Shva In Hebrew

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The final Hebrew vowel is called Shva. This vowel is represented by two small dots placed in a vertical line below the letter.

Shva is a very common Hebrew vowel and occurs in most Hebrew words. Here is what Shva looks like with an imaginary Hebrew letter:

Hebrew vowel Shva  Shva

Shva is used at the end of a closed syllable, to indicate that this Hebrew letter does not have a full vowel of its own. The Shva means that either there is no vowel at all (Shva Nach in Hebrew, or a resting Shva), or only a very short half-vowel (Shva Na in Hebrew, or a moving Shva). A vocal or moving Shva is pronounced with a very short, half-skipped, i sound, the same i as in the words ink, in or it.

When you are learning Hebrew, it is not always easy to know when a Shva is resting (with no sound at all), or moving, with a short half-vowel. The following rules will help you:
 
  • When two Shvas occur under consecutive consonants (except at the end of a word), the first one is resting and the second moving. For example, the Hebrew word Hebrew word yishmeru meaning they will keep, is pronounced yeesh-Miroo, not yeeshi-Miroo or yeesh-Mroo. This rule, however, does not apply if two Shvas occur together at the end of a word.
  • Two moving Shvas never occur together; one of them will always be resting.
  • A Shva is always moving if it occurs under the first letter of a Hebrew word. This is very common in Hebrew, and occurs in words starting with Hebrew word be (in a), Hebrew word le (to/for a) or Hebrew word ke (like a).
  • A Shva is generally moving if it occurs under the first consonant of a syllable. This is true at the beginning or in the middle of a word.
  • A Shva is generally resting if it closes a syllable in the middle of a word. This occurs, for example, in the word Hebrew word artsa (to the land) which is pronounced artsa, not aritsa.
  • A Shva which follows the vowels Kamets, Sere, Holem, or Shurek is usually a moving Shva, while a resting Shva usually follows the vowels Patah, Segol, Hirek, Kibbuts or Kamets Hatuf.
  • Shva is always moving if it occurs under the first of two identical consonants, such as in the word Hebrew word tsilele meaning shadows of.
  • The Shva is usually omitted when it occurs under the last letter of a word. An exception to this rule is the Final Kaf (Hebrew letter Kaf Sofit), which regularly takes a Shva (in which case it looks like Hebrew letter Kaf with Shva). In this case, the Shva sits inside the letter rather than below it.
You should realize that, when people speak in real life, there is a lot of variation in pronunciation. People speak fast or slow, with or without accents, formally or using slang, with or without emphasis, and many other causes of variation. Therefore, you should think of these 'rules' more as guidelines. The best way to learn how to pronounce Hebrew 'correctly' is to speak the language. Don't rely on grammars and textbooks to tell you what is 'correct' or 'incorrect'. Don't sit and analyse a bunch of rules every time you find a new word. Speak Hebrew, listen to Hebrew, and learn by doing. Speaking Hebrew with native Israelis is the only way to learn Hebrew well. There is no substitute for this.

In Israel today, with the myriad of variation in the way that people speak, pronouncing a word with the ‘wrong’ Shva would probably go unnoticed unless you keep making repeated mistakes with common words. Insisting on exact rules, and precisely when and where a Shva is resting or moving, is something that is generally done only by academics such as University professors and people who can't actually hold a conversation in Hebrew!

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