Long vowels can be formed in three ways:
- double vowel: two identical vowels in a row
- single open vowel: a single vowel at the end of a syllable
- vowel combination: two different vowels in a row that merge into (more or less) one vowel
With the exception of y, each vowel has a short and a long form:
| short
| a [ɑ]
| e [ɛ]
| i [ɪ]
| o [ɔ]
| u [ʏ]
|
| long
| aa [a]
| ee [e]
| ie [i]
| oo [o]
| uu [y]
|
Listen
to hear what the vowels sound like (in the following order: a, aa, e, ee, i, ie, o, oo, u, uu).
Note that long i is not formed by doubling the vowel, but by adding the letter e: ie.
All mp3 files on this page:
Long and short vowels
Questions? 
