Learn about how to pronounce Urdu vowels
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hi everyone and welcome back to Urdupod101.com. This is the pronunciation series, lesson 3. The Pronunciation of Urdu Vowels. I’m Eric. |
| Afrah: Hi, this is Afrah. |
| Eric: Now, we’ve already gone over how to pronounce all 38 Urdu consonants. In this lesson, we will explore the vowels. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Afrah: There are 10 vowels. Most of them are pairs of short and long syllables. |
| Eric: Right, it’s very simple in a way. So let’s get started. |
| Afrah: The first pair is [A] and [Aa] |
| Eric: The first one is short and the second one is long. Could you repeat them so our listeners can hear one more time? |
| Afrah: Sure. The first one is [A] and the second one is [Aa] |
| Eric: This sounds similar, but listeners, please be careful as the difference in sounds can really change the words. |
| Afrah: Yes, [A] and [Aa]. For example, for the sound [A] we have Amar which means “immortal” and for [Aa] we have [Aam] which means Mango. This pair of vowels is pronounced using the throat. Try saying each of them one by one. [A] Amar [Aa - Aam] |
| Eric: Listeners, please be careful with this kind of sound. Even though people will understand what you are trying to say, it will of course be easier if you pronounce them correctly. |
| Afrah: That’s right. Now the next pair is [i] and [ii]…For example for [i], we have [Imli] which means “tamarind” and for ii…, we have [iint] which means “brick.” This is also a pair made of short and long sounds. I and ii…I for [Imli] and ii…for [iint]. |
| Eric: The first sound is the same as the sound “E” in ear. And the second sound is the same as the “ee” sound in “teen” or “machine” in English. |
| Afrah: The next pair is [u] and [eu]. For example [upar] which means “up” starts with the short [u] and the [eun] which means “wool” starts with the long [eu]. Once again, upar for [u] and [eun] for the long [eu] |
| Eric: So the short sound is the same as the “u” in “pull” and the long sound is the same as in the “double o” in “cool.” Let’s move on to the next pair. |
| Afrah: The next is [ei] and [ay]. |
| Eric: Could you give us an example using these, Afrah? |
| Afrah: Sure, an example for [ei] is [eint] which means “brick.” An example for [ay] is [ayk] which means a “one.” |
| Eric: Okay, so there is a longer version as well? |
| Afrah: There is no long version with this one. We only have the short form of this letter. |
| Eric: Got it. What’s the next pair? |
| Afrah: Next up is the pair A and I. |
| Eric: Can you give us an example? |
| Afrah: For A, we have [aitbar] which means “trust.” And for I, we have [ainak] which means “spectacles.” |
| Eric: Wow, they kind of sound similar, but the meaning is just so different. |
| Afrah: That’s true, so it’s important to pay attention to these. |
| Eric: What’s the next pair? |
| Afrah: The next one is O and [Au] |
| Eric: Can you give us some examples for these sounds? |
| Afrah: Sure. For the short O we have [Or] which means “either” and for [Au] we have [Aurat] which means “lady” or “woman.” |
| Eric: Okay, this seems pretty simple. |
| Afrah: But there is one more thing. Do you remember what we said about airaab in Urdu? |
| Eric: Ah yes, when you’re reading, these tell you which vowel to attach to a consonant in a word. |
| Afrah: Yes, Urdu letters are formed with a consonant plus airaab, which tell you which vowel to pronounce. |
| Eric: We will try to give you an idea about how to pronounce airaab by using one consonant. Then you can try different airaab with other consonants and check your pronunciation. |
| Afrah: Yeah, let’s take the first letter of Urdu - Alif (a). All the consonants have the default vowel [A] with them, but we can modify it by using airaab. |
| Eric: Right. Listeners, if you look at the lesson notes now, it will be very helpful. |
| Afrah: Read the corresponding letter with airaab to identify and pronounce them correctly. |
| Eric: Let’s do it with the [ka] sound. |
| Afrah: First we have [ka]. This is the same as the vowel [a] |
| Eric: And next? |
| Afrah: Second is [Kaa] with the long vowel [Aa]. |
| Eric: Next? |
| Afrah: The next is with the vowel [Ki]. So we have [i] |
| Eric: And next? |
| Afrah: Next is [kii] with the long vowel [ii]. |
| Eric: And next? |
| Afrah: Next is [ko] with the vowel [u] |
| Eric: Next? |
| Afrah: And next is [koo] with the vowel [eu]. |
| Eric: Next? |
| Afrah: Next we have [kay] with the vowel [ay]. |
| Eric: Next? |
| Afrah: And next is [keay] with the vowel [ei]. |
| Eric: Next? |
| Afrah: And next we have [ko] with the vowel [o] |
| Eric: And next? |
| Afrah: The next one is [kau] with a vowel [au]. |
| Eric: The concept of airaab might be new for native English learners, but they are not that difficult. |
| Afrah: Well Eric, this might sound interesting, but we used to sing a song by using consonants and all the vowels or airaab to remember pronunciation when we were in school. |
| Eric: Really? That sounds like fun. You should definitely sing it to me sometime. |
| Afrah: Sure thing! |
| Eric: Listeners, now you can all try placing airaab with the next consonant, and check how you pronounce them. |
| Afrah: Right. So read as many Urdu words as you can and identify the airaab. |
| Eric: Try to pronounce them correctly, remembering to keep the short vowels separate from the long ones! And don’t forget to keep practicing. |
Outro |
| Eric: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! |
| Afrah: Goodbye.[Phr milenge] |
Comments
Hide