Lesson 7

Pashta, Yetiv & Zakef Qatan פַּשְׁטָא יְתִיב זָקֵף קָטֹן

Combine pashta, yetiv, and zakef qatan to form short phrases.

Ready to go?

Set yourself up for success

Set aside at least 30 minutes. We're all busy, but shorter sessions generally limit retention.
Find a quiet place. Even after many years, I still need a quiet spot to practice. The great thing is you can be inside or outside.
Be in the right frame of mind. Reading requires focus. If you're tired or distracted or angry, you will struggle. Take a few minutes to recenter yourself before you start.

Get everything you need

Print out your reading if you can. It's helpful to be able to take notes when you're learning. (Bring a pencil, too!)
Use headphones if possible — they help you hear the melody clearly.
Wear a kippah — it's customary.

Remember to sing along with the audio examples.
Repetition is key to learning trop!

Putting it together

פַּשְׁטָא֙ יְ֚תִיב זָקֵ֔ף קַדְמָ֨א מַהְפַּ֤ךְ מֵרְכָ֥א מוּנַ֣ח

You’ve already learned these te’amim. Now let’s practice them together.

Important

Putting things together

In Lesson 4 we combined tippeḥa, etnaḥta, and siluk with their conjunctives to form whole clauses. In this lesson, we will do the same with pashta, yetiv, and zakef qatan.

Common patterns with pashta and zakef qatan

Pashta frequently appears before zakef qatan. Between them, you may see munaḥ as a connector. Before pashta, you will often find mahpakh, merekha, or qadma-mahpakh.

Yetiv leads to zakef qatan

Yetiv is almost always followed by zakef qatan, either directly or with munaḥ in between.

Qadma, Pashta & Zakef Qatan

Practice phrases that combine qadma, pashta, and zakef qatan with their conjunctives.

פַּשְׁטָא֙ זָקֵף־קָט֔וֺן

You'll also see qadma, mahpakh, merekha, and munaḥ, which are often paired with these marks.

Press play to begin

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Yetiv and Zakef Qatan

Practice phrases where yetiv leads to zakef qatan.

יְ֚תִיב זָקֵף־קָט֔וֺן

You'll also see munaḥ, which is often paired with these marks.