsymbolsaccordingtothecorrectpronunciationinitalics.Remembertoputthedotabovetheletterinitscorrect
place.
Yerushalayim(Jerusalem)
shalem(whole)
shayish(marble)
sachkan(actor)
misrad(office)
memshala(government)
simla(dress)

5)Readoutaloudthefollowingwordsandplacesuitablenikudsymbolsaccordingly.

TheLetters
Theselettershaveadoublerole:asconsonantsandaspartofthenikudsymbols.(asvowels)Forexample: Theletterispartofthechirik
andthereforeisnotpronouncedasaysound.Inthewordthefunctionsasaconsonantandispronouncedy.
IndottedHebrewtheletterswhichdonotcontainnikudsymbols,arenotpronouncedasconsonants.Theyaresilent.

6)FollowingareversestakenfromthebookofPsalms.
Placesuitablenikudsymbolsaccordingtothewayyou
pronouncethewordsinitalics.Youmayusethechart
above.Chooseanyofthesymbolswhichappearforthe
suitablevowel.
behatzlacha(goodluck)

Ezriyavomeayinheharimeleinaiesalamaalotshir
1..,vaaretzshamayimossemeimezri
2..shomrechayanumalraglechalamotyitenal
3..,Yisraelshomeryishanveloyanumlohene
4..,yeminechayadaltzikechashomrecha
5..,balaylaveyareachyakekalohashemeshyomam
6..nafshechaetyishmorramikolyishmarecha
7..,olamveadmeatauvuechatzetchayishmor
8..

(=Hashem=God.Nodotsneeded)

AnswerKey
Exerciseno.1
1..
2.?
3..

Exerciseno.2
Paris
kibel(received)

Cafiterya(cafeteria)

zayit(olive)
chavita(pancake)
hitalef(fainted)

Exerciseno.3

Exerciseno.4
Yerushalayim(Jerusalem)

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shalem(whole)
shayish(marble)
sachkan(actor)
misrad(office)
memshala(government)
simla(dress)

Exerciseno.5






Exerciseno.6
1.. ,
2..
3.. ,
4.. ,
5.. ,
6..
7.. ,
8.


NikudisnoteasybutknowingthedifferentsymbolscanbeveryusefulforanybodywhowouldliketoreadHebrewandlearntoreadhebrewonline.
Wewouldbehappytoreceiveyouremailsonthissubjectandansweranyquestions.


TheYanshufteam

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