PRONUNCIATION
(To hear the pronunciation click on the sound icon above, next to Esperanto)

                    In Esperanto words are pronounced as they are spelled and vice versa.  In essence, every letter represents one sound and every sound is represented by a single letter.

STRESS:  The stress always falls on the next-to-the-last VOWEL.  (Make sure to stress the second i in simio.)

VOWELS :  There are only five vowels and therefore only five vowel sounds.  The phrase "Are there three or two?" can be used as a mnemonic device. Spanish or Italian vowels are a perfect model.  Try pronouncing the vowels in front of a mirror. Your mouth and lips should not move from beginning to end of each vowel sound. This means that they are all pure vowels, uttered with an unchanging sound from beginning to end.
                    
                    A:  ARE.  Try pronouncing the first sound in the word EYE (as if you started saying it but were cut off).  NOT as in CAT or SALUTE.
                    
                    E:  THERE, BED, SAID.  NOT as in SAY, or MEET.
                    
                    I:   THREE, or as in MACHINE.  As in SEEK (not SICK) and EAT (not IT).
                    
                    O:  OR (Be careful not to add a glide.  In other words, don't move your mouth or lips.)
                    
                    U:  TWO, or as in SUE, FUTON.  NOT as the short vowel in PUT, FOOT or SOOT, but rather as in NOON, FOOD or SUIT.  


CONSONANTS:  B, D, H, M, N, S and V as in English.

                    C as TS in BATS, POTS

                    Ĉ as CH in CHECK, CHEAP

                    L as in LEAVE:  Even though most native speaker may not be aware of it, there is in English a difference between the L at the end of a syllable (bell, mall, pill, etc.) and the L at the beginning of words (leave, let, lose, etc.).  The former is described as 'thick tongued'.  The latter would be a more accurate Esperanto pronunciation.

                    T as in STOP, STEP, STAND:  Even though most native speakers may not be aware of it, there is in English a difference between the T at the beginning of words (top, tall, talk) and the T preceded by an S (stop, stall, stalk).  The former is said to be 'aspirated'.  The 'unaspirated' T after S  is a more accurate Esperanto pronunciation. 

VOCABULARY IMAGES

VOCABULARY QUIZ Before continuing with the quiz, make sure you can pronounce every word in the lesson. The images displayed above will appear randomly.  At first it may seem that they are appearing and disappearing too quickly.  Do not panic.  Go at you own pace, pronouncing the words out loud, as clearly and as accurately as possible. Within a few minutes you will be able to identify most of the images that pop up, at which point you will be ready to move on to the next step, the MODEL SENTENCES. Click here for VOCABULARY QUIZ.

                    Saluton, hundo!  Saluton, bovino!  Saluton, bovino!  Saluton, ĉevalo!  Saluton, simio!  Saluton, hundo!  Saluton, ĉevalo!  Saluton, ĉevalo!   Saluton, simio!  Saluton, ĉevalo!  Saluton, hundo!

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