Vowels & Diphthongs
Short vs long vowels and Latvian diphthongs
Can distinguish short and long vowels and recognize common Latvian diphthongs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Kazas ir dārzā.
The goats are in the garden.
Saule spīd.
The sun is shining.
Piena maize ir garda.
The milk bread is delicious.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Latviešu valodā ir 12 patskaņi: 6 īsie (a, e, i, o, u) un 6 garie (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Garumzīme (ˉ) maina nozīmi!
| Īsais | Garais | Piemērs |
|---|---|---|
| a | ā | kazas (kazas) vs kāzas (kāzas) |
| e | ē | zeme (zeme) vs zēns (zēns) |
| i | ī | pile (pile) vs pīle (pīle) |
| u | ū | luki vs lūki |
Divskaņi (diftongi):
| Divskanis | Piemērs |
|---|---|
| ai | maize (maize) |
| au | saule (saule) |
| ei | meita (meita) |
| ie | piens (piens) |
| ui | puisis (puisis) |
| uo | suo (suņa) |
Svarīgi: Patskaņu garums ir fonemātisks — tas maina vārda nozīmi: kazas (goats) ≠ kāzas (wedding).
Kazas ir dārzā.
The goats are in the garden.
Kazas (short a) = goats. Compare: kāzas (long ā) = wedding.
Saule spīd.
The sun is shining.
Saule contains the diphthong au. Spīd has a long ī.
Piena maize ir garda.
The milk bread is delicious.
Piena has diphthong ie. Maize has diphthong ai.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises