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Hebrew 101: Lesson 3
Dagesh and Shva (Schwa)
Dagesh (דגש)
Dagesh is a dot inside a Hebrew letter that indicates either emphasis or a specific pronunciation.
Two Types of Dagesh:
- Dagesh Kal (Light Dagesh) - Changes pronunciation of בגדכפת letters
- Dagesh Chazak (Strong Dagesh) - Indicates gemination (doubling) of a consonant
BeGeD KeFeT Letters
Six letters (ב ג ד כ פ ת) can have two pronunciations:
- ב - B (with dagesh) vs. V (without)
- כ - K (with dagesh) vs. Kh (without)
- פ - P (with dagesh) vs. F (without)
Shva / Schwa (שְׁוָא)
Shva is a vowel mark that appears as two vertical dots below a letter: אְ
Two Types of Shva:
- Shva Nach (Silent Shva) - Indicates absence of a vowel
- Shva Na (Moving Shva) - A very short "uh" sound, like 'a' in "about"
The difference matters for proper pronunciation and understanding word structure.