ו־

ו־

See also: ו‎ and ־ו‎

Aramaic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *wa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w-/

Conjunction

ו־‎ • (transliteration needed)

1. and

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Hebrew

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *wa. Cognate with Arabic و‎ (wa).

Conjunction

וְ־‎ • (v'-)

1. and

Usage notes

• According to traditional grammar, ו־‎ takes a few different forms, depending on the word to which it is attached.
  • The default form, used when none of the below rules applies, is וְ־‎ (v'-). It is also the only form in ordinary use in colloquial Modern Hebrew.
  • When a word begins with יְ־‎ (y'-), ו־‎ attaches to it to produce וִי־‎ (vi-).
  • When a word begins with one of the labial consonants (ב, ו, מ, or פ, acronymized as בומ״ף‎ (bumáf)), or when the first vowel in a word is the sheva (the vowel in בְ) and the first consonant is not י, the form וּ־‎ (u-) is used.
  • When the vowel in a word is a khataf vowel, ו־‎ takes the corresponding non-khataf vowel: וַאֲדָמָה‎ (va'adamá), וֶאֱיָל‎ (ve'eyál), וָחֳדָשׁים‎ (vokhodashím).
    • When the khataf vowel is followed by a yud (י), it can optionally become a sh'va, after which the ו־‎ may also take on a khirik (וִ־‎). Thus, all three of the following are acceptable combinations of ו־‎ and הֱיִיתֶם‎ (heyitém, “you (plural) were”): וֶהֱיִיתֶם,‎ וֶהְיִיתֶם, and וִהְיִיתֶם.
  • When the first vowel in a word is a stressed vowel, the form וָ־‎ (va-) is optionally used. In modern Hebrew this is usually limited to set phrases such as וָחֵצִי‎ (vakhétsi, “and a half”).
• In Ancient Hebrew, ו־‎ was used before every item of a list except the first; in Modern Hebrew, it's usually only used before the last item, like English and.
• In Ancient Hebrew, if ו־‎ was attached to a verb, it would often "flip" its conjugation; a verb in the perfect aspect (which became Modern Hebrew's past tense) would use the suffix conjugation (like Modern Hebrew's future tense), and a verb in the imperfect aspect (which became Modern Hebrew future tense) would use the prefix conjugation (like Modern Hebrew's past tense). This behavior is called וי״ו ההיפוך‎ (vav hahipúkh) "the ו of flipping"; unlike the ordinary וי״ו החיבור‎ (vav hakhibúr) "the ו of connection", it does not necessarily have a connective sense. Additionally, vav hahipukh often used a different vowel from what the ordinary vav hakhibur would, and occasionally caused the accent to shift.[1] [2]

References

1. http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/klarberg/archives/vayelech62.htm
2. http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/klarberg/archives/vayish63.htm

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Lishana Deni

Etymology

From Aramaic וְ־‎ (wə-), וּ־‎ (ū-).

Conjunction

ו־‎ (ʾu-)

1. and