Reading Lao: Vowels

Lesson 14

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


ເຄົາລົບທຸງ
pay homage to the national flag

Listening and Reading these Vowels.

	ເxົາ
ເສົາ
a pole
	xຳ
ສໍດຳ
a pencil

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.

ເxົາ	ເຫົາ	ເຕົາ	ເຂົາ	ເງົາ
	a lice	a stove	they	shadow
	ເກົາ	ເຂົາ	ເສົາ	ເຮົາ
	scratch	they	pole	we
xຳ	ດຳ	ຕຳ	ກຳ	ຄຳ
	black	to collide	to hold in once's hand	gold/(v) to touch
	ທຳ	ນຳ	ລຳ	ຮຳ
	to do	to lead	to sing/ (cl.) bamboo stick, boats, etc	bran

Practice 2: Reading Words

ເຮົາມີ	ກະເປົາ
We have	a bag
ແລະ	ສໍດຳ
and	a black pencil.
ເຂົາເຊົາ	ເມົາມົວ
He stops	addicting
ນຳສຸລາ	ຢາເມົາ
to alcohol	and tobacco or drug.

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: ທຸງ(flag), ເສົາ(pole), ສໍດຳ(pencil), ສໍ(pencil), ດຳ(black), ເຫົາ(lice), ເຕົາ(stove), ເຂົາ(he or she),
ເງົາ(shadow), ເຮົາ(we), ຄຳ(gold/word), ກະເປົາ(wallet/purse), ສຸລາ(alcohol), ຢາເມົາ(tobacco),
ຢາ(medication)

verbs: ເຄົາລົບ(to respect), ເກົາ(to scratch), ຕຳ(to collide), ກຳ(to hold), ນຳ(to lead), ມີ(to have),
ເຊົາ(to rent), ເມົາມົວ(to obsess/addict)

preposition: ແລະ(and), ນຳ(with)

adverb: ເມົາ(drunk)