Streetwise Hebrew

Vé- (and in Hebrew) is sometimes pronounced Va- or Oo-, depending on the usage. So when is the letter ו at the beginning of a word pronounced Vé, Va or Oo? And should Hebrew learners invest their time to learn these elaborate rules? Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode   New Words and Expressions: Ve – And – ו (letter vav) “Al safsal ba-gan yoshevet, u-frachim bi-se’ara” – “She’s sitting on a bench, with flowers in her hair” – על ספסל בגן יושבת, ופרחים בשערה Vav + בומ”פ letters = U U-fra-chim – And flowers (archaic) – ופרחים “U-shku’a ba-halomot” – “And submerged in her dreams” – ושקועה בחלומות “Va-ani tsipor” – “And I am a bird” – ואני ציפור Masa-u-matan – Negotiations – משא ומתן Basar va-dam – Flesh and blood – בשר ודם “Mita va-hetsi” – “A bed and a half” – מיטה וחצי Hamesh va-hetsi – Half past five – חמש וחצי Shesh va-reva – Quarter past six o’clock – שש ורבע Yomam va-laila – Day and night – יומם ולילה “Esrim ve-arba sheva” – 24-7 – עשרים וארבע שבע Ze mamash yom va-laila eich she’hu hishtana –