Sheva and Ḥataf שְׁוָא shva (sheva)
Sheva is two vertical dots ְ under a letter. The one sign does two jobs: it is sounded as a very short “e” (vocal sheva), or it says “no vowel here” and silently closes a syllable (silent sheva). Under guttural letters a ḥataf — a sheva joined to a short vowel — is used instead. This page shows how to tell them apart in real words from Genesis 1–2.
שְׁוָא is often explained as “emptiness” (uncertain); ḥataf חֲטָף means “hurried, snatched” — a vowel said very quickly.
Colour key blue = added at the front · orange = added at the end · purple = a mark inside (dot · doubled letter · changed vowel) · underline = the word this page is about
1What the sheva is
Sheva ְ marks “this letter has no full vowel.” There are two kinds of “no full vowel.”
(1) Vocal sheva (Hebrew שְׁוָא נָע shva na‘, “moving sheva”) — a very short “e” is heard after the consonant. The בְּ of בְּרֵאשִׁית (1:1) = “be.”
(2) Silent sheva (Hebrew שְׁוָא נָח shva naḥ, “resting sheva”) — no sound at all; it closes the syllable before with that consonant. The בְ of וַיַּבְדֵּל (1:4) closes “yav” in vay-yav-del.
(3) Ḥataf (חֲטַף) — three signs ֲ ֱ ֳ that join a sheva to a short vowel. They are used mainly under the gutturals א ה ח ע and are always sounded as a short “a · e · o.”
2Where the name comes from — שְׁוָא sheva
The name שְׁוָא (sheva; modern Hebrew shva) is often linked with שָׁוְא (shav’, “emptiness”), meaning “an empty vowel.” The original sense of the name is not certain.
The Hebrew names of the two kinds are clear: נָע (na‘, “moving”) is the sheva that sounds and moves on to the next letter; נָח (naḥ, “resting”) is the sheva that rests in silence.
חֲטַף (ḥataf, “snatched, hurried”) is explained as a vowel uttered quickly. So חֲטַף פַּתַח (ḥataf pataḥ) is “a hurried pataḥ (a).” English also calls these composite shevas.
3At a glance — telling vocal from silent sheva
- 1. On the first letter → vocalA word beginning with a sheva always sounds it — פְּנֵי (pene, 1:2).
- 2. Two in a row → first silent, second vocalWhen two shevas stand together in mid-word, the first closes a syllable and the second is sounded — יִשְׁרְצוּ (yish-re-tsu, 1:20).
- 3. Under a doubled letter (strong dagesh) → vocalA doubled letter closes one syllable and opens the next, so its sheva is sounded — הַשְּׁבִיעִי (hash-she-vi‘i, 2:2).
- 4. After a short vowel → silentIn mid-word after a short vowel, a sheva usually closes the syllable — וַיַּבְדֵּל (vay-yav-del, 1:4).
- 5. At the end of a word → silentA sheva at the very end is silent. The final ךְ is always written with one — וְחֹשֶׁךְ (1:2).
- 6. After a long vowel → usually vocalGrammars usually treat a sheva after an unstressed long vowel as vocal. Explanations differ somewhat here.
4Sheva and the three ḥatefs — sign · name · sound
The signs are shown under א and ב.
| Sign | Hebrew name | Transliteration | Sound | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְ | שְׁוָא | shva | a very short “e,” or silent | any letter (except a vocal sheva on a guttural) |
| אֲ | חֲטַף פַּתַח | ḥataf pataḥ | brief “a” | gutturals (most common) |
| אֱ | חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל | ḥataf segol | brief “e” | gutturals, especially א |
| אֳ | חֲטַף קָמַץ | ḥataf qamats | brief “o” | gutturals (rare), sometimes other letters |
A ḥataf is always sounded; there is no silent ḥataf. Its shape is literally “sheva + vowel”: a sheva ְ beside a pataḥ ַ, segol ֶ or qamats ָ.
5Vocal sheva — real examples from the Bible
The sheva under the colored letter is sounded as a very short “e.”
pene — the face of
A sheva under the first letter פּ. A Hebrew word cannot begin with two bare consonants, so a sheva on the first letter is always sounded: pe-ne.
YLVAnd the earth was formlessness and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit (ruach) of God was hovering upon the face of the waters.
tehom — the deep
A sheva under the first letter ת, so it is sounded: te-hom. In the same verse, פְּנֵי תְהוֹם (the face of the deep) has two vocal shevas in a row.
YLVAnd the earth was formlessness and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit (ruach) of God was hovering upon the face of the waters.
yehi — let there be
A sheva under the first letter י: ye-hi. The “let there be” of יְהִי אוֹר (let there be light).
YLVAnd God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
hashshevi‘i — the seventh
The dot in שְּׁ is the doubling after the article (strong dagesh). The second half of the doubled “sh-sh” opens a new syllable, so the sheva under it is sounded. Proof: the very next ב has no dot and reads v — softened after a sounded sheva (a vowel) (see Dagesh).
YLVAnd God finished on the seventh day his work which he had made, and he shabbatted on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
6Silent sheva — real examples from the Bible
The sheva under the colored letter is silent and closes the syllable before.
vayyavdel — and (he) separated
A sheva in mid-word after the short vowel ַ (a), so it is silent: vay-yav-del. Proof: the very next דּ has a dot (weak dagesh), showing it begins a syllable — so the syllable closed at בְ.
YLVAnd God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided between the light and between the darkness.
vayyishbot — and (he) ceased (rested)
A sheva after the short vowel ִ (i), closing the syllable silently: vay-yish-bot. The dot in the next בּ proves it. Compare the dotless ב of הַשְּׁבִיעִי in the same verse.
YLVAnd God finished on the seventh day his work which he had made, and he shabbatted on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
yishretsu — let (them) swarm
Two shevas side by side: the first, שְׁ, silently closes “yish”; the second, רְ, is sounded “re”: yish-re-tsu. Both cannot be silent — three consonants שׁרצ would run together with no vowel.
YLVAnd God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms, a living soul (nephesh); and let birds fly above the earth upon the face of the firmament of the heavens."
veḥoshekh — and darkness
A sheva at the end of a word is silent. The final kaf ך is always written with a sheva, whatever the sound; the other finals (ם ן) are not.
YLVAnd the earth was formlessness and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit (ruach) of God was hovering upon the face of the waters.
7Ḥataf — real examples from the Bible
Gutturals do not take a vocal sheva; they take a ḥataf instead.
’elohim — God
Under the first letter א is ḥataf segol ֱ (a brief “e”). A first letter would normally take a vocal sheva ְ, but א is a guttural and cannot carry a bare vocal sheva, so it takes a ḥataf with a vowel.
YLVIn beginning (bereshit) God created the heavens and the earth.
’asher — which, that (relative)
Under the first letter א is ḥataf pataḥ ֲ (a brief “a”): ’a-sher. Ḥataf pataḥ is the most common of the three.
YLVAnd God made the firmament, and divided between the waters which were under the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
na‘aseh — let us make
Mid-word, ע carries ḥataf pataḥ. An ordinary verb would have a sheva here, but ע is a guttural and takes a ḥataf. The prefix vowel of נַ matches it as “a” (see Gutturals).
YLVAnd God said, "Let us make man (adam) in our image, after our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the beast, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
luqoḥah — she was taken
Under ק is ḥataf qamats ֳ (a brief “o”) — a rare case of a ḥataf under a non-guttural. The Pual perfect “she” of ל-ק-ח (take): “she was taken out of man.”
YLVAnd Adam said, "This now is bone of my bones and flesh (basar) of my flesh (basar); for this one it shall be called Woman (ishah), because from Man (ish) this one was taken."
ulemo‘adim — and for appointed times
Ḥataf pataḥ under ע in mid-word: mo-‘a-dim. In the plural מוֹעֲדִים (mo‘adim) of מוֹעֵד (mo‘ed, appointed time), the vowel reduces to a sheva-sound, and because the letter is ע, a ḥataf is written.
YLVAnd God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens, to divide between the day and between the night; and let them be for signs (ot) and for appointed times (moadim), and for days and years;
8Why it happens — where shevas come from
- 1. Vowels reduceWhen an ending is added or a word is bound to the next, the stress moves forward and earlier vowels shorten. The shortest is a vocal sheva — מוֹעֵד → מוֹעֲדִים.
- 2. One vowel per syllableEvery Hebrew syllable has exactly one vowel. A consonant without a vowel either closes the syllable before (silent sheva) or opens the next with a very short vowel (vocal sheva).
- 3. Gutturals cannot carry the bare short soundThe throat letters א ה ח ע do not easily take a bare short “e,” so a ḥataf writes the short “a · e · o” with it.
- 4. Two vocal shevas cannot start a wordWhen two vocal shevas meet at the start of a word, the first becomes “i” (ִ) — see the examples below.
9Two shevas at the start of a word — when וְ or לְ is added
Prefixes with a sheva, like וְ (and) and לְ (to), change shape when added to a word that begins with a sheva.
vihi — and let it be
וְ (and) + יְהִי (let there be) → two shevas (וְיְ) meet; the first becomes ִ (i) and the sheva of י disappears: וִיהִי. Compare יְהִי in 1:3.
YLVAnd God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide between waters and waters."
lifne — before
לְ (to) + פְּנֵי (face) → two shevas meet and give לִ. Now פ follows the vowel ִ and its sheva silently closes the syllable, so פ loses its dot and reads f: lif-ne. Compare פְּנֵי (pene) in 1:2.
YLVAnd the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
urevu — and multiply
וְ + רְבוּ (multiply) → before a sheva the conjunction becomes וּ (u). The “u” now forms a syllable, and the following sheva is still sounded: u-re-vu (see Conjunction waw).
YLVAnd God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth."
uneqevah — and female
וְ + נְקֵבָה (female) → וּנְקֵבָה: the “and” of זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה (male and female).
YLVAnd God created the man (adam) in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
10Gutturals and the silent sheva
What a guttural refuses is a vocal sheva. A silent sheva that closes a syllable is written under gutturals as usual.
Examples: the הְ of יִהְיֶה (yihyeh, 1:29 “it shall be”) and the חְ of נֶחְמָד (neḥmad, 2:9 “pleasant”) are silent shevas closing “yih” and “neḥ.”
So a sheva ְ under a guttural is silent, and a ḥataf ֲ ֱ ֳ under it is a sounded short vowel (see Gutturals).
11Easy to confuse
Sheva ְ and tsere ֵ are both two dots: sheva stands vertically, tsere horizontally. Tsere is a full “e”; sheva is a very short “e” or silent.
Never read a ḥataf as silent. A ḥataf is always sounded (אֲשֶׁר ’asher).
The dot is the key. If ב ג ד כ פ ת right after a sheva has a dot, the sheva is silent (וַיִּשְׁבֹּת); if not, it is vocal (הַשְּׁבִיעִי). Look for this dot when in doubt.
In transliteration a vocal sheva is written e (or ə, or a raised e), and a silent sheva is not written — bereshit · vayyavdel.