HEBREW · STEP 17
Read tsel and ets
Read shade and tree while learning tsadi in its ordinary and final shapes.
Return to ayin and tsere
Today you will reuse ayin and the two horizontal dots of tsere. Read these familiar words first.
Read עַם and בֵּן. Identify ayin in one and tsere in the other.
am, people, begins with ayin and has patah. ben, son, has tsere below bet. Tsere gives e in our reading model.
Meet tsadi
Tsadi: ts
One consonant sound
Tsadi gives the joined ts sound heard at the end of English cats. Keep t and s together, without inserting a vowel between them. The same sound can begin a Hebrew word.
Our reading aid writes ts. You may also see it written tz. Neither spelling adds a second Hebrew letter.
Compare צ and ס. Which gives ts, and which gives s alone?
צ, tsadi, gives ts. ס, familiar samekh, gives s. Tsadi has open branching strokes; samekh has a closed outline.
Read the practice sounds צַ / צֵ / צִ
tsa / tse / tsi. Change the vowel, keeping the initial ts together. These are sound exercises, not three new words.
Read tsel: shade
ts + e + l = tsel
Shade
Tsadi starts ts. Tsere beneath it supplies e. Familiar lamed closes l. Read tsel as one syllable, not a separate t sound followed by another syllable.
Cover the aid. Read צֵל, give its meaning, and count the syllables.
tsel, shade: one syllable. The vowel is e, and lamed ends the word with l.
Recognize final tsadi
Final tsadi
The word-ending shape of צ
At a word’s end, tsadi is written ץ. Its lower stroke extends downward, while its upper part keeps a branching shape. Compare it with final nun ן, which has a simpler upper stroke.
Which two belong to the same letter: צ, ן, ץ?
צ and ץ are ordinary and final tsadi. Both give ts in our examples. ן is final nun and gives n.
Read ets: tree
e + ts = ets
Tree
Begin at ayin with tsere: e in our modern reading model. Move to final tsadi and close with ts. Read ets, one syllable.
Ayin keeps its identity even though today its vowel is e rather than the a of am. Final tsadi keeps its sound even though its shape differs from the opening tsadi in tsel.
Read עֵץ. What starts the vowel, and what closes the word?
ets, tree. Ayin with tsere begins e; final tsadi closes ts. Nothing adds another vowel at the end.
Repair “sel” for shade and “e-tes” for tree.
Tsel begins with ts, not s alone. Ets ends with the joined ts sound. “E-tes” inserts another vowel between t and s. Keep each word to one syllable.
Shade and a tree in two passages
In Jonah 4:6, a plant grows above Yonah, Jonah, and provides shade for his head. Read the word that names the shade.
צֵל
Shade.
Genesis 2:9 describes trees growing in the garden. Here is the word for a tree from that verse.
עֵץ
Tree.
Match each excerpt to its passage. Are the two words a single biblical quotation?
Tsel, shade, is selected from Jonah 4:6. Ets, tree, is selected from Genesis 2:9. They come from two different passages. Together on this page they are a vocabulary pair, not one quoted phrase.
Ets can also mean wood in other settings. In this garden passage, tree is the meaning to keep in view. The source gives us a word in its setting, not a rule that it means only one thing everywhere.
Read the endings carefully
Read these separate words and give their meanings. Identify the final letter forms you recognize.
- צֵל
- עֵץ
- אַף
- עַם
Check the list and identify the final forms
tsel, shade; ets, tree; af, nose; am, people. Ets ends in final tsadi, af in final pe, and am in final mem. Tsel ends in lamed, which keeps its ordinary shape here.
Recall both words
Look away. Say the Hebrew for shade and tree, then write both with their vowel marks if you can.
Check your words and explain the shared feature
צֵל, tsel; עֵץ, ets. Both use tsere and the ts sound. In tsel, ordinary tsadi is first; in ets, final tsadi is last. Keep the different first letters and endings in place.
Tomorrow, reverse the order: recall tree before shade. Then identify tsadi and final tsadi without using the Roman reading aids.
Explore the sources
Tsadi and final tsadi, University of Texas at Austin (PDF) · Tsel: form and meaning · Ets: form and meaning
Keep learning
Read kol builds on the shapes and vowels you have practiced here.