Reading words with आ (part 3)
Today, we continue learning to reading basic words.
Sentence 1: खट पट मत कर।
Sentence 2: नए फल चख।
Sentence 3: आठ आम रख।
Let us review the letters and sounds that are covered in these words. Try to learn these sounds, and try to follow along with the program. Also, try to read the Hindi letters.
The first and most important vowel is अ. We will write this as a single “a” in our pronunciation key. In English, the letter “a”, can make many different sounds. But the letter अ makes the “a” sound that is in “another”. It makes more of a “uh” sound. And it is the most important vowel because it is automatically part of each of the consonants. For example, क is a “k” sound plus this “a” sound that we are coving. You do not see अ in the passage above, but the sound that it makes is part of each of the consonants.
आ pronounced “aah” just like the “a” in “all”, “father”, and “last” In the pronunciation help, we will write this as “aa”. At first glance अ and आ may look a like, but notice the number of vertically lines. The first one, covered in the previous paragraph, has one vertical line. The second one, the one covered in this paragraph, has two.
ए is a “long” A. Just like the “a” in “May” and “pay”. In the pronunciation help, we write this as “e”.
क = ka (pronounced like the “cu” in “cup”.)
ख = kha (more force than क)
च = cha (pronounced like “ch” in “chuck” and in “church”)
ट = “ta” The tongue should touch the upper ridge in your mouth.
ठ = “tha” The tongue should touch the upper ridge in your mouth. Spoken with more force.
त = “ta” The tongue should touch the top of the teeth.
प = “pa”
फ = “pha” (probably closer to an “fa” sound.)
म = “ma”
र = “ra”
न = “na”
ल = “la”
Here are some letter flashcards to help you learn these letters. While it may seem difficult at first, I think it will cause less confusion to learn the Hindi script. This will greatly improve your pronunciation.
One of our listeners also recommends the Hindi Script Tutor. It shows how the letters are written, and what they sound like.
The “a” sound is dropped when the letter appears at the end of the word. For example, खट = “khat”. It is not “khata”.
Now, let us look at each sentence one at a time.
Sentence 1: खट पट मत कर।
khat pat mat kar. (be mindful that the “a” pronounced like the “a” in “another”… this is more of an “uh” sound, not a “ah” sound.)
“Don’t Disturb”
खट पट = khat pat = disturb
मत = mat = don’t
कर = kar = do
Sentence 2: नए फल चख।
nae phal chakh
Taste the new fruits.
नए = nae = new
फल = phal = fruit/fruits
चख = chakh = taste
Sentence 3: आठ आम रख।
aath aam rakh
Keep eight mangoes.
आठ = aath = eight
आम = aam = mango/mangoes
रख = rakh = keep
