A-class vowels

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).

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