Russian Pronunciation Rule That You Probably Don´t Know - When A sounds like И

Russian Pronunciation Rules: When A sounds like И. ***** Sign up for my upcoming free 4-day Russian pronunciation training: www.clearrussian.com/training/
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MY SECOND KZbin CHANNEL FOR BEGINNERS (RUSSIAN LEVEL 1) - / @russianlevel1
ABOUT:
There are situations when a Russian “a” gives the sound “и”! Surprise! I guess your textbooks didn’t teach you that? Here’s the thing: if you’re serious about learning Russian, you have to know these little details about Russian pronunciation in order to sound clear when you speak Russian. But, no worries, I´ve got you covered! In this video, you´ll learn when exactly Russian “a” gives the sound “и”. This pronunciation rule is very simple"!

[@BoostYourRussian]

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THIS PRONUNCIATION RULE BEFORE?

[@alejandrocatsoulieris646]

нет, это первый раз.

[@BoostYourRussian]

@@alejandrocatsoulieris646 теперь будешь знать это правило!

[@BoostYourRussian]

@@jabberwocky143 You´re welcome! I´m so glad the video was helpful. Unfortunately, there are currently no grammar books on the market that include all Russian pronunciation rules. When I was working on my pronunciation course, I had to consult about 10 different grammar books to make sure that I cover every single rule.

[@paulnitz8368]

В течение пятидесяти лет у меня было впечатление, что правильное произношение гласного звука «а» в слове «часы» (согласно правилам сокращения гласных звуков в предтонических слогах) - это «шва». Теперь приходит Кристина, чтобы отвлечь меня от моих ошибок.

[@nohael-sayed5353]

Нет , круто 👍👍💚

[@latestlindsey5620]

It's funny I have always pronounced часы correctly but this rule has never occurred to me. Neither of my 2 Russian teachers told me about it!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Now you know it! This rule is almost never mentioned in Russian textbooks. I guess you Russian teachers never mentioned it because they didn´t need to correct your pronunciation since you pronounced часы and similar words correctly

[@edwardwolff]

Same for me. I know by heart how to pronounce часы but didn't know there's a pronunciation rule behind it.

[@bo6048]

То же самое я могу сказать😁

[@desertjedi]

Even as a beginner in Russian, this sounded to me more like a colloquial habit so to speak. So, I asked my Russian wife if this was a rule and she said no, technically it's not. Both "watch" and "to show mercy" can be pronounced either way. She said there's absolutely nothing wrong with saying 'a' in часы. This probably isn't related but I've noticed that word pronunciation in both Russian and English will morph into something easier to pronounce if the "literal" pronunciation is a little awkward to say. We have tons of words in English where we do this. I call it linguistic laziness but there's nothing wrong with it. Would you rather say cubbard 100 times in a row...or the literal cup-board. Maybe our whole language is based on this. Can you imagine having to say "butter" pronouncing the 't' instead of "budder" 500 times in a row? God bless those Brits!

[@gunngg908]

i know this comment is 3 years old but i still wanted to say that nobody pronounces часы with the [a] sound, and if you did it would sound weird/unnatural, so it basically is a rule

[@epicepidemic7131]

I always accepted these pronunciations without thinking about it. Thank you--I'd never heard of this rule!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Welcome! Glad you learned something new!

[@danb2622]

Yes, I remember learning this rule in the Russian phonetics class I took at university. Seems odd at first, but makes total sense when you learn the reasons for it.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Wow, you´re one of very few people who have heard about this rule before watching this video!

[@mienoolennfhouskka4697]

Очень интересный пример с ассимиляцией звука Я при А=И и без него: МОЯЩАЯСЯ - [МОЙЩИИС'А] или [МОИЩИИС'А]; В этом примере Я во втором случае ассимилируется с А=И, а в первом существует вариация, как Й, И, ЙА или даже Йэ. Кстати, слово СЛУЧАЕ, также А=И, и Е, т.к. после шипящего и без стресса на конце.

[@jeffsnider3588]

My first alphabet lesson, the letter И was equated to (i) and vocalized as (e). It was explained as (i) as in Visa - pronounced "vesa". I've been confused ever since.

[@martinyalcinful]

In the word ""Площадь"..,"a" goes after щ but it sits ın the unstressed syllable right AFTER the stressed syllable( not BEFORE).So, this word is an exception then.

[@martinyalcinful]

тридцать is another example like Площадь.It seems it is good enough for a to be after ц or щ to be pronounced as "и" sound.

[@racletteduciel8516]

I remember my Russian teacher didn’t know how to explain this rule. We were learning about the time, and I noticed she said /Chisi/ ( sorry don’t know how the foneme would look like) I ask her why she pronounced like that and she said: «это просто так мы говорим». 😅 спасибо бам

[@BoostYourRussian]

Ahahaha that must have been an uncomfortable situation for her

[@martinyalcinful]

What about ""Площадь"?

[@BoostYourRussian]

It follows the rule explained in the video. "A" after щ gives the "и" sound

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

@@BoostYourRussian Площадь |plo-sh'it|?

[@factfinder7585]

I had never heard of this rule before...now I get the pronunciation of счастливый. :)

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@foeniksnesz]

Ok. That’s new. Never heard of that rule before. It’s surprising. Спасибо большое!!! 👍🏻

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада помочь!

[@chennakesva.markapurammark4138]

I am from India. I have a doubt. When conjugating the verb " chiTa-t' ", how are the penultimate " e" and the final "e " are pronounced in " vy ChitA-et'e? Is it like ChitA-et'e or ChiTa-it'e or ChiTa-it'i? Please clarify! Thanks for your useful work! Greetings!

[@maraj8215]

Coming back here after watching the first 2 videos of your pronunciation training (which, btw, are AWESOME!!). Just to ask you a couple of questions: 1. This rule (а sounding like и) is another way of reduction of vowels specific for letter a?? 2. I had previously checked out a video of another Russian speaking person here on KZbin about rules of reduction of vowels, in the case of o and a she said that you pronounce them as a short a [^] only when they were in the first pretonic syllabe and at the beginning (not at the end) of a word (when it's at the end she says it's pronounced as schwa sound). You say it is pronounced like [^] also when the letter is at the end of the word. Sorry for asking here (I don't have a fb account to post a comment under your video of pronunciation training), is it more common the way you say? Заранее спасибо!!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Hi Mara, 1. It´s difficult to reduce an "a" so much that you get an "и" at the end... So, I wouldn´t call it a reduction. I guess it´s just for some reason we say "и" instead of "a" in some situations 2. Most books written by native Russian speakers teach that "O" and "A" at the end of the word give the sound [^], and most books written by non-native Russian speakers insist that they give the schwa sound lol If I say any word that ends in "O" or "A", I clearly hear [^]. You can use this page easypronunciation.com/en/russian-phonetic-transcription-converter#phonetic_transcription to check the phonetical transcription of Russian words

[@maraj8215]

@@BoostYourRussian thank you su much, Kristina for the link and for clearing it up. But my first question referred to a sounding as и after soft consonants (щ, ч). For example when you say часы, is it a type of reduction?

[@walterclark6255]

I first noticed this when I heard a Russian talking about Tchaikovsky with the pronunciation 'Чиковский'. You can hear this pronunciation on the Tchaikovsky wikipedia page. This shows the rule applies even if there is a short 'й' between the 'а' and the stressed syllable. It seems to be true also of 'чаевод' (tea grower) where there's an 'е' in between but doesn't seem to be true of 'частушка' (ditty) where a consonant intervenes. On a somewhat irrelevant note it doesn't occur in 'ча-ча-ча' (cha-cha-cha dance) but I guess it's treated there as three separate words.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Hahah I´ve never heard the word чаевод. I´m not sure it´s actually used. Чайковский though is a great example! Ча-ча-ча is pronounces with a because every syllable is treated separately

[@ricardoandres1981]

Большое спасибо за такой хороший видео. Есть ли правило чтобы понять почему в слове «случай» буква «а» не звучит?

[@BoostYourRussian]

Когда безударная "А" идет после "ч" и сидит после ударного слога, "а" тоже произносится как "и"

[@ricardoandres1981]

@@BoostYourRussian понял, еще раз спасибо большое

[@nazlone]

When u ask... katori chas What time.... does this rule apply. Thanx u have explained

[@BoostYourRussian]

No, because in час "а" is stressed and therefore gives a regular "a" sound

[@drexelmildraff7580]

I have never heard about this rule before. Once again, you are providing information about the Russian language that no one else does.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new from the video!

[@shahamin457]

Very2 useful lesson. Im just know it right now. Im very confused about it during memorize russian words before this. But now its so clear to me about this pronunciation rule after watch this video. Спасибо за урок.👍🇷🇺

[@BoostYourRussian]

Great! Happy to help :)

[@maraj8215]

наконец-то!!! я поняла почему же в слове "часы", "а" произносится как "и" спасибо большое за видео, я подписалась на твой курс произношения!!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Здорово! Первый урок будет опубликован в течение получаса!

[@nikolinanovakovic7781]

Yes I have heard of it in my phonetic and grammatic classes as I am studying Russian language and literature, but I have really forgotten about it and thank you for reminding me.

[@johnyc.8714]

yea i heard it more clearly on your Putin videos..i was like, wait a minute..glad i found this video that explains it.. will work on it. thanks!

[@emiliotubanjr.6066]

No wonder I can sometimes hear a letter 'a' pronounced as 'i'. I thought it was just an accent of their region and it was an [ae] sound just like in English because it's letter 'a' at first but it isn't. You realy made it clear to me. Thank you sooo much!

[@BoostYourRussian]

You´re welcome, Christopher! Glad it was helpful!

[@hendrikhardeman9832]

Link in description to page for pronunciation training doesn't work. WordPress error.

[@PScaman]

Completely new (after 5 years" study!). I knew часы but not the rule. Thanks!

[@Skatche]

Ты права, я изучил русский в два года, но это не знал.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада, что ты узнал что-то новое из моего урока!

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Чэ и Ща. Да, точно. У Вас хорошее видео. Мне это приятно. И спасибо большое.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Не за что! Рада помочь :)

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

@@BoostYourRussian Теперь я влюбился в русский язык. ( now i have fallen in love with Russian Language ).

[@PScaman]

Ah,yes! That explains площадь. I'd wondered about that. Thanks!

[@gaylechapman8477]

Yes! Иканье! I'm in the middle of a Russian phonology and morphology class at my university. It's really amazing - I wish I had taken it sooner as it is very helpful. I'm going to sign up for your training to help me fill in any blanks, and for more practice.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Great idea! I'm sure you'll learn new things from the training. I wish everybody started with pronunciation and then moved on to learning grammar and vocabulary. Not sure why almost everybody skips Russian pronunciation rules at the beginning🤦‍♀️

[@andreybofus1817]

In some dialects of south Russia the rule doesn't work. чАсы. пощАдить

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Щади меня, пожалуйста.

[@veeramallikharjunagandreti946]

You are amazing... can you please make a video on this sound please "ы"

[@dineshshakya9373]

большое хорошо

[@EthanA1122]

It's new to me ...but I wondered about ' чаевые ' ;tips, for a while now! This answered that question...thanks

[@BoostYourRussian]

Чаевые is a great example of how this rule works!

[@ferruccio4531]

never heard of it before, very useful! thank you.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Happy to help!

[@baarribinuabdihafid8636]

She began doing home work ( она начала делать домашнее задание) "начала" is pronounced like начила. Thank you so much, I love your explanation.

[@BoostYourRussian]

That´s right! "Начала" is pronounced as "начила"

[@carloslandeo932]

This rule is a big surprise for me!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new from the video!

[@yialoussa]

Just seeing your video. I didn't know the rule. The only rule I knew was яйцо is pronounced with initial "i" sound.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Oh, there is another pronunciation rule that explains why яйцо is pronounced that way!

[@cimboli]

площад

[@victorialeffingwell1118]

fantastic ! Never hear of it before. Спасибо. I signed already !,,

[@BoostYourRussian]

Не за что! Рада помочь :)

[@josemanueljara522]

Curious I did'nt notice priedjie...

[@car103d]

Never heard before as explanation, but it's just three months that I am learning. Большое спасибо!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада помочь! This pronunciation rule is almost never mentioned in the books!

[@car103d]

Boost Your Russian I will tell you if I find one! 😊

[@petiapetrov697]

Щажу звук останется а, нет?

[@BoostYourRussian]

Нет, вместо "а" будет звук "и"

[@ghostlevelzero7446]

This is so incredibly helpful! I got so excited about the upcoming pronunciation workshop, then saw that was 2 years ago. Oh well, this is still really great to know about!

[@BoostYourRussian]

I run this workshop once a year. If you´re on my list, you´ll receive an email when the registration opens this year!

[@driouchben2846]

👍👍👍👍

[@bigrichtexas9724]

new to me,this is good

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new from the video!

[@tanjao.4312]

Thank you! Yet I would have loved to hear more examples than just two words.

[@xaviercruzado3860]

This rule was completely new to me

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new, Xavier!

[@ghadirabdullah655]

😊

[@abdouahmad1027]

No I haven’t heard about this rule Спасибо вам большое 🙏

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада помочь!

[@johnarmstrong3140]

Thanks, I had no idea but I now realise I was confused by what I was hearing.

[@jonathansimpson4530]

I knew how to pronounce часы but had no idea why - this was a very useful video!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tizianacarbonari6438]

Completely new to.me, thanks a lot

[@user-vi5lm9jz5r]

Thanks that was very helpful.But I still have a problem when O sounds like A

[@BoostYourRussian]

Could this help www.clearrussian.com/cheat-sheet/ ?

[@user-vi5lm9jz5r]

Unfortunately no . I didn't get it right But thanks for the supporting though

[@ronelalbertidarosa6485]

I never heard about this rule before. Thanks a lot!!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Happy to help!

[@joebiden382]

Eta novava dlia minia, spasiba.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада помочь, Джо!

[@pushkarnagpal872]

I like your videos, Это видео очень помогает мне в изучении русского языка.👌🏻

[@BoostYourRussian]

Рада помочь!

[@pushkarnagpal872]

Boost Your Russian 🙏🏻

[@JohnT.4321]

Thank you for this presentation. I briefly caught wind of "a" sounding like "ee" with Nastya. So after a look around I found the explanation here. BTW, I am one of your on-line student. I did not know you had a second channel for beginners which I book marked.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you found the explanation here, John! Yes, I have two channels, Russian Level 1 has easier videos for beginners

[@JohnT.4321]

@@BoostYourRussian Thanks for the reply.☺

[@altamasparsanov9181]

Спасибо вам большое!!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Не за что!

[@lucasvasquez2438]

I never heard of this rule before. Thank you for explaining and making it clear.

[@BoostYourRussian]

You´re welcome, Lucas!

[@christophercain390]

Great lesson! This is the only place of heard I've heard of this very helpful lesson. You are articulate, clear and precise. I really appreciate it! Спасибо большое!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Thanks Christopher, glad you learned something new!

[@Almightservant]

Your vídeos on pronunciation are very useful, because I just began to learn Russian and I want to speak it as correct as possible. Greetings from Brazil.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Thank you! Glad you find then useful

[@misaelgalindo2402]

I should give you a thousand “likes”, Kristina, 😁👍. I loved this video!

[@misaelgalindo2402]

And I didn’t know that letter “а” sounded like “и”.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new, Misael!

[@misaelgalindo2402]

😁👍

[@satishchudekar4723]

It's new to me.

[@bobalu890]

I never heard of this rule before

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new! This rule is rarely explained in grammar books

[@shenawilson4775]

For me, it's new information. You're a very good teacher. The examples are useful and you see where the difficulties are for a learner. Thank you!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Thank you! Glad you learned something new from my video, Shena :)

[@siazare6142]

Нервничать

[@marjoriedionne5922]

You do really amazing learning material, thank you very much.

[@BoostYourRussian]

You´re welcome Marjorie. Happy to help!

[@trismegistusqueeg9565]

That's a new one on me!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new!

[@JeremyBigwood]

I knew that часы was pronounced «чисы» but not why. Thanks!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Happy to help, Jeremy!

[@tunahanarslanturk7354]

This video is so useful!! Thanks

[@barbarossancakli2027]

thanks.this is nice information

[@juarezlopes387]

Very usefull, thanks!

[@BoostYourRussian]

You're very welcome!

[@i_amtheo3752]

Completely new to me

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new!

[@pedrokourtesis1832]

Never heard this rules

[@olegpetrov2617]

Not obligated rule, just pronunciation

[@tangabiang5282]

Completely new rule, as to the letters concerned and the rule on the preton8c syllable.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new!

[@carloschess2010]

Very good. I had noticed that, but I had no idea that's happened. Now, I uanderstand it. Thanks so much, teacher. Have a nice day!!!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Happy to help! This rule is hardly ever covered in books

[@raulsantana5346]

New for me .thank u......

[@BoostYourRussian]

My pleasure! Glad you learned something new from my lesson

[@richpeterson5106]

Completely new

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new from the video!

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Hello Kristina. I am following your channel again . To keep revising and learning Russian. Thanks a lot for showing us the way to learn. Часы Спасибо вам большое.

[@BoostYourRussian]

My pleasure!

[@giulias.4554]

You are Amazing 🤗 thank you so much !!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Happy to help, Giulia!

[@mohamednuyabah1739]

New to me really. Thank you so much

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad you learned something new!

[@3SeveredHeads]

Excellent explanation!! Thankyou :>

[@BoostYourRussian]

You're very welcome!

[@sachi-la-felicidad]

Thank you, Gracias, ありがとう

[@Olymus]

It should better be called schwa sound, not и.

[@rgoonewardene380]

This was very useful. Thanks.

[@BoostYourRussian]

Thanks for watching, glad it was useful! :)

[@LasseHolmstrom]

And there i got some more headache about Russian grammar..

[@BoostYourRussian]

hahaha Russian pronunciation is not that difficul. You just need to learn all the rules once and then you´ll be able to read correctly any Russian word

[@LasseHolmstrom]

@@BoostYourRussian 7 spelling rule, 5 spelling rule, etc etc, and i hated grammar in school so i am pretty much lost..

[@ForrestRhoads]

Я не знал! И я уже старый парень :)

[@BoostYourRussian]

Ахааха никогда не поздно учиться!

[@twitteslapacex8283]

🤮

[@pagibone]

completamente nuova

[@user-it3ub8jl5f]

👍👍👍👍

[@rdtx2049]

I read about it in a book, but this video helped me to understand in more detail. Thank you!

[@BoostYourRussian]

Glad it was helpful!