6.6 The Article and Inseparable Prepositions

• When a word has both the Article and an inseparable preposition, a form of contraction occurs:
  • The one-letter preposition replaces the ה of the Article
  • The vowel under the preposition and the Dagesh Forte (if it is there) are your clues that the word is definite.

On reason we spend so much time talking about the Dagesh Forte is that it is an extremely useful clue as to what is going on within a word

• When a letter rejects the Dagesh Forte, this clue is gone
• Below is how we can tell whether there is the article with a preposition in the absence of a Dagesh

ARTICLE WITH PREPOSITION

• NO ARTICLE if there is a Sheva under the preposition - the article never takes a Sheva
• NO ARTICLE if the short vowel under the preposition can be explained by the Rules of Sheva:
  • אֲנָשִׁים + לְ = לַאֲנָשִׁים - for men, (not ‘for the men’)
• ARTICLE if vowel under the preposition is not Sheva and can NOT be explained by the Rule of Sheva:
  • לַהֵיכָל = for THE temple