Basic Pronunciation Rules

Consonants and Vowels Work Together

Persian pronunciation becomes much easier when you understand how consonants and vowels work together in a word. Persian is written with a version of the Arabic script, but the sounds of Persian are different and often simpler.

In this chapter we focus on the most basic rules that help you read and pronounce simple Persian words correctly, without learning every detail of the writing system yet. You will see some words written in Persian script and also in a simple Latin transcription. The transcription is only to help you at this stage. The goal of the course is that you learn to read the Persian script itself.

Persian has three long vowels, written with letters in the script, and three short vowels, usually not written. This produces one very important rule for you as a beginner.

For example, the written word شما is three letters: ش م ا. You must pronounce a vowel after ش and after م, and the last letter ا is itself a long vowel. The result is /ʃomâ/ and we show it here as shomâ, “you” (formal or plural).

One Letter, One Main Sound

In Persian, most letters usually represent one main consonant sound. This is helpful for reading. Once you know the basic sound of a letter, it usually does not change from word to word.

For example, the letter ب is pronounced like English “b” in “baby”. The letter م is like English “m” in “mother”. The letter ن is like “n” in “no”. The letter ک is like “k” in “kite”.

If you see the Persian word ما, it is two letters: م and ا. م is “m” and ا here is a long “â” sound. Together they make mâ, which means “we”.

You may see several different letters that sound similar to an English learner, such as several different letters for “s” or “z”. At this level, focus on the sound, not the spelling difference. For example, the word for “day” is روز, ruz. There are different letters ر, و, ز, but the important thing is that they always sound like r, u (long), z.

Long and Short Vowels in Pronunciation

You already know that Persian has three short vowels and three long vowels. The short vowels are usually not written. The long vowels are written with letters.

The long vowels are:

â as in mâ (ما, we)
i as in mi (می, prefix in verbs, you will see it later)
u as in ruz (روز, day)

They are longer and clearer in pronunciation than the short vowels. For example, mâ has a long “a” sound, similar to “a” in “father”. Ruz has a long “u” sound, similar to “oo” in “food”.

The short vowels are:

a as in man (من, I)
e as in ketâb (کتاب, book) in the first syllable ke
o as in shomâ (شما, you, formal) in the first syllable sho

These short vowels are quick. They are not written as separate letters in normal texts, but Persian speakers always know where they are.

For example, the word من is written with two letters, م and ن, but you pronounce it man with a short “a” between them, not “mn”.

Syllables and Stress

A syllable in Persian usually has one vowel, short or long, and one or more consonants around it. For example:

man (من) has one syllable: man
mâ (ما) has one syllable: mâ
shomâ (شما) has two syllables: sho + mâ
ketâb (کتاب) has two syllables: ke + tâb

In Persian, almost all simple words and verb forms have the stress on the last syllable. Stress means the syllable you say a little stronger and a little longer.

Listen to the stress:

man (only one syllable, so it is stressed)
mâ (one syllable)
shoMÂ (شما)
keTÂB (کتاب)
RUZ (روز)
SALÂM (سلام, hello)

In English the stress pattern can change a lot, but Persian is more regular.

Later, when you learn more grammar, you will see some important exceptions with certain verb endings, but for now this rule will help you sound much more natural.

No Vowel at the Beginning of a Word

Unlike English, Persian words do not normally start with a written vowel letter. If a word begins with a vowel sound, Persian uses a special letter called “alef” (ا) to carry that initial vowel.

For example, the word for “is” (informal) is a, often written as ـه in connection, but when it begins a word, it is written with alef as ا. For a beginner, the important point is that when you hear a word that starts with a vowel sound, you will usually see an alef at the beginning.

The word Iran is written ایران: ا ی ر ا ن. The first letter ا shows the initial vowel sound. You pronounce it Irân, with a short “i” and long “â”.

No Pronounced “Schwa”

In English, many unstressed vowels become a weak “uh” sound, called schwa, like the “a” in “about” or the “e” in “taken”. Persian does not have this schwa sound as a separate vowel. Short vowels in Persian are clearer and more stable.

The short “a” in man (من) is not like English “uh”. It is a clear, short “a”. The short “e” in ketâb (کتاب) in the first syllable is a clear “e”, not “uh”.

This is good news for you. You do not need to reduce vowels as much as in English. In most basic words, you can pronounce each vowel clearly and you will sound better.

No Aspirated “p, t, k”

In English, when you say “pen”, “top”, or “cat”, air comes out strongly after p, t, and k at the start of the word. This strong air is called aspiration.

In Persian, the letters پ (p), ت (t), and ک (k) are not aspirated in the same way. You say them with less air. For many learners this happens naturally when they slow down and imitate Persian speech.

For example:

پدر, pedar, father
تو, to, you (informal)
کتاب, ketâb, book

Say these without a big puff of air. This is a subtle point, but it helps your accent.

Final Consonants Are Fully Pronounced

In Persian, consonants at the end of a word are clearly pronounced. In some dialects of English, final consonants are weakened or even dropped, but in Persian they stay strong.

For example:

man (من), I
ketâb (کتاب), book
ruz (روز), day
in (این), this

In all of these, the final consonant n, b, z, n must be pronounced clearly.

No Linking “r” Between Words

In some kinds of English, speakers add an “r” sound between words, as in “idea of” sounding like “idea-r-of”. Persian does not add such extra “r” sounds between words.

If one word ends in a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, you simply move from one vowel to the next. For example, in anâ mâ (آن‌ها ما …, “they, we …” in a phrase), you do not add an “r” between the vowels.

At this stage you will mostly use short, separate words, so you only need to remember not to insert extra consonants when you read slowly.

Common Everyday Words to Practice

Here are some very common words that help you practice these pronunciation rules.

من, man, I
تو, to, you (informal)
شما, shomâ, you (formal or plural)
او, u, he / she
ما, mâ, we
آن, ân, that
این, in, this
سلام, salâm, hello
روز, ruz, day
کتاب, ketâb, book
ایران, Irân, Iran
پدر, pedar, father
مادر, mâdar, mother
خانه, khâne, house, home

Try to say each word, pay attention to the position of the stress, the length of the vowels, and the clear pronunciation of the consonants.

Summary of Basic Pronunciation Rules

To finish this chapter, review the central points that will guide your pronunciation in all future lessons.

With these simple rules, you can already start to sound close to a real Persian speaker when you read and repeat basic words.

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