Vowel Combinations

Level 1

Two different vowels in one syllable make a diphthong: leib, poiss, õun, laud, hea. Glide from the first vowel to the second without a break.

How It Works

A diphthong is a pair of different vowels in the same syllable. Estonian has many of them, and most sit in the first syllable of the word. Here are common ones:

  • ai: lai (wide)
  • ei: leib (bread)
  • oi: poiss (boy)
  • õi: õige (right, correct)
  • äi: äike (thunderstorm)
  • au: laud (table)
  • õu: õun (apple)
  • ea: hea (good)
  • oe: koer (dog)
  • ae: praegu (now)

Say both vowels clearly and glide between them. English speakers often turn ei into the vowel of "day" and ea into "ee". Keep the second vowel: hea ends in a real a.

Do not confuse a diphthong with a long vowel. A long vowel is the same letter twice (aa in maa), while a diphthong has two different letters (au in laud). A syllable with a diphthong is always long or overlong. See short, long and overlong.

Spelling tip: at the start of a syllable write j, at the end write i. That is why the command "hold!" is hoia (hoi-a), while majad (houses) is ma-jad.

Diphthongs also appear with the special vowels, as in õun and äike. See the vowel õ and the vowels ä, ö and ü.

Examples (5)

  1. Leib on laual.

    The bread is on the table.

    Word by Word: Bread is table-on.

    Leib has ei, and laual has au.

  2. Poiss sööb õuna.

    The boy is eating an apple.

    Word by Word: Boy eats apple.

    Poiss has oi, and õuna has õu.

  3. Täna on hea ilm.

    The weather is nice today.

    Word by Word: Today is good weather.

    Hea is one syllable with the diphthong ea.

  4. Ma ei tea.

    I don't know.

    Word by Word: I not know.

    Ei and tea each have a diphthong.

  5. Koer mängib õues.

    The dog is playing outside.

    Word by Word: Dog plays yard-in.

    Koer has oe, and õues has õu.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing j at the end of a syllable.

    Hoja kinni!
    Hoia kinni!

    The syllables are hoi-a, so the i ends the first syllable and is written i. Write j only at the start of a syllable, as in ma-jad.

  • Turning ea into a long e, which gives a different word.

    Ma ei tee.
    Ma ei tea.

    If you mean "I don't know", you need tea (from teadma). Tee (from tegema) means do, so the first sentence says "I won't do it".

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Vowel CombinationsLevel 1

Learn This First

Vowel pairs build on the single vowels of the alphabet.