1.2 Persian Vowels
Table 1: List of Persian Vowels With Their English Equivalent
Please listen to the following audio on long and short vowels. While you are listening/reading them, pause the audio and try to say each vowel out loud:
| Persian Long Vowels | آ | ای | او |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | aa | ee | oo |
| Persian Short Vowels | اَ | اِ | اُ |
| English | a | e | o |
How to Read and Write Vowels
Please listen to the following audio on long and short vowels. While you are listening/reading them, pause the audio and try to say each vowel out loud:
Long Vowel: آ
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial Position | Connector/Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awesome | آب—ما—باب | ا | ا | آ | Non-connector | Long vowel | /aa/ | aa | آ |
Long Vowel: ای
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial position | Connector/Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name: | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese | ایران—سیب—سینی | ی | ِیِـ | ای/ایـ | Non-connector | Long vowel | /ee/ | ee | ای |
Long Vowel: او
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial position | Connector/Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoot—Cook | او—خوب—مو | و | و | او | Non-connector | Long vowel | /oo/ | oo | او |
Short Vowel: اَ
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial Position | Connector/Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | اَدَب | – | اَ | اَ | Non-connector | Short Vowel | /a/ | zebar | اَ |
Short Vowel: اِ
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial position | Connector/ Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg—Bed | اِسم | – | اِ | اِ | Non-connector | /e/ | zir | اِ |
Short Vowel: اُ
| Example in English | Example in Persian | Final Position | Medial Position | Initial Position | Connector/Non-connector | Vowel/Consonant | Phonetic Symbol | Name | Persian Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | اُب | – | اُ | اُ | Non-connector | vowel | /o/ | pish | اُ |
Notes on Persian Vowels:
Alef with zebar have the sound of /a/, because Alef is a carrier of diacritics and when it does not appear with any other diacritics, then it is by default considered as Alef with zebar, /a/. Additionally, in a standard writing, people do not use zebar, zir, or pish with Alef or any other alphabet letters as they represent short vowels /a/, /e/, and /o/. These short vowels are often assumed. However, if there is a long /aa/ vowel, then people do use آ .
Table 2. Examples of Vowels in English and Persian Words.
| English Examples | Vowel Letters | Persian Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Awesome |
آ |
آب
|
| Apple |
اَ |
اَدَب
|
| Need |
ایـ |
ایران
|
| End |
اِ |
اِحساس
|
| Root |
و
|
دود
|
| Orange |
اُ |
اُمید
|
Practice 1
Practice 2
Please choose the correct vowel from the multiple choice options that has been used at the beginning of the word:
Practice 3
Please choose the correct vowel from the multiple choice options that has been used at the middle of the word:
Practice 4
Please choose the correct vowel from the multiple choice options that has been used at the end of the word:
Key Takeaways
- You can recognize and sound out all the Persian vowels.
!سپاس
