HEBREW · STEP 16
Read pe and af
Learn p and f, recognize final pe, and read mouth and nose.
Remember a dot that changes the sound
In pointed Hebrew, the supplied marks help you choose the reading. Begin with a letter you already know.
Give the sounds of כּ and כ. What does the inside dot change?
k with dagesh; ch without it. Here ch is our back-of-the-mouth sound, as in lechem. The same shape has two readings in these pointed examples.
Today pe will give another useful pair: p and f.
Meet pe and its two readings
Pe with dagesh: p
As in park
Without the inside dot, פ gives f, as in fan. The letter’s inward-turning stroke belongs to its shape; the separate dot is dagesh. Compare פ with familiar kaf כ, which lacks that inward feature.
Which is pe: כ or פ? What feature helps you tell them apart?
פ is pe. Look for its inward-turning part. כ is kaf. Identify the complete shape before checking for a separate inside dot.
Read the practice pairs פַּ / פַ and פֶּ / פֶ
pa / fa, then pe / fe. The inside dot changes p to f when removed; the vowel stays the same within each pair. These are practice syllables.
Pe at the end of a word
Final pe
The word-ending shape of פ
Like mem and nun, pe has a different shape at a word’s end. The lower part extends downward. Position determines the final shape; the p/f distinction is a separate matter. In today’s word ending in final pe, it has no inside dot and gives f.
Match the two shapes: פ and ף. Which belongs at the end?
They are the ordinary and final shapes of pe. ף is the final shape. Do not mistake a change of shape for an added syllable.
Read pe: mouth
p + e = pe
Mouth
Start with dotted pe, p. The three-dot segol below it supplies e, the vowel you know from lechem. Final he supports that e and adds no h sound. Read pe, one syllable, with a steady e.
This gives final he another role to recognize. In Torah it supports the final a; here it supports e. The vowel marks and the word guide the reading.
Cover the model. Read פֶּה and count its syllables.
pe, mouth: one syllable. Pe gives p, segol gives e, and final he does not add another syllable.
Compare final he in פֶּה and תּוֹרָה. Does it always indicate a?
No. In pe it supports e; in to-RA it supports the final a. In both words it adds no h. Elsewhere he can be a sounded h, as you practiced in zahav.
Read af: nose
a + f = af
Nose
Familiar alef with patah begins a. Final pe has no dagesh, so close with f. Read the whole word in one syllable: af.
Read אַף without the aid. Which letter supplies its final sound?
af, nose. Final pe, ף, supplies f. No vowel follows it here.
Repair “pe-he” for mouth and “ap” for nose.
Read mouth as pe, without an extra he syllable. Read nose as af: its final pe has no inside dot and gives f, not p. Read the supplied letters and marks together.
Two familiar body words in a psalm
Psalm 115 describes idols made by human hands. They have the shapes of mouths and noses, yet cannot speak or smell. The objects in that description give us two short words to recognize.
פֶּה
Mouth.
אַף
Nose.
Read both excerpts and match each to its meaning. What does the surrounding psalm describe?
פֶּה is pe, mouth; אַף is af, nose. The surrounding lines describe human-made idols. The nouns themselves name body parts; the rest of each line supplies the description.
These are separately selected single words. If you open the psalm, locate them and use the translation for the rest of the verses.
Bring the new forms into your reading
First look away and recall mouth and nose. Write their pointed forms if you can. Then read this mixed list of separate words.
- אַף
- עַם
- פֶּה
- כּוֹס
Check your recalled words and the mixed list
af, nose; am, people; pe, mouth; kos, cup.
- Mouth is פֶּה: preserve the inside dot, segol and final he.
- Nose is אַף: preserve patah and undotted final pe.
- Am ends in final mem; kos ends in samekh. Read each ending rather than guessing from its position.
Tomorrow, recall mouth and nose before reading this page. If one feature slips, rehearse just that contrast: p/f, ordinary/final shape, or final he supporting e.
Explore the sources
Pe and final letter forms, University of Texas at Austin (PDF) · Pe: form and meaning · Af: form and meaning
Keep learning
Read tsel and ets builds on the shapes and vowels you have practiced here.