SALT SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

In this lesson, we're looking at the second letter of the Hebrew alef-bet, which happens to have two forms:

• When there is a dot in the middle, we have the letter Bet (בּ), which is pronounced like the /b/ in "boy".
• When the middle dot is missing, this letter is Vet (ב), which is pronounced like the /v/ in "vase".

Combining Bet / Vet with Vowel Markers

Recall the vowel markers introduced in the previous lesson. As with alef, these markers can be added to Bet and Vet.

Let's take a look at a few combinations:

When bet decorated with one of the marks above, the vowel sound will come after the b sound. The table below explains the combinations shown above:

In the same way, vowel markers can be added to the letter vet:

The table below explains the combinations shown above:

There's one more marker you should be aware of when reading Hebrew: two vertical dots under a letter is called a sh'va ( ְְ ).

Don't worry, this is an easy one. Sh'va is just a way of marking that a letter has no vowel. It sounds just like the plain letter. Sh'va serves an important purpose, but for right now, it's safe to ignore it.

Let's practice using Bet and Vet in the following exercises...

Pronunciation Practice

For each of the following exercises, read from right to left and pronounce each sound out loud.

Hidden Phrases

Practice reading from right to left and recognizing Hebrew characters. The following exercises contain English phrases written backwards. Some parts have also been replaced with Hebrew letters. Can you recognize these phrases?

Bible Vocabulary

With alef, bet and vet under your belt, you are now ready to learn the first Hebrew vocabulary word:

• Av אָב /ahv/ means "father".

Can you spot this vocabulary word in the following passages? Click on each one to complete the exercises.

Flashcards

Click the card below to start the quiz. Click again to reveal the answer. Repeat until you've memorized all the Hebrew.