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HebrewVowels
SimpleATypeVowels

Thisfirstvowelgroupyouwilllearnissometimescalledthe"Atype"becauseitindicatesan
"ah"sound(asin"yacht"or"aqua")whencombinedwithaletter.The"simple"Atype
vowelshavethefollowingpattern:

Notethatthe"X"referstoanyHebrewletter(forexampleAleph,Bet,andsoon)and
therectangularboxbelowtheletterreferstoaonethefollowingtypesofvowel
marks(nikkudim):

Notes:
Althoughthesevowelmarkslookdifferent,theyallrepresentan"ah"sound.
Notewhichvowelislong(Qamets)andwhichareshort(Patach,ChatephPatach).
TheChatephPatachissometimescalleda"halfvowel"andistheshortestofall
vowels:itcanonlyappearunderthegutturalletters(andisusuallypartofthe
followingsyllable).

BasicSyllables

Asyllableiscalled"open"whenitdoes Asyllableiscalled"closed"whenitends
notendwitha"stopping"sound: witha"stopping"sound:

OpenSyllables:

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ClosedSyllables:

FullATypeVowel

InadditiontothethreesimpleAtypevowelsyouhavestudied,thereisa"fullvowel"
variationthatyoushouldbeawareof:QametscanhaveasilentHeyfollowingit
(theHey,amater,isnotpronouncedbutisconsideredpartofthevowel):

Notethatthe"X"referstoanyHebrewletter(forexampleAleph,Bet,Gimmel,andsoon)
andtherectangularboxbelowtheletterreferstoavowelmarklocation.Whentheletter
HeyfollowsaletterwithaQametsorPatach,itfunctionsnotasaconsonant,butasa
vowelletter.Thisiscalleda"consonantalvowel"andtheresultiscalleda"mixed"or"full"
vowel.

Notes:

Thisvowelalsorepresentsan"ah"sound.
Thisvowelnormallymarkstheendofaword.
IfthereisadotinsideofthefollowingHey,itisconsideredaconsonantandnot
partofthefullvowel(thedottedHeyiscalledamappiq).
Thisvowelisalwaysconsideredalongvowel.

Examples:

PracticeReadings

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*Thedot(dagesh)intheBetindicatesa"doubling"oftheletter,causingtheprevious
syllabletobeclosed(dageshchazak).

QuickSummary:

MorePractice
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TransliterationPractice:

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