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Questions & Answers about אהבה לכלב חשובה.
How is אהבה לכלב חשובה pronounced?
A natural pronunciation is:
- ahavá lekelev chashuvá = love for a dog is important
- ahavá lakelev chashuvá = love for the dog is important
The difference is in לכלב:
- לְכֶלֶב = lekelev = to/for a dog
- לַכֶּלֶב = lakelev = to/for the dog
In unpointed Hebrew, both are written the same: לכלב.
Why can לכלב mean either for a dog or for the dog?
Because Hebrew often combines the preposition ל־ (to/for) with the definite article ה־ (the).
So:
- ל + כלב → לכלב = to/for a dog
- ל + הכלב → לכלב = to/for the dog
Without vowel marks, the spelling is identical. Context usually tells you which one is meant.
Why does חשובה end with -ה?