Shva Rules:

The following question was recently posed in the Chinuch Chaburah Email:

Does anyone know where to find background information on the rules for Shva Na and Shva Nach? Are there simple formulas that Kriah teachers are using? 

(MODERATOR: The Chinuch Chaburah is a publication of the esteemed Rabbi T.M.S.)


Well, I am not a Kriah teacher per say, but would like to answer this question.

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If you open just about any תיקון קוראים there is a section at the  beginning with 
דקדוק rules. There are 2 commonly used סימנים for Shva Na rules which can be found there. The most common is א ב ג ד ה ו, my תיקון uses the less common:

א. Beginning of a word (like א in the Aleph Beis)

ב. Two Shva’im in a row.

ג. Tenuah Gedolah (That can be a post in and of itself.)

ד. Dagesh

ה. Hadomos-Same letters the first is Na(i.e. HaLIlu)

ו.  Meseg-(looks like a vav)

ז.  Zanav (Trop) the Shva after it is Na.

ח. Chataf the Chataf itself is a form of Shva Na

ט. T’amim (two trops on one word the first is also Na)

י.  Yud after a vav Hamehapech like VaYIdaber (Machlokes)

Conspicuously absent from this list is Shva after a Hey Hayediyah, but that is really included in "Dagesh". (There are notable cases where there is no Dagesh but still Na - Hamevorach in barchu for example.)

Hope this helps...
C. Klien