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Unit 19 · The vowel tells the consonant · Meet

The vowel tells the consonant

Apply the hard/soft pairs inside whole words.

About this unit

Russian vowel letters come in pairs. The vowel letter tells you whether the consonant before it is hard or soft.

After a hard consonantAfter a soft consonantVowel
аяa
уюu
оёo
эеe
ыиы / ee

Ж, ш and ц always stay hard; ч and щ always stay soft.

Read the examples

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

Words to read

лук

onionluk

люк

hatchlyuk

мат

mat / coarse languagemat
mother

мать

mothermatʲ

был

wasbyl

бил

hit / was hittingbil
Reading tips

Compare а/я, у/ю, о/ё, э/е and ы/и. The first spelling normally goes with a hard consonant; the second with a soft one. Ж, ш and ц remain hard; ч and щ remain soft. These defaults do not override the word audio.

Reading practice

Listen before looking

Do these two syllables or words sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do these two syllables or words sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Read with support

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

люк

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

был

Read and decide

Which word ends in a soft consonant?

мат · мать

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

mother

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Apply the hard/soft pairs inside whole words.

Next unit

лук

onion

люк

hatch

мат

mat / coarse language
mother

мать

mother

был

was

бил

hit / was hitting
Use a Russian keyboard

The standard Russian layout is ЙЦУКЕН. All guided writing also works with on-screen tiles. Type ё with its own key when practising ё; outside that task е is a common printed replacement. Teaching stress accents are optional input, not extra letters.

All letters

А а
i

a

К кIn ка
i

ka

М мIn ма
i

ma

О о
i

o

Т тIn та
i

ta

В вIn ва
i

va. В is v, not Latin B.

Н нIn на
i

na. Н is n, not Latin H.

Р рIn ра
i

ra. Р is r, not Latin P.

С сIn са
i

sa. С is s, not Latin c/k.

У у
i

u. У is u, not Latin y.

Х хIn ха
i

kha. Х is a friction sound, like ch in German Bach.

Е еye; softens the consonant
i

ye / e. At word start е begins ye; after a consonant it normally gives e and softens that consonant.

Б бIn ба
i

ba

Г гIn га
i

ga

Д дIn да
i

da

Л лIn ла
i

la

П пIn па
i

pa

З зIn за
i

za

Ж жIn жа
i

zha

Ш шIn ша
i

sha

И и
i

i. И normally follows a soft consonant.

Й й
i

y. Й is the short consonant y of yes, not a vowel syllable.

Ы ы
i

y / ɨ. Ы is a full vowel after a hard consonant; compare и.

Ч чIn ча
i

cha. Ч is normally soft.

Щ щa long, soft shIn ща
i

shcha. Щ is a long soft sh sound; it is not modern Russian ш + ч.

Ц цIn ца
i

tsa. Ц is hard ts, including before written и.

Ф фIn фа
i

fa

Э э
i

e. Э does not add an initial y sound.

Ю юyu; softens the consonant
i

yu. Ю begins yu initially and gives u plus a soft consonant after one.

Я яya; softens the consonant
i

ya. Initial я is ya; after a consonant it gives a plus softness.

Ё ёyo; softens the consonant
i

yo. Ё gives yo initially, or o plus softness; it is normally stressed.

Ь ьno sound; softens a consonantIn мягкий знак
i

soft sign (name). Ь has no independent vowel or consonant sound; here it makes л soft.

Ъ ъno sound; hard break before yIn твёрдый знак
i

hard sign (name). Ъ separates a consonant from a following е/ё/ю/я and keeps its y onset.