HEBREW · STEP 4
Read shem and sham
Meet shin, notice where its dot sits, and read two more words by their vowels.
Let the vowels lead
Read from right to left, using the modern Israeli sounds from the earlier lessons. Look at each mark before choosing a word.
Read אִם, then אֵם
im, if; em, mother. Hiriq is one dot below for i as in machine. Tsere is two dots side by side for e as in ten. Both words end with final mem, m.
A dot above the right side
Shin
sh as in ship
Look for the three upward strokes and the dot above the right side. This dot identifies the consonant sound, sh. The vowel will have its own mark.
Combine shin with vowels you know. These are practice syllables:
Read שֵׁ
she: sh + e as in ten. The two dots below give the vowel. Read one syllable, not the English word “she.”
Read שִׁ. What does each dot do?
shi: sh + i as in machine. The dot above the right side identifies shin. The dot beneath is hiriq, the vowel.
Add the final mem you already know:
she + m = shem
Name
Keep it one syllable. Finish with m, without adding another vowel.
A new shape for a familiar sound
Qamats looks like a small T beneath a letter. In the words we are learning here, it gives a as in father, the same sound as patah.
- שַׁPatah
- A line beneath: sha.
- שָׁQamats
- A T-shaped mark beneath: sha.
The marks have different shapes even when they give the same sound. Notice which one is written.
Which practice syllable has qamats: שַׁ or שָׁ?
The second, שָׁ. Its vowel has a short downward stroke beneath the horizontal line. Both syllables read sha in our pronunciation.
sha + m = sham
There
Here there points to a place. Read a as in father, rather than the vowel in the English word sham.
Read the marks, not a guess
The consonants stay the same. Say each word and its meaning before opening the answer.
Read שָׁם
sham, there. Shin + qamats + final mem: sh + a + m.
Read שֵׁם
shem, name. Shin + tsere + final mem: sh + e + m.
Someone reads both words as shem. What should they check?
The vowel beneath shin. Two side-by-side dots give e in שֵׁם; the T-shaped qamats gives a in שָׁם. The dot above and the final mem stay the same.
Find both words in Torah
Genesis 11 tells of people who settle on a plain and build a city and tower. These short excerpts contain both words you have learned. Your reading task is to identify the last Hebrew word in each excerpt, on the left.
וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם
They settled there.
וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָּנוּ שֵׁם
Let us make a name for ourselves.
In the first excerpt, “there” identifies where the people settled. In the second, making a “name” means gaining a reputation.
Which final word tells you a place, and which tells you a name?
שָׁם, sham, tells you “there,” a place. שֵׁם, shem, tells you “name.” Point to the different vowel marks in the excerpts.
Make it stick
Close the answers. Read this mixed list, give each meaning, then read it in reverse order:
- בֵּן
- שָׁם
- אִם
- שֵׁם
- בַּת
- אֵם
Check the six words
Top to bottom: ben, son; sham, there; im, if; shem, name; bat, daughter; em, mother.
On paper, copy שֵׁם and שָׁם. Circle the part that changes. Come back tomorrow and read them before looking at the hints.
Explore the sources
Shin and vowel shapes, Chabad · Letter and vowel chart, Hebrew Public · Genesis 11