Why two marks for the same vowel?

In ancient Hebrew kamatz and patach sounded different, and so did segol and tsere. In the Hebrew spoken today the difference is gone: for reading, a and e are enough.

Are the vowels written in everyday texts?

No: newspapers, signs and messages have no marks. The vowels are for learning, and stay in children’s books, poetry and religious texts. After steps 7, 8 and 9 you start reading without them too.

Not as a vowel. It changes the sound of Bet, Kaf and Pe (b, k, p instead of v, kh, f). In other letters it changes nothing you can hear.

Free course · Step 7 of 15

The vowel points: A and E

A vowel point (niqqud) sits under, above or inside a letter, and you read it right after the letter: בָּ is b then a, ba. A letter with no mark simply closes the syllable. In this step you learn the four marks for a and e: two for a, kamatz (a small T) and patach (a dash), and two for e, segol (three dots in a triangle) and tsere (two dots side by side). For reading, each pair sounds the same.

You also learn what is not a vowel: the dot inside בּ, כּ, פּ is the dagesh and only changes the letter’s sound, b, k, p. A syllable can have the dagesh and a vowel together: בָּ is ba, בָ is va.

The exercises have you read syllables, bet-a, lamed-e, with the voice on every tile, until the letter and the mark become one sound.

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Step 7 of 15 · Explanation

The vowel points: A and E

A vowel point (niqqud) sits under, above or inside a letter, and you read it right after the letter: is b then a, ba.

A letter with no point and no vowel mark simply closes the syllable.

Questions

Why two marks for the same vowel?: In ancient Hebrew kamatz and patach sounded different, and so did segol and tsere. In the Hebrew spoken today the difference is gone: for reading, a and e are enough.
Are the vowels written in everyday texts?: No: newspapers, signs and messages have no marks. The vowels are for learning, and stay in children’s books, poetry and religious texts. After steps 7, 8 and 9 you start reading without them too.
Is the dagesh read?: Not as a vowel. It changes the sound of Bet, Kaf and Pe (b, k, p instead of v, kh, f). In other letters it changes nothing you can hear.

And then?

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The vowel points: A and E

Questions

And then?

The steps of the course