What is Shva? Two Types
הַשְּׁוָא
The Shva has two faces
The Shva (ְ) looks the same every time — two vertical dots under a letter. But it behaves in two completely different ways:
Shva Na (נָע) — mobile, pronounced as a quick half-vowel
Shva Nach (נָח) — resting, completely silent
Shva Na (נָע) — mobile, pronounced as a quick half-vowel
Shva Nach (נָח) — resting, completely silent
Pronounced
שְׁוָא נָע
Half vowel — you hear it
לְעוֹלָם
לְ
–
עוֹ
–
לָם
le-o-lam
Shva at the BEGINNING of a syllable
Silent
שְׁוָא נָח
Zero vowel — you skip it
יִשְׁמֹר
יִשְׁ
–
מֹר
yish-mor
Shva at the END of a syllable
Shva Na (נָע) = half vowel — it IS pronounced
Shva Nach (נָח) = zero vowel — it is NOT pronounced
4 Rules to Identify Shva Na
א
At the Beginning of a Word
A Shva under the first letter of a word is always Shva Na (mobile/pronounced). The word needs a vowel sound to start.
סְפָרִים
סְ
-
פָ
-
רִים
se-fa-rim
books
SHVA NA
שְׁמַע
שְׁ
-
מַע
she-ma
hear / listen
SHVA NA
בְּרֵאשִׁית
בְּ
-
רֵא
-
שִׁית
be-rei-shit
in the beginning
SHVA NA
ב
The Second of Two Consecutive Shvas
When two Shvas appear in a row inside a word, the first is Nach (silent — it closes the previous syllable) and the second is Na (pronounced — it opens the next syllable).
תִּרְקְדוּ
תִּרְ
-
קְ
-
דוּ
tir-ke-du
you (pl.) will dance
רְ NACH
קְ NA
יִשְׁמְרוּ
יִשְׁ
-
מְ
-
רוּ
yish-me-ru
they will guard
שְׁ NACH
מְ NA
ג
Under a Letter with Dagesh Chazak
A Shva under a letter that has a Dagesh Chazak (doubling dot) is Shva Na. The dagesh means the letter is doubled — one closes the previous syllable, and the second (with the Shva) opens the next.
קִבְּלוּ
קִב
-
בְּ
-
לוּ
kib-be-lu
they received
SHVA NA
מְבַקְּשִׁים
מְ
-
בַק
-
קְּ
-
שִׁים
me-vak-ke-shim
requesting / seeking
מְ NA (Rule A)
קְּ NA (Dagesh)
ד
Doubled / Identical Letters
When the same letter appears twice in a row and the Shva is under the FIRST of the two, that Shva is Na — you pronounce the first letter so the two don't blur together (ha-le-lu, ta-le-lei). But if the first identical letter already has its own vowel and the Shva is under the SECOND letter, the Shva is Nach and simply closes the syllable (lil-mod).
הַלְלוּ
הַ
-
לְ
-
לוּ
ha-le-lu
praise!
SHVA NA
טַלְלֵי
טַ
-
לְ
-
לֵי
ta-le-lei
dews of
SHVA NA
לִלְמֹד
לִל
-
מֹד
lil-mod
to learn
SHVA NACH
Practice: Identify the Shva
Tap each word to reveal whether the Shva is Na or Nach
Excellent! Lesson Complete!
