Can
you use the
alif, waaw, and yih
as long vowels and as consonants? In Arabic the alif, waaw, and yih
can act as vowels or as consonants depending on the
word.
Extend into a vowel or read the alif, waaw,
or yih as a blunt consonant.
Compare long vowels to consonants:
* The below applies
to both MSA
and Egyptian Colloquial.
Three long vowels
Three consonants
ا
Alif
(aa)
أ
1
Alif (a)
و waaw
(uu)
و
2
waaw (w)
ى yih
(ii)
ى
3
yih (yih)
Notice when a
hamza is placed above an alif it is a
consonant. This is what
an alif looks like with a hamza:
أ
When an alif is written without the hamza it is
a vowel.
Click
and listen...
* Most of the words below are Egyptian
Colloquial. Even if you are only interested in MSA use the words to help distinguish
between vowels and consonants.
Notice when a
hamza is placed above an alif it is a
consonant. This is what
an alif looks like with a hamza:
