You may have noticed that there are often two forms of a vowel, hard and soft. It may help to note the corresponding vowels.

• А ("a") Я ("ya")
• Э ("e") Е ("ye")
• У ("oo") Ю ("yoo")
• О ("o") Ё ("yo")
  • Ы and И are corresponding vowels but don't really follow this pattern.
  • Й is also considered a vowel
  • The "y" sound is always pronounced. It may take some time to get used to pronouncing it with consonants. Try the following:
    • НЕТ (No) - Pronounced "nyet". This is one syllable.
    • семь (Seven) - Pronounced "syem".
    • пять (Five) - Pronounced "pyat"
    • МЕТРО (Metro, underground railway) - Pronounced "mye-tro".