The A-class vowels make some variation of the “a” sound in English. They are:
patah | אַ | short vowel; pronounced as the a in father |
qamats | אָ | long vowel; pronounced as the a in father |
hataf-patah | אֲ | very short or reduced vowel; pronounced as the a in anniversary |
qamats-hey | דָּה | pronounced as the a in father |
When a word ends in ח or ע, a patah slips in before it. This is called a furtive patah. See page 8 here or video or Gesenius §22(2b).