7 Rule 2: The vowels е and я

  1. In Russian the vowels e and я are given full pronunciation only when they are stressed. Listen as your instructor reads the following words then repeat after him/her. You'll also find this exercise on the tape for this lesson.

    коме́та дире́ктор буфе́т пять я́хта
    те́ма биле́т портфе́ль я́блоко семья́
    текст Че́хов фе́рма ребя́та Я́лта

  2. When unstressed these vowels are pronounced as a short i. Listen as your instructor reads the following words then repeat after him/her. You'll also find this exercise on the tape for this lesson.

    телефо́н теа́тр дека́брь берёза язы́к
    рестора́н винегре́т планета́рий Япо́нец янва́рь
    но́мер календа́рь галере́я Япо́нка яйцо́