Difference between revisions of "Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation"
m (Quick edit) |
m (Quick edit) |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
Standard Estonian has become the most widely spoken Estonian variety, being used as the national language, the administrative language, and the language of teaching and research. In this lesson, you will learn the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practice with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. | Standard Estonian has become the most widely spoken Estonian variety, being used as the national language, the administrative language, and the language of teaching and research. In this lesson, you will learn the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practice with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. | ||
<span link>Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Future-Tense|Future Tense]] & [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Negation-and-word-order|Negation and word order]].</span> | |||
== Estonian Alphabet == | == Estonian Alphabet == | ||
The Estonian alphabet consists of 27 letters, including the letters ä, ö, and ü, which do not exist in English. The letter õ is also specific to Estonian. | The Estonian alphabet consists of 27 letters, including the letters ä, ö, and ü, which do not exist in English. The letter õ is also specific to Estonian. | ||
| Line 111: | Line 113: | ||
In this lesson, you have learned the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practiced with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. Keep practicing and you will soon be able to communicate confidently in Estonian! | In this lesson, you have learned the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practiced with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. Keep practicing and you will soon be able to communicate confidently in Estonian! | ||
<span link>Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Verb-to-be-and-personal-pronouns|Verb to be and personal pronouns]] & [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Articles|Articles]].</span> | |||
{{#seo: | {{#seo: | ||
|title=Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet and Pronunciation | |title=Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet and Pronunciation | ||
| Line 125: | Line 129: | ||
<span gpt></span> <span model=gpt-3.5-turbo></span> <span temperature=1></span> | <span gpt></span> <span model=gpt-3.5-turbo></span> <span temperature=1></span> | ||
==Other Lessons== | |||
== | |||
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Present-Tense|Present Tense]] | * [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Present-Tense|Present Tense]] | ||
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]] | * [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]] | ||
| Line 139: | Line 141: | ||
{{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}} | {{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}} | ||
<span links></span> | |||
Revision as of 23:38, 27 March 2023
Standard Estonian has become the most widely spoken Estonian variety, being used as the national language, the administrative language, and the language of teaching and research. In this lesson, you will learn the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practice with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills.
Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Future Tense & Negation and word order.
Estonian Alphabet
The Estonian alphabet consists of 27 letters, including the letters ä, ö, and ü, which do not exist in English. The letter õ is also specific to Estonian.
The Estonian alphabet is as follows:
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A, a | /ɑ/ | auto (car) |
| B, b | /beː/ | banaan (banana) |
| D, d | /deː/ | diivan (sofa) |
| E, e | /e/ | ema (mother) |
| F, f | /ɛf/ | foto (photo) |
| G, g | /ɡeː/ | garaaž (garage) |
| H, h | /hɑ/ | hobune (horse) |
| I, i | /i/ | ikka (still) |
| J, j | /jɑ/ | järv (lake) |
| K, k | /kɑ/ | koer (dog) |
| L, l | /ɫ/ | linn (city) |
| M, m | /ɱ/ | mees (man) |
| N, n | /n/ | naine (woman) |
| O, o | /o/ | olema (to be) |
| P, p | /peː/ | paber (paper) |
| R, r | /rɑ/ | raamat (book) |
| S, s | /es/ | saama (to get) |
| Š, š | /ʃ/ | šokolaad (chocolate) |
| Z, z | /zeːd/ | zebra (zebra) |
| T, t | /teː/ | tibu (chick) |
| U, u | /u/ | uni (dream) |
| V, v | /ʋɑ/ | vihm (rain) |
| Õ, õ | /ɤ/ | õlu (beer) |
| Ä, ä | /æ/ | ära (do not) |
| Ö, ö | /ø/ | öö (night) |
| Ü, ü | /y/ | üks (one) |
| X, x | /ks/ | eksam (exam) |
| Y, y | /yː/ | müük (sale) |
| Q, q | /kuː/ | Quebec (Quebec) |
Pronunciation Rules
The Estonian language has a relatively simple and consistent system of pronunciation. In general, each letter is pronounced the same way every time, regardless of its position within a word.
The following pronunciation rules will help you correctly pronounce standard Estonian:
- All consonants are pronounced similarly to their pronunciation in English. - The vowels are pronounced as follows:
- "a" like "a" in "car" - "e" like "e" in "bed" - "i" like "i" in "beet" - "o" like "o" in "home" - "u" like "u" in "boot" - "ä" like "a" in "hat" - "ö" like "i" in "bird" - "ü" like "u" in "crude" - "õ" like the nasal vowel in French "bon"
- The stress in words is usually on the first syllable.
Practice Words and Phrases
Here are some practice words and phrases to help you get used to the Estonian alphabet and pronunciation:
- Tere - (Hello)
- Hästi - (Good)
- Nägemist - (Goodbye)
- Tervist - (Hi)
- Jääme vestluseks - (Let's keep in touch)
- Vesi - (Water)
- Kuulama - (To listen)
- Rääkima - (To talk)
- Pere - (Family)
- Töö - (Work)
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practiced with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. Keep practicing and you will soon be able to communicate confidently in Estonian!
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Verb to be and personal pronouns & Articles.
Other Lessons
- Present Tense
- Pronouns
- Give your Opinion
- Gender
- How to Use Have
- 0 to A1 Course
- Verb to be and personal pronouns
- Question Words and Formation
- Questions