8.1 Discussion

The set of consonants introduced in this section are known as glides or semivowels. Two of them are essentially the same as English: य y and ल l. र r is a bit different than r in most standard Englishes (American, British, etc.). Rather, it is closer to the American English pronunciation of t or d when it occurs between two vowels, for example in words like water, sitting, kiddie, pedal, petal, etc. Students familiar with Spanish may also already know this sound, which is not like the long rolled r in perro but rather the short tap or flap in pero. व v is also slightly different than its English counterparts w and v, and indeed sounds somewhat in between them. The easiest way to pronounce this letter is by saying w but with the top teeth resting on the bottom lip, as though you were pronouncing f. Another place you may have encountered this sound is in some varieties of Spanish, where speakers say it in place of b.

Note also that in handwriting or in certain typefaces र followed by व can sometimes look like ख, or vice versa. As you become more familiar with Hindi vocabulary you will get better at avoiding this confusion, and not confuse रवा (semolina) with खा (eat).

Although we have learned all the Hindi vowels and their mātrās, there are still a few points to be made that can help learners. First, remember that the independent forms of vowels are only used when a vowel is itself the entire word, when it occurs at the beginning of a word, or when it immediately follows another vowel. Note that a vowel cannot carry the mātrā for another vowel. Here are a few examples (click to hear):

Note that when ए or ई follows another vowel it can be written with a य. For example, गाइए gāie and गाइये gāiye are both correct options.