Transcript Lesson 6
When single syllable nouns are made plural, the consonants will either: (1) remain unchanged (2) double the final consonant by adding a dagesh. For Example: Unchanged: סוׁסhorse סוׁ ִסיםhorses ָּדםblood ָּד ִמיםbloods עַ םpeople עַ ִמיםpeoples חֵ ץarrow ִח ִציםarrows Final consonant doubled: Geminate - when the last two consonants of a word are identical, the word is a geminate. Compare with Gemini (the Twins), a northern constellation. ( לֵבָּ בheart) Historically, many Hebrew words developed from three consonants. Over time, many geminate words combined duplicate consonants. When the duplicate consonants combined, the words became monosyllabic. For example: common historical עַ ם עַ מם (people) חֵ ץ חַ צץ (arrow) When a geminate noun is made plural, the missing duplicate consonant manifests itself as a dagesh in the remaining twin consonant. Now Back to Monosyllabic Noun Plural Forms (not just geminates) The vowels of plural monosyllabic nouns will change under the following conditions. 1. If the noun is a geminate and the vowel is a tsere, the tsere is replaced by a hireq. For example: ( חֵ ץsingular) ( ִח ִציםplural) (arrows). 2. If the final consonant is a guttural or רand the vowel is a patakh, the vowel lengthens to a qamets. For example: ( הַ רsingular) ( הָּ ִריםplural) (mountains) 3. If the vowel is a holem, it may change to a qibbuts. For example: חֹק (singular) ( חֻ ִקיםplural) (statutes). However, the holem will not change to a qibbuts if it is a defective writing for ׁו. Note Some of the Rule Breakers: ִאיׁשman עִ ירcity ָּׁשים ִִׁ אֲ נmen עָּ ִריםcities ִאשִָּׁהwoman נ ִָּשיםwomen ָאבfather ָאבוֹתfathers רׁאׁשhead אׁשים ִ ָּרheads יוׁםday י ִָּמיםdays Modifications in Verbs with 2nd and 3rd Root Gutturals The first vowel of an active participle is always either a holem ׁׁ or a full holem ׁו. כ ִֵֹׁרת Masculine Singular no special ending Plural ִׁים Feminine ׁתor ָּׁה וֹת The meaning of the active participle is one of continuing action or progress. The active participle acts like an adjective and can be used attributively or predicatively. Remember: When an ending is added, sometimes the vowels of propretonic or pretonic syllables will reduce… …and when those pesky gutturals are involved, things get really weird. (gutturals are a pain) When a verb has a guttural in the 2nd root position, the vowel reduces to a composite shewa instead of a vocal shewa. For example: Singular Plural Masculine ׁשֹאֵ ל ׁשֹאֲ לִ ים Feminine ׁשֹאלת or ׁשֹאֲ ִָּׁלה ׁשֹאֲ לוֹת The holem is preserved, so you can identify the verb as a participle. When a verb has a חor עguttural consonant in the third root position, each of the vowels in the last two syllables change to a patakh in the feminine singular form. For example: Singular Plural Masculine ֹ ִַׁ ׁשל ֵח ׁשֹלְ ִחים Feminine ֹ ׁשלַחַ ת or ׁשֹלְ ִָּׁחה ׁשֹלְ חוׁת When a verb has an אin the third root position, the feminine singular form maintains a tsere under the second root. The א refuses a vowel and is not pronounced. For example: Singular Plural Masculine מֹצֵ א מ ְֹצ ִאים Feminine מׁצֵ את or מׁ ְצָאה מׁ ְצאוׁת The key: When the vowels make it hard to identify a participle, look for the first syllable holem and look for gutturals that throw off the expected vowel pattern.