Lesson 1 – The Alphabet, Short Vowels, B,
P, T Letters
As you know, English words cannot be
pronounced without these five letters: A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y as in BY.
These are called vowels. In Persian, however, there are no letters considered
as vowels. Instead, we put some sounds on or under the letters to make them
readable. There are six main sounds in Persian recognized as vowels, three
short vowels and three long vowels. Remember that these are not letters. These
are sounds that come with letters and make them pronounceable. Here we will
learn short vowels.
The representatives (symbols)
of these sounds (vowels) are as follows:
1-
Do you see the small symbol on A? If this sign sits on a letter, the letter
will be pronounced as /æ/ in dad.
Do you see the small symbol on A? If this sign sits on a letter, the letter
will be pronounced as /æ/ in dad.
2- 
If this sign, which is exactly written in
the same way as in number one, sits under a letter, it will be pronounced as
/e/ in set.
If this sign, which is exactly written in
the same way as in number one, sits under a letter, it will be pronounced as
/e/ in set.
3- 
If this sign, which has a circle on his
head, sits on a letter, it will be pronounced as /o/ in border.
If this sign, which has a circle on his
head, sits on a letter, it will be pronounced as /o/ in border.
Note: this sign sits on the
letters only.
These three sounds are called
short vowels.
Now that you are familiar with
these three short vowels you are ready to learn a couple of letters to practice
with these sounds.
Today we are going to learn
three big letters as well as their small forms.
1- 
This is the big letter ‘B’ in Persian. In
the meantime, you don’t need to learn how to write it. We are just trying to
pronounce it with the help of those three short vowels above. Ready? Don’t
worry. I’ll write it for you. All you have to do is pronounce it.
This is the big letter ‘B’ in Persian. In
the meantime, you don’t need to learn how to write it. We are just trying to
pronounce it with the help of those three short vowels above. Ready? Don’t
worry. I’ll write it for you. All you have to do is pronounce it.
This one is /be/ as in bed.
This one is /bo/ as in border.
2- 
This one is the small letter ‘b’ in Persian.
Now try to pronounce this letter in the same way. Don’t forget to read from
right to left. You will say. 
This one is the small letter ‘b’ in Persian.
Now try to pronounce this letter in the same way. Don’t forget to read from
right to left. You will say.
Note:
big letters come at the end of the words and may stand either attached or
separated from other letters (they are separable), while the small letters come
at the beginning or in the middle of the words and are attached to some other
letters (they are inseparable). There is only one exception that will be
explained later.
3- 
This one is the big letter ‘P’ in Persian.
Try to pronounce it with the short vowels.
This one is the big letter ‘P’ in Persian.
Try to pronounce it with the short vowels.
as /pæ/ in pad.
as /pe/in pet.
as /po/in pork.
4- 
This one is the small letter ‘p’ in
Persian. Try to pronounce it. Don’t forget to read from right to left. You will
say: 
This one is the small letter ‘p’ in
Persian. Try to pronounce it. Don’t forget to read from right to left. You will
say:
5- 
This one is big letter ‘T’ in Persian. Try
to pronounce it with the short vowels.
This one is big letter ‘T’ in Persian. Try
to pronounce it with the short vowels.
as /tæ/ in tab.
as /te/ in tennis.
as /to/ in torn.
6- 
This is the small letter ‘t’. Don’t forget
to read from right to left. Try to pronounce it. 
This is the small letter ‘t’. Don’t forget
to read from right to left. Try to pronounce it. 