Diphthongs

Level 1

Two vowel letters can glide into one sound: ai (maize), au (draugs), ei (meita), ie (piens), ui (puika). The single letter o is also a glide, "uo", in Latvian words like ola.

How It Works

  • ai, like the i in "time": maize (bread), laiks (time, weather).
  • au, like the ow in "cow": draugs (friend), nauda (money).
  • ei, like the ay in "day": meita (daughter), veikals (shop).
  • ie, i gliding into e in one syllable: piens (milk), diena (day), iela (street).
  • ui, u gliding into i, like "phooey" said as one syllable: puika (boy), muiža (manor).
  • o in Latvian words, u gliding into o: ola (egg), koks (tree), roka (hand), logs (window).

The letter o is special. In native Latvian words it is the glide "uo". In loanwords it is a plain o, short or long: opera, foto, kino. The spelling does not show which one you have, so learn new words by ear.

Because ie is a glide, do not replace it with the long ī. They make different words: viens (one) and vīns (wine), liet (to pour) and līt (to rain). See long vowels.

A vowel followed by j or v at the end of a syllable also sounds like a diphthong, although the spelling keeps the letter: tavs (your) sounds like "taus", and zvejnieks (fisherman) has the ei sound. See my and your. Loanwords add a few rarer glides, such as the oi in boikots (boycott).

Examples (6)

  1. Maize ir svaiga.

    The bread is fresh.

    Word by Word: Bread is fresh.

    Maize and svaiga both have ai.

  2. Mans draugs ir šeit.

    My friend is here.

    Word by Word: My friend is here.

    Draugs has au, like the ow in cow.

  3. Mana meita ir skolā.

    My daughter is at school.

    Word by Word: My daughter is at-school.

    Meita has ei, like the ay in day.

  4. Es dzeru pienu.

    I'm drinking milk.

    Word by Word: I drink milk.

    Pienu has ie, a glide from i to e.

  5. Puika ēd olu.

    The boy is eating an egg.

    Word by Word: Boy eats egg.

    Puika has ui. The o in olu is the glide uo.

  6. Man patīk opera.

    I like opera.

    Word by Word: To-me pleases opera.

    Opera is a loanword, so its o is a plain o, not uo.

Common Mistakes

  • Reading ie as a long ī.

    Man ir vīns brālis.
    Man ir viens brālis.

    Ie glides from i to e. Vīns, with a long ī, means wine. The word for one is viens.

  • Saying the o of a Latvian word as a plain o.

    ola [o-la]
    ola [uo-la]

    In native words o is the glide uo. Only loanwords such as opera have a plain o.

How It Connects

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

DiphthongsLevel 1

Learn This First

Diphthongs are easier once short and long vowels are clear.