HEBREW · STEP 19
Read melech
Meet final kaf and a silent final sheva, then read king in two syllables.
In this lesson
Return to a familiar two-syllable word
Most recent words had one syllable. Today a familiar vowel helps you read two, with the stronger beat at the beginning.
Read לֶחֶם. What does it mean, and which syllable has the stronger beat?
LE-chem, bread. It has two syllables, with stress on the first. Both segol marks give e in our reading model.
Meet final kaf
Final kaf
The word-ending shape of כ
You already know kaf: כּ gives k with dagesh; כ gives ch without it. At a word’s end, kaf has a different shape, ך. Its right-hand stroke extends downward. In today’s word, this final kaf has no dagesh and gives ch, our back-of-the-mouth sound.
Compare final kaf ך with final nun ן. Final kaf has a broader upper part; final nun has a narrower top. Look at the whole shape, not just the long stroke.
Match ordinary kaf to its final form: כ, ן, ך. Which letter is left over?
כ pairs with ך, final kaf. ן is final nun, which gives n. Final kaf will close today’s word with ch.
Meet sheva in one clear setting
Final kaf with sheva
No vowel follows ch in today’s word
Sheva is the mark made of two vertical dots. In the word we are learning, it marks the absence of a vowel after the final consonant. Say the consonant ch, then stop. Sheva can have other readings in other settings; begin with this one use.
The long body of final kaf can surround the dots visually. These two dots are sheva, not the single inside dot called dagesh. Compare the three familiar-looking patterns below.
- מֵ has tsere: two horizontal dots, e here.
- מֶ has segol: three dots in a triangle, e here.
- ךְ has sheva: two vertical dots, no added vowel in today’s word.
Which mark has two vertical dots? How does it differ from tsere and segol?
Sheva has two vertical dots. Tsere’s two dots lie side by side; segol has three dots. Identify the arrangement as well as the number.
Read melech: king
me + lech = ME-lech
King
- Mem with segol begins me.
- Lamed with segol begins le.
- Undotted final kaf closes the second syllable with ch. Its sheva adds no vowel here.
Blend ME-lech, two syllables, with the stronger beat on me. Our ch remains the sound used in lechem, not the ch of English chair.
Find both segols and the sheva in מֶלֶךְ. Which marks supply e?
The segols beneath mem and lamed supply e. The sheva at final kaf supplies no vowel here. Two sounded vowels give two syllables.
Cover the reading aid. Read מֶלֶךְ, give its meaning, and place the stress.
ME-lech, king. Two syllables, first-syllable stress. Close with ch rather than adding a final vowel.
Repair “ME-lek,” “me-LECH,” and “ME-le-che.”
- “ME-lek” gives k, but final kaf is undotted here: use ch.
- “me-LECH” puts the stronger beat too late: stress me.
- “ME-le-che” adds a vowel for sheva. Here it is silent; finish after ch.
Compare bread and king
These two words share a rhythm, but their letters are not the same.
LE-chem
Bread
ME-lech
King
Read both words. What stays the same, and what must you keep distinct?
Both have two e vowels, two syllables, and first stress. Lechem begins with lamed, has het in the middle, and ends with final mem. Melech begins with mem, has lamed in the middle, and ends with final kaf.
Het and undotted kaf share our ch sound, but they are different letters. Do not exchange them when writing the words.
A request for a king
In 1 Samuel 8, Israel’s elders come to Shmuel, Samuel, and ask him to appoint a king. Here is the noun from their request in verse 5.
מֶלֶךְ
King.
Read the excerpt. Who makes the request in this passage, and does the noun itself tell us whether it is wise?
ME-lech means king. Israel’s elders make the request. The noun names what they ask for; understanding the response and the wisdom of their request requires the surrounding story.
Use the translation to follow that story. Your Hebrew task here is to recognize the noun, its two segols, and its silent final sheva.
Bring the five final forms together
You have now met all five letters with separate word-ending shapes. Say each letter’s name and match its two forms. The shapes below have no vowel marks.
- כ ךKaf
- Ordinary and final
- מ םMem
- Ordinary and final
- נ ןNun
- Ordinary and final
- פ ףPe
- Ordinary and final
- צ ץTsadi
- Ordinary and final
Cover the pairs. Name the ordinary partner of each final form: ף, ם, ך, ץ, ן.
Final pe pairs with פ; final mem with מ; final kaf with כ; final tsadi with צ; final nun with נ. Position changes the form of the letter, not the number of letters in the word.
Recall the word and the boundary
Look away and say the Hebrew for king. Write it with its marks if you can. Explain the final mark before checking.
Check king. Does this example show that every sheva is silent?
מֶלֶךְ, ME-lech. The final sheva is silent in this word. Other settings need their own teaching; this example does not establish a reading for every sheva you encounter.
Tomorrow, alternate king and bread: ME-lech, LE-chem. Read their Hebrew spellings, notice the different endings, then cover the aids and try again.
Explore the sources
Final kaf, University of Texas at Austin (PDF) · Vowel marks and sheva (PDF) · Melech: form and meaning · Melech: pronunciation and stress
Keep learning
Read sak gives you another small step in careful Hebrew reading.