Learn about the top five Hebrew mistakes to avoid
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| Hi everyone. |
| Welcome to The Ultimate Hebrew Pronunciation Guide. |
| In this lesson, you'll learn the top 5 Hebrew pronunciation mistakes to avoid. |
| These are common mistakes that students of Hebrew tend to make. |
| So pay close attention and make sure that you don't make these same mistakes too. |
| Are you ready? |
| Then let's get started! |
| Number 1: Consonants separated by a shva vowel |
| You will recognize the shva vowel by the two vertical dots underneath the consonant. |
| In Hebrew, many words contain a shva vowel. There are three different kinds of shva vowels. |
| The first kind is a short E-like sound, |
| לְ (le sound) |
| the second is a full stop on the consonant it's underneath, |
| "לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ "to get dressed" |
| (lehit-labesh) |
| and the third is a move to the next consonant without a vowel. |
| "פְּתוּחָה "open" |
| (p'tuħa) |
| When the shva vowel is a shva na vowel, this means you should move to the next consonant without a vowel sound. The resulting combination of consonants often feels unnatural to learners of Hebrew. |
| "כְּבִיסָה "laundry" |
| (k'visa) |
| Instead of properly combining these letters, new speakers often put a short vowel between the two. |
| In order to correct this problem, Hebrew students should practice these special letter combinations. |
| Listen to the examples: |
| "גדולה - "big" |
| (g'dola) |
| קטנה - "small" |
| (k'tana) |
| זמן - "time" |
| (z'man) |
| Number two - the Hebrew letter Resh |
| This is a problematic letter for learners of Hebrew, particularly for English speakers, because this R sound does not exist in English. |
| The Hebrew R sound is similar to the German or French R. |
| Unlike the English R, which is pronounced with the tip of tongue at the front of the mouth, the Hebrew R is pronounced using the back of the tongue with a slight roll. |
| You can think of it like gargling air at the back of your throat. |
| Listen to the following examples. |
| "קר - "cold" |
| (kar) |
| ראשון - "first" |
| (rishon) |
| חורים - "parents" |
| (horim) |
| We'll teach you how to pronounce this sound, in lesson 6. |
| Number 3: Misplacing stress |
| A common mistake for new speakers of Hebrew, is the misplacement of stress. |
| In the beginning, most foreign speakers model their stress patterns after their native language. |
| Correcting this is very easy because most Hebrew words are stressed on the last syllable. |
| Pay attention to the stress pattern in the following Hebrew words. |
| "בגדים - ""clothes"" |
| (begadim) |
| ילדה - "girl" |
| (yal'da) |
| ללמוד -"to study/learn" |
| (lil'mod)" |
| When words aren't stressed on the last syllable, they are part of a very specific group of words, all containing a similar stress pattern: |
| "מדברת - "speaks" (feminine singular) |
| (medaberet) |
| ספר - "book" |
| (sefer) |
| תפוח - "apple" |
| (tapu'aħ) |
| We'll teach you how to speak Hebrew with the correct stress in lesson 8. |
| Number 4 - Foreign words in Hebrew |
| When you see a word you recogonize from your own language in Hebrew, your first instinct is to pronounce it like it is in your own language. |
| However, many foreign words in Hebrew have been modified to have different stress patterns. They may even use different sounds altogether. |
| Pay attention to how native speakers pronounce these words and you will learn them quickly. |
| Listen to (host name). |
| "אוניברסיטה - ""university"" |
| (universita) |
| טלוויזיה - "television" |
| (televiziya) |
| סנדוויץ - "sandwich" |
| (sandvitch) |
| Number 5: The letter ħet |
| While this letter is usually difficult for foreign speakers to pronounce correctly in the beginning, it is also one that many people perfect with a good amount of practice. |
| This is a 'guttural' H pronounced at the back of the throat. |
| It has a bad reputation because it sounds as though you're bringing up phlegm from your throat. |
| It's possible that non-native speakers are afraid to make this sound and this is why it has become known as a difficult Hebrew letter to pronounce. |
| There's no need to be afraid of this letter, because this sound is part of what gives Hebrew it's uniqueness. |
| Listen and repeat alongside (host name). |
| "חדר - ""room"" |
| (ħeder) |
| חברה - "girlfriend" |
| (ħavera) |
| בחר - "chose" |
| (baħar) |
| נוח - "comfortable" |
| (no'aħ)" |
| Practice often, and you'll be sure to master this elusive sound in no time! |
| Now you know the top 5 Hebrew pronunciation mistakes to avoid. |
| Try to be careful so that you don't commit these same mistakes. |
| In the next lesson, we'll starting learning vowel sounds in Hebrew. |
| What's your biggest challenge with Hebrew pronunciation? Is it one of these top 5 mistakes? |
| Let us know in the comments. |
| Stick with us and you'll overcome it quickly! |
| See you in the next Ultimate Hebrew Pronunciation Guide lesson! |
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