The Five Vowels
Five vowels, each a single clean sound.
How It Works
Esperanto has five vowels: a e i o u. Each one is a single steady sound. Your tongue stays in one place while you say it, so the vowel never glides into another sound.
| Vowel | Close to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | father | patro (father) |
| e | bed, without the glide of day | bela (beautiful) |
| i | machine | vino (wine) |
| o | go, without the glide to w | domo (house) |
| u | rule | luno (moon) |
Length does not matter. You can say a vowel long or short, and the word stays the same. When two vowels stand together, as in mia (my), say both of them clearly.
Examples (4)
- Mia patro ŝatas vinon.
My father likes wine.
Patro has a and o, and vinon has i and o.
- La luno estas bela.
The moon is beautiful.
Luno has the steady u, and bela has a steady e that does not end in a y sound.
- La domo de Olga estas nova.
Olga's house is new.
The o in domo and nova stays plain and does not glide to a w sound.
- Hiro havas amikon en Peruo.
Hiro has a friend in Peru.
Peruo has three vowels, e, u and o, and each one is clear.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The five vowels are the first letters whose single sound is fixed.
Related Patterns
Practice The Five Vowels in Bubblegum
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