How do I split a Hebrew word into syllables?

Every vowel makes a syllable. Find the vowels, and the consonant before each goes with it: מִשְׁ־פָּ־חָה, mish-pa-kha. A shva in the middle stays with the syllable before.

Why is יִשְׂרָאֵל read with an s?

Because the dot above the letter is on the left: it is a Sin, which sounds s. With the dot on the right it would be a Shin, sh. Step 5 explains it.

Isn’t reading in pieces too slow?

At first, yes, and that is right. After a few dozen words the eye sees the syllables by itself and reading becomes fluent. The voice on every tile confirms the rhythm.

Free course · Step 11 of 15

Longer words

A long word is only a row of short syllables. The trick is to cut it where the vowels are: תַּלְמִיד is tal-mid, student; מִשְׁפָּחָה is mish-pa-kha, family. A shva in the middle of a word usually closes the syllable, tal, mish; at the start it is the quick e, barely heard: גְּלִידָה, ice cream, is said gli-da.

The words in this step are the ones a first course lives on: teacher, student, book, bread, challah, morning, night, thank you, table, friend, Hebrew, Israel. Each has its voice: read it in pieces, then as a whole, then tap it and hear whether you said it right.

One detail to watch: in יִשְׂרָאֵל the dot on the Shin is on the left, so it is a Sin and reads s, not sh. After this step no word is too long: it is just more syllables.

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Step 11 of 15 · Explanation

Longer words

A long word is only a row of short syllables.

Cut it where the vowels are: is tal-mid, is mish-pa-kha.

A shva in the middle usually closes a syllable (tal, mish); at the start of a word it is the quick e (gli-da).

Questions

How do I split a Hebrew word into syllables?: Every vowel makes a syllable. Find the vowels, and the consonant before each goes with it: מִשְׁ־פָּ־חָה, mish-pa-kha. A shva in the middle stays with the syllable before.
Why is יִשְׂרָאֵל read with an s?: Because the dot above the letter is on the left: it is a Sin, which sounds s. With the dot on the right it would be a Shin, sh. Step 5 explains it.
Isn’t reading in pieces too slow?: At first, yes, and that is right. After a few dozen words the eye sees the syllables by itself and reading becomes fluent. The voice on every tile confirms the rhythm.

And then?

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Longer words

Questions

And then?

The steps of the course