Two Sounds of E

Level 3

One letter, two sounds. E and ē can be closed (like the e in English bed) or open (close to the a in cat). Es ēdu (I eat) has the open sound, and es ēdu (I ate) has the closed one.

How It Works

1. Two sounds, one letter. The short e and the long ē each have a closed sound [e] and an open sound [æ]. Some dictionaries mark the open sound with a mark under the letter (ȩ), but everyday writing never does.

2. Pairs that differ only in this sound.

  • es ēdu (I eat) — open ē; es ēdu (I ate) — closed ē
  • viņš dzer (he drinks) — open e; tu dzer (you drink) — closed e

3. A rule of thumb. Look at the next syllable:

  • If it has i, ī, ie, ei or j, or a soft consonant such as ļ or ņ, the e is usually closed.
  • If it has a, ā, u, ū, ai or au, the e is usually open: ezers (lake), ezera.

4. Look at other forms, and learn the exceptions. A word with no next syllable often follows its other forms: tēvs (father) has an open ē, as in tēva, and Cēsis has a closed ē before i. But short words such as mēs (we) and tev (to you) have a closed e, and most international words do too: telefons. Because the rules have so many exceptions, the best habit is to learn each new word from audio.

Tip: getting this sound wrong rarely stops people understanding you, just as a small accent does not. Aim to copy native speakers, and do not worry if it takes time.

Examples (6)

  1. Es ēdu maizi.

    I eat bread.

    In the present tense, ēdu has an open ē, close to the a in cat.

  2. Vakar es ēdu zupu.

    Yesterday I ate soup.

    In the past tense, ēdu has a closed ē, as in bed. Only the sound shows the difference.

  3. Tu dzer tēju.

    You drink tea.

    With tu, dzer has a closed e.

  4. Viņš dzer kafiju.

    He drinks coffee.

    With viņš, dzer has an open e, though it is spelled the same.

  5. Mans tēvs dzīvo Cēsīs.

    My father lives in Cēsis.

    Tēvs has an open ē, while Cēsīs has a closed one.

  6. Mēs dzīvojam pie ezera.

    We live by a lake.

    Mēs has a closed ē. In ezera, the a in the next syllable goes with an open e.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the closed sound in tēvs.

    tēvs, said with the closed ē of bed
    tēvs, said with the open ē of cat

    Tēvs has an open ē. The spelling does not show it, so learn the word with audio.

  • Saying the past-tense ēdu with the open sound.

    Vakar es ēdu zupu, with the open ē of es ēdu (I eat)
    Vakar es ēdu zupu, with a closed ē

    With vakar (yesterday), ēdu means I ate and has a closed ē. The open ē belongs to the present tense, I eat.

How It Connects

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

Two Sounds of ELevel 3

Learn This First

The two sounds of e build on the vowels.