All Questions
Tagged with grammar-dikduk vowels-nekudot
59 questions
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68
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Mispronouncing a Sh'wa
Based on the answer to the post on the nature of the Sh'wa, there is a dikduk question regarding modern reading of the Torah. Would exchanging the sh'wa na' (mobile) and sh'wa nach (quiescent) be ...
- 5,066
2
votes
2
answers
377
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The famous Morid HaGeshem vs. Goshem debate as it relates to Morid HaTal
Just to establish some basic grammar rules quickly - if a word starts with two segols and is the end of a sentence, the first segol is often changed to a kamatz (one example of many in the Torah: ...
- 649
2
votes
1
answer
106
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Usage of the Sch'wa nekuda
I noticed there are many questions on Mi Yodeya to clarify the pronunciation of the Sch'wa na vs. Sch'wa nach, both having the same nekuda אְ, with elaborate rules distinguishing the two. It seems ...
- 5,066
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77
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Differences in nikkud between Ashkenazi Hebrew (or Yiddish?) and "Standard" Hebrew words
I have an interest in Judaism through the prism of Yiddish (specially Hasidic) culture. I'm more proficient in Yiddish but I'm slowly absorbing a bit of Hebrew. Looking through texts edited by Hasidic ...
- 1
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2
answers
307
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How to pronounce שׁוֹמְרִים?
Shalom to all.
I am not sure how to pronounce the following word, which comes up in prayer (e.g. in Tehillim 130): שׁוֹמְרִים.
On one hand, I learned that Sheva after big vowels (Patach, Ṣere…) is ...
- 191
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votes
0
answers
74
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Should דיין in דיין האמת be marked with קמץ or פתח?
I have always understood a phrase consisting of two nouns, where the latter alone has ה"א הידיעה, to be in סמיכות. Consequently, דיין האמת ought to be pointed דַּיַּן הָאֱמֶת, given that דַּיַּן (...
- 121
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2
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169
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Kamatz at the end of the sentence [closed]
What is the grammatical rule that causes some vowels to become Kamats at the end of a sentence in the Torah?
What vowels usually undergo this change?
For example: גַן to גָן.
Thank you.
- 191
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1
answer
81
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Segol pausal form
When a word ends in two Seggols (or a Seggol and Patach, depending on whether the final letter is guttural), and the word is in pause, the first Seggol is lengthened to a Kamatz. Why is it not ...
- 1,912
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72
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Nikkud of the word ים
Why in Tanach, does the word יָם always have a Komatz, even when נסמך/connected to the next word, such as יָם המלח and יָם פלשתים and even when attached with a מקף such as יָם-כנרת (Bamidbar 34:11) ...
- 3,357
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1
answer
189
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Is the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the kamatz "aw" or "uh"?
I have seen sources, for example the Artscroll transliterated siddur, that say that the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the kamatz vowel is "aw," as in the first syllable of "often," ...
user31444
1
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2
answers
158
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Pausal form with a non-pausal cantillation mark
Someone pointed me to the following unusual verse (Malakhi 1:6):
בֵּ֛ן יְכַבֵּ֥ד אָ֖ב וְעֶ֣בֶד אֲדֹנָ֑יו וְאִם־אָ֣ב אָ֣נִי אַיֵּ֣ה כְבוֹדִ֡י וְאִם־אֲדוֹנִ֣ים אָנִי֩ אַיֵּ֨ה מֽוֹרָאִ֜י אָמַ֣ר ׀ ...
- 8,117
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1
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206
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Kamatz Katan Question
Can someone kindly confirm if שׁלוֹמָךְ and אַמָךְ have a kamatz katan in them? I do not believe they do, but I’m still working on my ability to spot the kamatz katan in some words.
I would pronounce ...
- 131
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What is the proper voweling (Nikud) for Metatron?
I have seen many variations of this and wonder if anyone could tell me which is the most correct?
These variations include:
מֶטָטְרוֹן (Meṭāṭ'rōn)
מְטַטְרוֹן (Măṭaṭ'rōn)
מֵיטַטְרוֹן (Mēyṭaṭ'rōn)
...
- 359
2
votes
1
answer
218
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Why is there no דגש in the ת in the word "וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם"?
I am told that a בגדכפת letter takes a דגש following a closed syllable (examples of this: נִשְׁבַּ֧ע, בְּקִרְבֶּ֑ךָ and לְנֶגְדְּכֶם֙) (i.e. ends with the letter and not the vowel), so why do words ...
- 542
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3
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345
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Is וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם in Shema with Shva Na or Shva Nach
My daughter goes to a chabad school (nusach ari?) and has been taught in class that וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם in the shema (end of first paragraph) is with a shvah na on the כְ. She also says it has the asterisk ...
- 313
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1
answer
230
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Penultimate stress of אתה
By default, the world אַתָּה (you) has a final stress. If I am correct (and the concordance as well), out of 172 occurrences 159 satisfies this rule in the Torah (92%).* However, if this word is in a ...
- 8,117
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What is the rationale for only marking certain letters with sheva, when they are the last letter in a word?
In printed and manuscript editions of Tanach, I've noticed that a sheva on the final letter of a word is almost never marked, and is meant to be inferred.
The two exceptions I've come across are:
A ...
- 46.6k
4
votes
1
answer
93
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Heh Hayediya before the letter Chet: Segol or Patach?
In Acharei Mot the verses (Bamidbar 16:20 (end) and 21 (beginning)) read as follows:
וְהִקְרִ֖יב אֶת־הַשָּׂעִ֥יר הֶחָֽי׃ כא וְסָמַ֨ךְ אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י יָדָ֗ו עַ֣ל רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׂעִיר֮ הַחַי֒
The ...
- 23.1k
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Why is the word כטוב spelled sometimes with a Sheva and other times with a Patach?
Why is the word כטוב spelled sometimes with a Sheva (as in Ester 1:10), and sometimes with a Patach (as in Ester 3:11)?
Ester 1:10:
בַּיּוֹם, הַשְּׁבִיעִי, כְּטוֹב לֵב-הַמֶּלֶךְ, בַּיָּיִן--אָמַר ...
user17319
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186
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Silent sheva after long vowels
I assume most have heard about the 5 famous rules of Elia Levita regarding the vocal sheva. His rules tend to work well in practice, even the third, much debated rule about the concept of long vowels (...
- 8,117
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108
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What is the explanation of spelling the same word with a Patach instead of a Sh'va in Megillat Esther?
In Megillat Esther, why is the word "maidens" spelled with a sh'va under the first letter (נְעָרוֹת) in verses 2:2, 2:8, 2:9, but with a patach (נַעֲרוֹת) in verse 4:4?
user17319
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4
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Why does Artscroll indicate that the מ of למנצח should have a שוע נע?
The Artscroll siddur indicates that the שוע on מ of למנצח (e.g. תהלים כ א) is a שוע נע, but I am not sure why this is the case. The vowel beforehand is a פתח (a תנועה קטנה) and none of the other rules ...
- 2,075
3
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187
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In Parshas Chukas, why is first mention of Parah Adumah "פָרָה" instead of "פָּרָה"?
The first mention of the Parah Adumah in Parshas Chukas (Numbers 19:2) is:
דַּבֵּ֣ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶיךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה
Instruct the people of Israel to bring you a red cow ...
- 12.2k
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1
answer
110
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How reliable is the Nikkud in our books?
As we all know, in Hebrew, the Nikkud can change a lot. When studying for this question, I notice slight deviations between different books and I'd like to know how reliable the Nikkud in our books is?...
- 28k
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1
answer
183
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Kamatz katan in "קָֽדָשִׁים" in Vayikra 24:9
In the verse Vayikra 24:9 in the printed tikkun the first kamatz of the word kadashim (קׇֽדָשִׁ֨ים) is not katan. However, on Wikisource it has that first kamatz as a kamatz katan:
וְהָֽיְתָה֙ ...
user19156
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152
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Why a kamatz rather than a segol at the end of a pasuk? [duplicate]
Why does a segol change to a kamatz at the end of a pasuk (or on an esnachta), as in the word for bread in the last paragraph of the birkat hamazon? (I know that is the pattern. The question is why.)
...
- 8,383
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1
answer
96
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What rule governs the varying nikkud in words מִשְׁתֶּה and מִשְׁתֵּה?
What rule governs the varying nikkud in words מִשְׁתֶּה and מִשְׁתֵּה in Megillas Ester? In Ashkenazi pronunciation this makes a difference because the first is read as "Mishte" and the second is read ...
user17319
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0
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194
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"Eis" instead of "es" in the crop b'racha in the Amida
The ninth b'racha of the amida begins with the words
בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ ה' אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ
אֶת הַשָּׁנָה הַזֹּאת
וְאֶת כָּל מִינֵי תְּבוּאָתָהּ לְטוֹבָה
where both את are vocalized with segol (three ...
- 24k
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answer
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Vowels in tefilat Hashachar
In tefilat "leoylom yehe Odom... " there is a statement
ָקַדֵּש אֶת שִמְךָ בְּעוֹלָמֶך
Instinctively my tendency is to read beoylomecho with a shevo below the letter beys. But in siddur Tehilas ...
- 23.1k
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1
answer
101
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What rule governs the nekuda under the words אֶת and אֵת? [duplicate]
What rule governs the nekuda under the words אֶת and אֵת in Megillas Ester?
In Ashkenazi pronunciation this makes a difference because the first is read as "Es" and the second is read as "Eys."
user17319
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What are the rules for sh'va na?
What is the full list of rules for when to pronounce a sh'va (i.e. na) during tefillah and keriat hatorah?
When I was in school, I remember being taught that a sh'va was na in the following 5 cases (...
- 46.6k
3
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2
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227
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Why are there varying vowels on proper nouns in Megillas Ester?
In Megillas Ester, several proper nouns (such as Mordechai, and Shushan) use komatz and patach interchangeably. In sefardi pronunciation this does not make much of a difference, but in ashkenazi ...
user17319
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1
answer
1k
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Explanation of Kamatz vs. Patach ה הידעה
I've noticed that possukim will switch back and forth between the vowelizing of the definite article heh, sometimes multiple times within the same possuk. Is there a rule for this or an explanation in ...
- 5,184
4
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0
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215
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No Dagesh for Yud, Lamed, Mem with Shva after Hei HaYdiah [closed]
In general, when a word is prefixed by Hei HaYdiah (the definite article), the following consonant receives a Dagesh Hazak (gemination). Clear exceptions are when that consonant is a guttural and ...
- 5,024
6
votes
1
answer
273
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When did siddurim first start showing sheva na - nach differently?
Some (most?) widely used siddurim today give the reader some pronunciation information that is not obvious in standard Hebrew lettering: when a sheva is pronounced (e.g., by making the sheva na bold, ...
- 8,383
1
vote
0
answers
120
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Practical suggestions for choosing between different nuschaot in the Torah
Unfortunately, it's not hard to find places in the Torah, and even more so in Nach, where we have a doubt about either the trop or the nekudot. (Or, more rarely, letters, but those are generally the ...
- 9,421
2
votes
1
answer
248
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Tzerei vs. Sh'va vs. Segol
Are there examples of words where pronouncing a sh'va as a tzeirei or a segol (or pronouncing a tzeirei as a sh'va or a segol or a segol as a sh'va or a tzeire) creates a different meaning? I'm ...
- 712
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1
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Why does Rashi call tzeirei and segol "kamatz katan" and "patach katan"
Rashi often refers to tzeirei as "kamatz katan" and segol as "patach katan". Why? In what sense are they smaller versions of kamatz and patach?
I understand that kamatz and tzeirei are תנועות ...
- 9,421
4
votes
1
answer
162
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Difference between וַהֲשִׁיבְךָ and וֶהֱשׁיבְךָ
Bereishit 40:13
בְּע֣וֹד ׀ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֗ים יִשָּׂ֤א פַרְעֹה֙ אֶת־רֹאשֶׁ֔ךָ וַהֲשִֽׁיבְךָ֖ עַל־כַּנֶּ֑ךָ וְנָֽתַתָּ֤ כוֹס־פַּרְעֹה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ כַּמִּשְׁפָּט֙ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיִ֖יתָ ...
- 9,421
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0
answers
80
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HALLEL Ki Amilam. Patach kamats & tsere
See Tehilim 118, 10:
כָּל-גּוֹיִ֥ם סְבָב֑וּנִי בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְ֝הוָ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲמִילַֽם:
The English translation in dTorah is:
All nations surround me; but in the name of the Lord I will cut ...
- 23.1k
2
votes
1
answer
490
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shlichim / shluchim
I've heard of Chabad emissaries referred to as both "shluchim" and "shlichim", though in the singular I've only heard "shaliach" (not "shaluach"). What is the grammatical explanation for this?
user3318
5
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1
answer
200
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Why do third-person singular female qal verbs lack a gaʿya?
The word הָיְתָ֣ה appears in the model Masoretic codices without a gaʿya on the initial ה in several places (e.g. Isaiah 1:21 in L [facsimile] & A). Likewise, זָכְרָ֥ה lacks a gaʿya (e.g. Nehamiah ...
- 3,987
2
votes
2
answers
223
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Difference in Nikkud for לא כי in Torah and Mishna
The phrase "Lo Ki" occurs in Tanach (Genesis 18, 15):
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ׀ לֹ֖א כִּ֥י צָחָֽקְתְּ׃
and in Mishna:
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא כִי, אֶלָּא חֲצִי בָצָל גָּדוֹל (Trumot 2, 5)
אָמַר לוֹ ...
- 23.1k
3
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0
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143
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"This meat is for Peisach" with a tzeirei
Based on this question.
Many (most?) Ashkenazim in America say Pesach, with a segol, when talking about the korban pesach, but Peisach, with a tzeirei, to refer to the holiday. As far as I know, the ...
- 9,421
1
vote
1
answer
395
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What is the dot in this vav?
What is this dot in the word יִוָּדַ֤ע in Mikeitz 41 31.
וְלֹֽא־יִוָּדַ֤ע הַשָּׂבָע֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ מִפְּנֵ֛י הָרָעָ֥ב הַה֖וּא אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֑ן כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד ה֖וּא מְאֹֽד׃
How does it effect the reading of ...
- 34.1k
3
votes
0
answers
468
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Comparison of editions of Shas menukad
As far as I'm aware, there are at least three editions of the Talmud which are currently available with nikkud in the daf itself (the Steinsaltz/Koren, the Tuvia's Judaica, and the Oz Vehadar). In my ...
- 13.3k
13
votes
2
answers
616
views
Is there a reason or pattern as to when the Torah uses אֵת instead of אֶת?
I noticed a mix of the two forms of the Hebrew objective marker commonly pronounced אֶת. in the Torah. (There is no English translation of this word. It is used only to notify that an object follows ...
- 71.5k
12
votes
4
answers
428
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Why דָּת in Esther but דַּת in kidushin?
There are two places "דָּת" appears in Tanach in a form that means "the law of": Esther 2:12 and 9:13. In both places it appears as "דָּת" with a kamatz.[1]
Yet, when we marry, according to the ...
- 73.9k
1
vote
1
answer
103
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In the phrase זכר למעשה בראשית in Kiddush, is the word זכר an adjective?
Usually, a word that has a segol such as "zecher" gets a tzerei when it becomes an adjective. Example - "mateh" becomes "matei" when used as an adjective as in "matei Levi".
Q - in the phrase זכר ...
- 71.5k
2
votes
1
answer
142
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Unusual pronunciation of "Mol" in Devarim 1:1
Devarim 1:1 uses the phrase "Mol Suf". The word is pronounced "Mol" vs. "Mul". I assume that the literal definition of the word is "against" or "near".
In other locations in the Torah, the word is ...
- 71.5k