Key to Modern Hebrew


Chapter One - Part Four
Review : /loo/ לוּ / bih/ = בי / boh/ = בו / bahr/ = בר I am singing (f): אני שרה שיר Hebrew responses to your writing - ביטוּיים 1.6 As you practice writing the letters and words you are learning, your instructor will offer you words of praise and advice. Though you can't read them all yet, here, with transcription, are some of the phrases you can expect to hear. ( Remember: the "x" stands for the sound you make for the final letters of the name "Bach".) 100.00 % very good tov m'ohd / טוב מְאוד great! / YOH-fi / יופי larger / yoh-tehr gah-dohl / יותֵר גדול smaller / yoh-tehr kah-tahn / יותֵר קטן please write / b'vah-kah-shah lihx-tov / בְבקשה לִכְתוב in the notebook / bah-mahx-BEH-ret / במחְבֶּרֶת on the chalkboard / ahl hah-LOO-ahx / על הלוּחַ
יותר גדול ה יותר קטן ה LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE MORE LETTERS האלף־בּית 1.7 The letter heh ה האלף־בּית 1.7.1 The letter heh ה is written with two strokes. Do not connect them. Begin with the stroke to the right. Start with a rehsh ר ; then make a smaller version of the rehsh ה inside the larger one. 16
Practice writing: / heh/ _________________________________________________________ ה When the letter ה appears at the end of a word it is usually a vowel indicator for /ah/ and isn't pronounced. At the beginning or in the middle of the word, ה has the consonantal sound: /h/ . For example: / shee-rah/ = שירה / mah-hehr/ = מהֵר THE DEFINITE ARTICLE heh ה האלף־בּית 1.7. 2 A ה " " which is attached to the beginning of a noun or adjective usually equals the word " the ". It is called the " definite article" . In Hebrew we call it הֵא הַיְדיעָה Write: "the song" = השיר "the peace" = השלום Write the Hebrew: "the song"____________ ___________________________ השיר "the peace"_______________________________________ השלום 1.7.3 הא לף־בית : א ע When a syllable begins with a vowel sound. ע א The letters א and ע are generally used when a syllable begins with a vowel sound. For example, the first syllable of the names: Amos - / ah-mohs / עמוס , Esther -/ ehs-tehr / אֶסְתֵ ר and Iraq - / ih-rahk / עיראק . or the second syllable of the names: Yaakov - / yah-ah-kohv / יעקֹב , Shmuel - / shmoo-ehl / שְמוּאֵל Shaul - / shah-ool / שאוּל , or Shimon - / sheem-ohn / שִמְעון 17
100.00 %
	/ oh /	עו		/oh/	או
	. /ee/	עי		/ ee /	אי
	/ oo /	עוּ		/ oo /	אוּ
	/ ah /	ע		/ ah /	א
/ ah / (end of word) עה			אה ah / end of word/
Practice writing / AH-lehf/ א and / AH-yeen/ ע . . Start at the right side of the letter. _________________________ ע _________________________ א QUESTION: Why does Hebrew have both the א and the ע , if either of them can represent a syllable that consists of just a vowel? The answer is that the sound of ע is still pronounced as a consonant in some dialects of Hebrew, but has merged with the א in the western dialect of Hebrew. Many Sephardic Jews in Israel, whose origins are in Middle Eastern countries, retain the distinct pronunciations of א and ע . The historical difference is preserved in written Hebrew, and words with א or ע must be spelled correctly. 1.8 חזרה: קְריאה וכְת יבה REVIEW: Read and practice writing these words: Use the software, Chapter One, 1:3 "Writing Block Letters" to review the correct way to form your letters. 100.00 % שלוש ______________________________ שיר ______________________________ שירה ____________________________ שלום __________________________ עֵרוּב __________________________ על _______________________________ הֶלֶם _______________________________ בְאֵר _______________________________ רעש _______________________________ רשְמה _______________________________ 18

1.8 חזרה: קְריאה וכְת יבה - continued
שבְרה _________________________________________ הֶבֶל ____________________________________________ הבְּאֵר____________________________ שילֵם __________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 1.9 האלף־בּית : ת, ד - MORE LETTERS 1.9.1 האלף־בּית : ת - *The letter /tahv/* The word / aht/ את means "you" (feminine singular only). אתה / ah-tah/ is "you' masculine singular form. Practice writing; 100.00 % / tavh/ = /t/ ____________________________________ _ ת (Begin by writing a resh. Add a second stroke, beginning at the top.) "who are you" ( m) ___________________________ מי אתה "who are you" (f) _____________________________________ מי את "hello" ________________________________________ ___ שלום "who are you (m)? I am " _________________________ מי אתה? אני "who has a question?" __________________________ לְמי יֵש שְאֵלה 9.2. 1 האלף־בּית : ד = DAH -leht/ / d/ Practice writing DAH-leht ד "thanks"___________________________________________________________ תודה "learned "___________________________________________________________ למד "to speak"___________________________________ ___________________ לְדבֵּר 100.00 % Practice reading: למה לְדבֵּר מהֵר למד לִרְאות תְנִי מְאוד מִדַי לִי לא לְדבֵּר

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הֶעָרָה FYI לידיעתך "larger" and "smaller" refers to the size of the letters you are writing. (Are you practicing?) Experiment with the changing the speed of the playback. Try the options.