Reading Lao: Vowels

Lesson 2

The goal of this second lesson is to read two Lao vowels, xິ and xີ and to pronounce them with Lao consonants. You can practice listening and reading by clicking on the button or the underlined words below.


ປີກ້ວຍ
banana year

Listening and Reading these Vowels.


ກະປິ
shrimp paste

ປີກ້ວຍ
banana year

Practice 1: Reading with Consonants
To find out what tones these syllables have, please click tone.
Some of these syllables do not have meaning attached to them.
NM - no meaning.
The goal is to practice reading and listening.

ກິ	ດິ	ຕິ	ນິ
NM	NM	NM	NM
ບິ	ປິ	ມິ	ອິ
to split	NM	NM	NM
ກີ	ດີ	ຕີ	ນີ
NM	good	to hit	NM
ບີ	ປີ	ມີ	ອີ
bile	year	to have	NM

Practice 2: Reading Words

ກະປິ	ບີປາ
shrimp paste	fish's bile
ຕາດີ	ກີຕາ
good eyes	NM
ກະປິດີ
good shrimp paste

Exercises

1. Dictation Exercise: On a sheet of paper, write in Lao the words that you hear by clicking on the speech icons.

After finishing the above dictation exercise, click here for the answers.

2. What tones do you hear? Rising, Low, Mid, High, High Falling, Low Falling

3. Which vowel is long, and which is short?

Vocabulary:

nouns: ປີ (year), ກ້ວຍ (banana), ກະປິ (shrimp paste), ດີ (good), ບີ (bile), ປາ (fish), ຕາ (eyes)

verbs: ບິ (to split), ຕີ (to hit), ມີ (to have)