Is the shva pronounced or not?

At the start of a word it is a very quick e, barely heard: גְּלִידָה is said gli-da. In the middle of a word usually not: it closes the syllable, as in תַּלְמִיד, tal-mid. The exercises show both cases.

What are the tiny marks under Alef and Ayin?

The chataf vowels, ֲ ֱ ֳ: a quick a, e, o, used under Alef, Ayin and Chet, which do not take the shva. אֲנִי, I, is a-ni.

Why is the final He not read?

It marks the vowel before it, it is not a sound: the word ends on that vowel. In feminine words ending in ָה this He is the feminine marker.

Free course · Step 9 of 15

Shva, dagesh, and the ends of words

With the vowels known, three small things remain. The shva, two dots stacked under the letter, is the mark that is barely a vowel: at the start of a word it reads as a very short e, in the middle it usually closes the syllable. The dagesh, the dot inside the letter, matters for three letters only: בּ b, כּ k, פּ p; in the others it changes nothing you can hear.

A He at the end of a word is silent, and you say the vowel before it: מוֹרָה is mo-ra, תּוֹדָה is to-da. Words ending in ָה are almost always feminine, which will matter later. A Yod after tsere or patach makes a diphthong: בֵּי is bei, ־ַי is ai, so בַּיִת is ba-yit.

After this step you have everything needed to read a word with vowels. From step 10 you read real words.

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Step 9 of 15 · Explanation

Shva, dagesh, and the ends of words

(shva, two dots one above the other) is the smallest vowel.

At the start of a syllable it is a very quick e: is gli-da, not ge-li-da, but you may hear a whisper of e.

At the end of a syllable it is silent: it just closes the syllable.

Rule of thumb for reading: say almost nothing.

Questions

Is the shva pronounced or not?: At the start of a word it is a very quick e, barely heard: גְּלִידָה is said gli-da. In the middle of a word usually not: it closes the syllable, as in תַּלְמִיד, tal-mid. The exercises show both cases.
What are the tiny marks under Alef and Ayin?: The chataf vowels, ֲ ֱ ֳ: a quick a, e, o, used under Alef, Ayin and Chet, which do not take the shva. אֲנִי, I, is a-ni.
Why is the final He not read?: It marks the vowel before it, it is not a sound: the word ends on that vowel. In feminine words ending in ָה this He is the feminine marker.

And then?

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Shva, dagesh, and the ends of words

Questions

And then?

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