Discover

How to Speak

Latvian
in

99 Minutes
or Less. Guaranteed.
Copyright 2008-2011 Jan Risbergs, Jr.

Inra Otomere

InstantLatvian.com

Your 14 Complimentary Latvian Phrases

Introduction What is InstantLatvian? Who are Anglo-Latvians? #1 - Hello #2 - Where is the toilet? #3 - Do you speak English? #4 - I do not speak Latvian #5 - Good morning #6 - Good day #7 - Good evening #8 - Please #9 - Thank you #10 - Youre welcome #11 - I am sorry #12 - I do not understand #13 - Please, speak slower #14 - Could you please help me? Pg 62 - All 14 phrases in English, Latvian and Anglo-Latvian Pg 66 - All 110 InstantLatvian Phrases in 14 Categories Pg 70 - Author information Pg 74 - Secret Anglo-Latvian Decoder Chart (Click on any link above - then Press ALT + Left Arrow to return)
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enables you to Discover the Secret of How to Speak Latvian in 99 Minutes or Less. Guaranteed.
Introduction
InstantLatvian is a comprehensive language shortcut system that enables any English speaking person to speak Latvian. Quickly and easily. This powerful system is specifically designed to help Anglo-Latvians who are Latvian-challenged.

InstantLatvian.com

Anglo-Latvians?
Are you an Anglo-Latvian? Anglo-Latvians are not just Latvians who live in England. By our definition, if you speak English, and have any Latvian ancestry or relationship with a Latvian, you are an Anglo-Latvian. Maybe your parents are Latvian; maybe your grandparents. Maybe just one parent or one grandparent.

Maybe your wife or husband has Latvian roots. Is your boyfriend or girlfriend of Latvian ancestry? Are you just friends with a Latvian? Maybe you want to finally be able to speak the language or enable your children to speak Latvian. If you never learned and are currently Latvian-challenged, dont worry that is going to change. Today. We welcome you to the global Anglo-Latvian Club. Youre in fine company. According to the Latvian Institute in Riga, there are approximately 1.5 million Latvians in the world, 90% live in Latvia and about 150,000 live abroad. The 2000 US Census counted 87,564 American-Latvians; other Anglo-Latvian estimates include upwards of 60,000 in Canada, Australia and Ireland combined. These estimates seem to leave 3,000 of us scattered around the rest of the world and do not even include non-English speaking expatriate Latvians. Whatever the exact number, there are Anglo-Latvians in New Zealand, England, Scotland and other wonderful countries where we continue to live, prosper and thrive.

Are you Latvian-challenged?

Now, how many of these 150,000+ expatriates actually speak Latvian? Nobody knows. Sadly, a growing percentage are Latvian-challenged. Our definition of Latvian-challenged: Your Latvian language skills are either limited, poor or non-existent. And it isnt your fault. Until now, Latvian has been a difficult if not impossible language to master. Unless you grew up in a supportive Latvian household, had the opportunity to attend Latvian school and speak the language regularly, how could you possibly learn Latvian? Fewer and fewer Latvian expatriates are so blessed. Are you sick and tired of being Latvian-challenged? Dont worry this is only a temporary state and you will soon have the key to ending that. Forever. The mission of InstantLatvian is to enable Latvian-challenged Anglo-Latvians to speak Latvian. Quicker and easier than you ever thought possible.

InstantLatvian will uncover a little known connection between Latvian and English. We then add a collection of Latvian language tools, tips and tricks that make it easy for you to speak Latvian. How easy? If you can read and speak English, you can speak Latvian. Its that simple. Hard to believe? Well prove it.

What is InstantLatvian?
The InstantLatvian Volume I consists of 110 Phrases carefully selected for two specific audiences. First, the traveler to Latvia who does not speak any Latvian. Second, the Anglo-Latvian who would like to learn more about his or her Latvian heritage and who currently speaks little or no Latvian. The introductory 14 phrases provided here at no charge are extracted from the full version for your evaluation. Here is the idea - if you are flying to Riga this summer or fall congratulations. If you dont speak Latvian, there is even better news.

Since most flights into Riga are at least 99 minutes in length, you can be speaking Latvian by the time you touch down in RIX (Riga International Airport).

How does InstantLatvian work?

The InstantLatvian System analyzes and decodes the sounds of Latvian and translates them into English. Some call this transliteration - to represent or spell in the characters of another alphabet Then these sounds are reassembled into a new language. Unsurprisingly, we call this new language Anglo-Latvian.

What is Anglo-Latvian?
Its a pseudo-language that combines words and word constructs in English that sound exactly like words in Latvian. Even if you dont speak a single word of Latvian, just by reading the phrase in English-based Anglo-Latvian whatever you want to say in Latvian, you are actually speaking saying in Latvian. Phonetically correct Latvian. Most courses in Latvian (of the few that exist) have good intentions. They really want to help you learn Latvian. You have probably seen these and might own one or two.
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They start off with a brief history of Latvia, as if we have never heard of this wonderful country. They then list the Latvian alphabet and suggest how to pronounce each letter. These pronunciation suggestions are at best limited. Some of these letters are not even in the English alphabet. Many have no English phonetic counterpart. Then it gets worse. There are diphthongs and digraphs. There is the tortuous grammar. Within a few pages the thought dawns Maybe they dont want me to learn this. Is it surprising that discouragement soon sets in? Has this happened to you or a loved one? It doesnt have to be this way. InstantLatvian takes you by the hand and leads you through over 100 Latvian phrases, words, numbers and measures. This way you gain confidence in your Latvian skills and are more apt to want to continue learning. Other InstantLatvian products will soon be released to help you enjoy Latvian culture and more advanced language learning. Inara, the Latvian-Latvian member of the InstantLatvian team can show you how to go far beyond the elementary, but necessary introduction of Volume I

As part of our Summer Song Festival Special you will receive 14 phrases, included in this downloadable eBook in this Acrobat PDF file. Even more helpful, each phrase is clearly spelled and pronounced for you in an online video as well as samples in downloadable iPod and compatible video formats.

What about the guarantee?

We want you to succeed. All you have to do is promise to read and pronounce the Anglo-Latvian phrases at least three times. Once you do that, find an Anglo-Latvian or a LatvianLatvian someone who speaks Latvian and repeat the phrases to him or her. Chances are they will understand your Latvian immediately. Cant find a Latvian? Contact InstantLatvian via Skype. Skype address: JanRisbergs or InstantLatvian Were there to help you. Read the phrases to us. If you feel you cant, we will quickly refund your entire purchase amount. That is our guarantee. Dont worry if you have a little bit of an accent of some sort. Although your pronunciation will be very close to proper phonetic Latvian, a native speaker can tell the difference.

That will not detract from your speaking Latvian. This might be the first time in your life you speak this wonderful language. Think about this, you will be one giant step ahead of Jos Carreras, one of the two surviving Three Tenors (the one that Seinfeld fans praise as the other guy). When Maestro Carreras sang at the standing room only Amber Concert Hall in Riga in June, he was able to speak Italian, Spanish and English. But not a single word of Latvian. If he only knew Phrase #7 Good evening, he could have passed as an Italo-Latvian. Sadly, that did not happen. You however, will soon be saying Good Evening and 13 other important phrases you can use daily. What are you waiting for? Lets get started with Phrase #1. This will be the easiest one of all.

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Phrase #1 Hello!
Here is the very first word you need to learn in Latvian.

Sveiks!
It means Hi, Hello. Its just like Aloha in Hawaiian. Or Ciao in Italian.

Svakes!
To pronounce it, picture the word Snakes. Now substitute a v for the n Then say Snakes with a V or Svakes! Youve just cracked the Latvian Language Code. Pretty easy, and you might think its trivial, but as you will soon see and hear, this concept is far from trivial. It is the key to InstantLatvian.

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The InstantLatvian language system enables you to read and pronounce any word in Latvian using English sounds. Yes - Any. Word. In. Latvian. These English sounds are based on either common and readily understood English words or composite sounds. By composite, I mean they sound like or are very similar to English words you know already. When you say these words out loud, you are actually speaking Latvian. Once you feel comfortable pronouncing these words, you will be able to have basic conversations in Latvians. There is much more to the Latvian language than this, of course, but gaining confidence in conversation is an important first step. Sadly, many of the classic Latvian language instruction courses omit this part feeling comfortable with the language. That is why IMHO (In my humble opinion) more and more Anglo-Latvians are being shut out from Latvian culture. I know this is not by design, but it is happening. And let me be clear, this is not a criticism, it is a lament. On the bright side, since you just pronounced Sveiks, you are well on your way to Speaking Latvian.

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In 99 minutes or less. Now here is a brief review of the typography used throughout the InstantLatvian system. Each of the four language components is clearly distinct visually. Regular English words will be written in

Black Verdana, without Bold

Anglo-Latvian words will be written in

Black Verdana BOLD

Regular Latvian words will be written in

Latvian Red BOLD

(You can create Latvian Red by setting your font to: red 161, green 40, blue 48) And finally, a typographic breakthrough for the Latvian language. InstantLatvian strives to make everything regarding our mother tongue easier to understand. After more than 400 years as a written language, Latvian now has a learning shortcut that English has had for awhile. Believe it or not, you wont find these in any Latvian dictionary, either online or classic paper format. Syllables.

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Eas-i-ly un-der-stand-able syl-la-bles. Of course they have always been there, but were never marked as such. InstantLatvian displays these proudly.

Lat-vi-an Red re-gu-lar with-out BOLD

The progression or march to understanding is:

Regular English
to

Anglo-Latvian
to

Sy-lab-ic Lat-vian
to

Real Latvian
We hope to enable you to go from Regular English to Real Latvian in record time and have fun while arriving at Confident Conversational Latvian. Please say Hello! or Sveiks! as it is spelled in Latvian, one more time.

Sveiks!

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And take a look at the language formula used throughout the InstantLatvian system. Here is the formula and the font: Svakes=sv+(sn)akes SnakeswithaV English words will be written with parentheses around the letter or letters that are not spoken. These are always silent in Anglo-Latvian. They are displayed so you can easily remember the regular English pronunciation. For every phrase there is a review section at the end.

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review:

(Anglo-Latvian is displayed with the Syllabic Latvian)

Svakes! Sveiks!
(Then the Anglo-Latvian by itself) Anglo-Latvian:

Svakes!
(Each phrase is then repeated in Syllabic and Real Latvian): Syllabic Latvian:

Sveiks!
Real Latvian:

Sveiks!

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Phrase #2 Where is the bathroom? Kuhhr ihhr tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh

Chances are, when you visit Latvia, sometime, someplace, you will have to use this phrase. You know, make a pit stop, go to the bathroom. After all of the InstantLatvian research was complete, dozens of Latvians completed their survey of what the most important phrases are, this always came in the top five. When beer drinking was involved, the importance was even higher. Youll be saying three words and the Regular English is: Where is (the) toilet? This is the phrase in Anglo-Latvian.

Kuhhr ihhr tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh

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You can probably pronounce these three words already. But wait! Further instruction will help you make these sound like Real Latvian. First of all, can you say Coors beer? Of Coors you can. Now leave off the Letter S so it will be like Coor (beer) The actual Latvian Formula, the secret code of the Latvian language is: kuhhr = k+[short]u+r All you have to do is take the Letter K Add a [short]u Now what is a [short]u you might ask. If you go to the Secret Latvian Decoder page, the Alphabet page, in the back of this eBook, and scan though the letters, youll see the Letter U described, pronounced and used in a number of ways. The sound is uhh the notation is [short]u, and common English words that use this [short]u sound include (p)u(t), (g)oo(d), (w)oo(l). The parentheses are intended to help block out pesky consonants and other letters that are unneeded in terms

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of the pronunciation. They will always be silent. So again, take the letter K, add the u in put, or oo in good or in wool and then add the Letter R. This creates the word kuhhr = k + [short]u + r kuhhr = k + (p)u(t) + r kuhhr = k + (g)oo(d) + r kuhhr = k + (w)oo(l) + r Now, at this point you might be saying Hey, this is easy could we, like, move on Im no dummy. Of course youre no dummy. Youre an Anglo-Latvian. Anglo-Latvians who are fluent in Latvian are even more adamant about how easy it is to pronounce these words. Well, its easy after the 1,000th time. Do you remember the first time you sat behind the wheel of a car? Remember how nervous and unsure you were then? Youre probably a great driver now, but if this is your first time driving the Latvian language, be patient. Please remember, I told you that you are guaranteed to speak Latvian. And you still have 90 or so minutes left. If you think this is going too slowly

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you are well on the way . Next is

ihhr
Which mean is Here is the formula:

ihhr
ihhr=[short]i+r irr(itate),irr(egular),irr(ational) The sound is the same as i in (t)i(p). Take the word (t)i(p) This has the [short]i Then add an r the sound of ihhr will be like the sound in irr(egular) So far you have

Kuhhr ihhr
Now for toilet. The word is somewhat similar in Latvian, but different enough for a closer examination.

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Here are the Anglo-Latvian sounds:

tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh tuhh
tuhh=t+[short]o to,to(day),to(night)

ahh

ahh=[short]a ahh,a(way),a(ttention)

lehh

lehh=l+[short]e, le(t),le(tter),orLe(tt)!

tehh

tehh=t+[short]e te(ll),te(n),te(lephone) Great. Youre making fantastic progress.

Where is the toilet? Kuhhr ihhr tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Kuhhr Kur ihhr ir tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh tu-a-le-te?

Anglo-Latvian:

Kuhhr ihhr tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh

Syllabic Latvian:

Kur ir tu-a-le-te?
Real Latvian:

Kur ir tualete?

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Phrase #3 Do you speak English? Vhy youss ruhh-naah-yahht ahhn-glihhs-kihh?

This is a short term phase you can use until you feel confident with your grasp of the Latvian language. It seems like everyone in Latvia is trying to learn English, however that learning is coming very slowly. Even younger people who study English in school are very shy about speaking English. In Riga at major hotels and elsewhere English is spoken. However, when you are in Latvia away from the big city crowd and around Native Latvians you will find that not everybody speaks English. IMHO, within 5 years this will probably not be the case. In my experience, almost everyone in Latvia wants to learn to speak English however few do so successfully.

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<Sensitive Latvian Warning!> In the 11 years and 15 trips since I first visited Latvia, there have only been three times when a Latvian has offered to speak English with me. Most Latvians are too shy to even try and speak English Which, as if more reasons were needed InstantLatvian should be part of your lingual arsenal. So this is great news for you another reason to speak Latvian. But in the meantime, if you encounter somebody who you can persuade to speak English this will establish you as a friendly foreigner and the kind hearted Latvians you meet will go all out in trying to help you.

Do you speak English? Vhy youss ruhh-naah-yahht ahhn-glihhs-kihh? Vhy

vhy=v+eye likewhywithaV

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youss
youss=y+[long]u+(hi)ss, you+ss,likemoosewithaY

ruhh-naah-yahht ruhh
ruhh=r+[short]u r+uhh,asinroo(k)

naah
naah=n+[long]a n+aah,n+a(rt),n+(M)a

yahht
yahht=y+[short]a+t y+ahht,yacht,yaht(zee)

ahhn-glihhs-kihh ahhn
ahhn=[short]a+n ahh+n,on,on(ward),An(warSadat)

glihhs
glihhs=gl+[short]i+(hi)ss gl+iss,asinglis(ten)

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kihh
kihh=k+[short]i k+ihh,asinki(tten)

Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Vhy Vai youss Js ruhh-naah-yahht runjat ahhn-glihhs-kihh? angliski?
Anglo-Latvian:

Vhy youss ruhh-naah-yahht ahhn-glihhs-kihh?

Syllabic Latvian:

Vai Js ru-n-jat an-glis-ki?

Real Latvian:

Vai Js runjat angliski?

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Phrase #4 I do not speak Latvian Ess nehh-ruhh-naah-yuhh lahht-vihhs-kihh

This is a phrase you will soon no longer need! When you encounter a Latvian now, you can say this. Latvians are generally very helpful to foreigners especially to visitors and tourists and will do their best to help you. If you encounter somebody who you cant persuade to speak English as in Phrase #3, - where you ask if they speak English, this will establish you as a friendly foreigner and the kind hearted Latvians you encounter will go all out in trying to help you. They will probably be surprised by the quality of your Latvian and will even tell you so. If you encounter somebody who you cant persuade to speak English as in Phrase #3, this phrase will establish you as a friendly foreigner and the kind hearted Latvians you encounter will go all out in trying to help you.

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Ess
Here you identify yourself as I. The word is ess and the formula is: ess=[short]e+s es(cape),es(say),theletterS Just say the letter S! It is exactly the same.

nehh-ruhh-naah-yuhh
Here you are saying you do not speak (something).

nehh
nehh=n+[short]e ne(t),ne(ver),Ne(vada)

ruhh
ruhh=r+[short]u roo(k),ru(t),ru(n)

naah
naahn+[long]a no(ggin),no(gging),(egg)no(g)

yuhh
yuhh=y+[short]u yu(cca),yu(ck),yu(mmy)

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Put them together as

nehh + ruhh + naah +yuhh

and finally, Latvian, as in I dont speak Latvian

lahht-vihhs-kihh lahht
lahht=l+[short]o+t lot,lot(tery),lot(to)

vihhs
vihhs=v+[short]i+(hi)ss v+(h)iss,vis(cous),vis(ceral)

kihh
kihh=k+[short]i ki(tten),ki(tchen),Ki(pling)

So, after a few practice runs, what starts as

I do not speak Latvian

Makes the following, soon-to-be-familiar four step process:

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Ess Es nehh-ruhh-naah-yuhh ne-ru-n-ju lahht-vihhs-kihh lat-vis-ki

Anglo-Latvian:

Ess nehh-ruhh-naah-yuhh lahht-vihhs-kihh

Syllabic Latvian:

Es ne-ru-n-ju lat-vis-ki
Real Latvian:

Es nerunju latviski

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Phrase #5 Good morning Lahhb-rhiit

<Latvian Humor Alert!> In Latvia, there are strict Time Laws that govern the saying of daily greetings. Take Good Morning for example. This is allowed up until 10am. If you say good morning after 10am you are politely reprimanded with a polite but forceful Good Day. (Phrase #6). In places like Customs or Passport Control, this is very important. Following these Time Laws will make your life in Latvia a lot easier. A Lat easier. Also, you are only allowed one Good Morning per person. You will be reminded if you have exceeded your quota. Please dont take it personally, its required by Latvian Time Laws.

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On the other hand, in Latvian family situations, if you forget to use this phrase, you might be reminded with a gentle Did you leave your Good Morning outside the door?

Good Morning lahhb-rhiit lahhb

lahhb=l+[short]a+b lob(by),lob(ster),lob(theball) Take an L and add a [short]a as in a(way), also as in (b)u(t) yes this is a u but that is what the [short]a sounds like. Then add a b and you have the sound of lob as in lob(ster) or lob (the ball)

rhiit
rhiit=r+[long]i+t Rit(a),Ri(ga)+t,re(bate)+t The r+[long]i is the sound in Ri(ga) or Ri(ta) Take an R and add the ee sound in (f)eet, (thr)ee Then add a T Or take the word ree(d)and add a T

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InstantLatvian pronunciation spelling explanation. The reason rhiit is spelled with an h is that the Anglo eye will see riit and tend to see right and this of course, is not the right pronunciation. Once again, please check your watch, because at 10:05am you will not be allowed to use this greeting in Latvia. Not without shame that is.

Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Lahhb-rhiit Lab-rt

Anglo-Latvian:

lahhb-rhiit
Syllabic Latvian:

Lab-rt!
Real Latvian:

Labrt!

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Phrase #6 Good day Lahhb-deahn

This is the Time Law phrase you will use most often You are allowed to use this from just after 10am and until just before 5pm. This is the first phrase you will encounter that has a diphthong. Wikipedia defines a diphthong (also called a gliding vowel) as a contour vowelthat is, a unitary vowel that changes quality during its pronunciation, or "glides", with a smooth movement of the tongue from one articulation to another. Wasnt that helpful? Your Anglo-Latvian Pronunciation guide in the back pages of InstantLatvian provides a helpful addition to your Latvian Language tool box. Without this guide, the definition of diphthong could be: A diphthong is a common sound in Latvian that you will never be able to figure out in English unless youre lucky. Here is a shortcut to getting lucky with diphthongs.

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There are 5 common diphthongs the one you are interested in now is the ie diphthong. If you see the word labdien and are not a fluent speaker of Latvian or a graduate of InstantLatvian you might think the pronunciation is something like labe-dyin, rhymes with Gabe and is a dyin. This is incorrect. That is why the InstantLatvian spelling is lahhb-deahn deahn uses the ea sound in dear or ee in deer. Say the word dea(r) and leave off the r and add n This is how day changes to deahn and then to dien.

Good Day (Hello during the day) Lahhb-deahn Lahhb

lahhb=l+[short]a+b lob(ster),lob(by),lob(theball)

deahn
deahn=dea(r)+n dee(r)+n,d+ea(r)+n

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Lahhb-deahn Lab-dien

Anglo-Latvian:

Lahhb-deahn
Syllabic Latvian:

Lab-dien!
Real Latvian:

Labdien!

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Phrase #7 Good evening Lahhb-vahh-kahhr

The Latvian Time Laws specify that Good Evening must start at 5pm. You can use it up until 10pm. In addition to this eBook version, with written explanations, you will also receive the multimedia version with complete pronunciation. These include separate pronunciation levels. These levels start at the Anglo level, with no Latvian whatsoever. They progress through more and more capabilities in Latvian and end with the actual Real Latvian pronunciation by Inra. Inra, the Real Latvian, or Latvian-Latvian. Now for the phrase to use starting at 5pm.

Good Evening

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Lahhb-vahh-kahhr Lahhb

lahhb=l+[short]a+b lob(by),lob(ster),lob(theball)

vahh

vahh=v+[short]a vu(lcan),vu(lgar),vu(lture)

kahhr

kahhr=k+[short]a+r Car(tier),(bac)car(at)

Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Lahhb-vahh-kahhr Labvakar

Anglo-Latvian:

Lahhb-vahh-kahhr
Syllabic Latvian:

Lab-va-kar!
Real Latvian:

Labvakar!
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Phrase #8 Please Luu-dsuhh

This is one of the Magic Words in Latvian or any other language. Therefore its imperative you learn this. There is a new consonant you will have to master but this will be easy with the InstantLatvian trick youre about to learn. Luu-dsuh. The Luu part is easy we have Lous and even Louis in English. The English-Latvians are probably familiar with loo from Phrase #2 (Where is the bathroom). Its the dsuhh part that is difficult. The dz combination is called a digraph. Wikipedia defines a digraph as a pair of characters used to write one phoneme (distinct sound) or a sequence of phonemes that does not correspond to the normal values of the two characters combined. Thanks again Wikipedia! You can go to the Alphabet page but let me save you a trip.
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You need to create a sound or mimic a sound that you are familiar with in English The sound is contained in the word buds or rather the last 2 letters which we will write as (bu)ds. Say that a few times. Then imagine leaving the bu out. What remains is the ds sound that will start the second half of luu-dsuhh. Take that (bu)ds sound and add a [short]u just like the uhh sound in (p)u(t) or (w)oo(l). So say luu + (bu)ds+ (p)u(t) Or luu + (su)ds + (w)oo(l) Now, say this ten or 15 times. If youre doing this out loud in your plane seat, within earshot of a friendly Latvian, theyll probably ask Oh, do you speak Latvian? Just smile for now. Soon youll be able to confidently answer Yes.

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Please Luu-dsuhh Luu

luu=l+[long]u Lou,Lu(cy),Lu(ke),loo

dsuhh
dsuhh=(bu)ds+[short]u (bu)ds+(t)o,(su)ds+uh

Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Luu-dsuhh L-dzu

Anglo-Latvian:

Luu-dsuhh
Syllabic Latvian:

L-dzu
Real Latvian:

Ldzu

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Phrase #9 Thank you Pahhl-deahs

Magic Word #2 Thank You. The pahhl part is specifically designed for the English speaking, English reading and English thinking person. Please review Phrase #6 lahhb-deahn. This is Anglo-Latvian for labdien or good day. The word labdien could be mispronounced as lab-dyin or labe-dyin. Latvian is not as simple as many Latvians think it is. The same goes for the Latvian word for Thank you, paldies or pal-dies which can make the Anglo-Latvian think of pal and dize or dies. And this is not the correct pronunciation. Youre saying thank you, not bereaving a dead pal. The sound is pol as in (pol)itician, and the formula is p + [short]a + l or p + ahh + l

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And yes, another diphthong so lets get to work on that. The deahs part comes from a constructed word. The ie in dies sounds like the ea in (d)ea(r) or ea(r) So the formula for deahs is dea(r) + (hi)ss deahs = dea(r)+(hi)ss Think dea(r) without the r and add the ss sound in (hi)ss. So the entire word paldies Is pronounced p + ahh + l + dea(r) +(hi)ss

Thank you pahhl-deahs pahhl

pahhl=p+[short]a+l pol(icy),pol(len),pol(itician)

deahs

deahs=dea(r)+(hi)ss dee(r)+(hi)ss,d+ea(r)+(hi)ss

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Pahhl-deahs Pal-dies

Anglo-Latvian:

pahhl-deahs
Syllabic Latvian:

Pal-dies
Real Latvian:

Paldies

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Phrase #10 Youre welcome Lype-nihh luu-dsuhh

The phrase for Youre welcome uses the luu-dsuhh phrase that you learned in Phrase #8. Please review how you pronounced Phrase #8. That will make saying this phrase easier. And the first word lype-nihh uses a rhyme to make it easier to remember Lype rhymes with Skype. Skype is the free (and for some calls, almost free) Internet service that allows Latvians all around the word to communicate via text, voice and webcam. Soon the InstantLatvian eCourse will be available via Skype and other free conferencing systems. This will make it easier to master these lessons and at the same time communicate with other Anglo-Latvians and Latvian-Latvians. There will be more information about the term Latvian-Latvian later.
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This is a brand new term that is becoming popular along with the Anglo-Latvian term you are now very familiar with. And one of whom you are.

Youre welcome lype-nihh luu-dsuhh lype-nihh lype

lype=lye+p type,hype,gripe,SkypewithanL

nihh
nihh=n+[short]i ni(ck),ni(l),ni(x)

luu-dsuhh luu
luu=l+[long]u Lou,Lu(cy),Lu(ke),loo

dsuhh
dsuhh=(bu)ds+[short]u (bu)ds+(t)o,(su)ds+uh

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Lype-nihh Laip-ni luu-dsuhh l-dzu

Anglo-Latvian:

lype-nihh luu-dsuhh
Syllabic Latvian:

Laip-ni l-dzu
Real Latvian:

Laipni ldzu

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Phrase #11 I am sorry Ess ahht-vhy-nohh-yohhs

Sooner or later, you will need this phrase so it is good to be ready to use it. There are rumors in the Anglo-Latvian world than men need to use this term more than women <Reverse sexist humor alert!> If you ask most men, they, okay, we, will not understand. If you ask most women, particularly Inra, she claims she rarely hears this term in Latvia. From men. The Ess you learned in Phrase #4 - I dont speak Latvian. The am sorry word is built in 4 parts.

I am sorry

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Ess ahht-vhy-nohh-yohhs Ess

ess=[short]e+s es(say),es(cape),theletterS

ahht-vhy-nohh-yohhs ahht
ahht=[short]a+t ot(ter),Ot(to),Ot(tawa)

vhy
vhy=v+eye vi(ce),vi(ceroy),likewhywithaV

nohh
nohh=n+[short]o n+awe,nau(tical),(g)naw

yohhs
yohhs=y+[short]o+(hi)ss yaw+(hi)ss,y+(b)oss rhymeswithsauce

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Ess Es ahht-vhy-nohh-yohhs at-vai-no-jos

Anglo-Latvian:

Ess ahht-vhy-nohh-yohhs
Syllabic Latvian:

Es at-vai-no-jos
Real Latvian:

Es atvainojos

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Phrase #12 I do not understand Ess nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh

This will be a phrase that you will use a lot when you start speaking Latvian. With practice and regular use of InstantLatvian, you will soon start using it less and less. You will find that native Latvians speak a lot faster than education Latvians - those you meet in Latvian school. There is a story of fast talking Renate from Liepaja that I will share in the full version of InstantLatvian. This story, and its symbolism demonstrate how far you can go in learning Latvian in a short period of time. Even though you can pronounce the words, it will take some repetition for you to understand what someone else is saying. Then all it takes is to say something back to them. You already know Ess from previous Phrases.

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I do not understand Ess nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh Ess

ess=[short]e+s es(say),es(cape),theletterS

nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh nehh

nehh=n+[short]e ne(t),ne(ver),Ne(vada)

sahh

sahh=s+[short]a su(ppose),su(pport),su(ffer)

prohh

prohh=pr+[short]o p+raw,pr+awe,praw(n)

tuhh

tuhh=t+[short]o to,to(day),to(night)

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Ess Es nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh ne-sa-pro-tu

Anglo-Latvian:

Ess nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh
Syllabic Latvian:

Es ne-sa-pro-tu
Real Latvian:

Es nesaprotu

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Phrase #13 Please, speak slower Luu-dsuhh ruhh-naah-yeaht leeh-naak

This is a phrase you will probably use quite frequently when you are listening to a native Latvian speaker. There is an educational speed typically slower. There is a normal conversation speed typically faster. The same is true in English, but we typically dont think about this we just keep speaking fast. This phrase is one of several Conversation category phrases in the full InstantLatvian package. You can use it to try to get the speaker to slow down. As your facility with Latvian increases, you will discover you listen faster and this is a major aim of each level of the InstantLatvian program. This is a first step toward demonstrating that you can speak Latvian, without years of study. You can start feeling confident speaking Latvian did I mention the 99 minutes?

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Latvian, being a polite language, uses the Luu-dsuhh word to start this phrase. Im sure by now a polite person like you will be very familiar with it and its pronunciation.

Please, speak slower Luu-dsuhh ruhh-naah-yeaht leeh-naak Luu-dsuhh Luu

luu=l+[long]u Lou,Lu(cy),Lu(ke),loo

dsuhh
dsuhh=(bu)ds+[short]u (bu)ds+(t)o,(su)ds+uh

ruhh-naah-yeaht ruhh
ruhh=r+[short]u roo(k),ru(t),ru(n)

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naah
naah=n+[long]a no(ggin),(egg)no(g),n+(M)a

yeaht
yeaht=yea(r)+t yie(ld)+t,y+ea(r)+t

leeh-naak leeh
leeh=l+[long]e l+(b)e(ar),l+(ch)ai(r)

naak
naak=n+[long]a+k knock,no(g)+k,n+(M)a+k

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Luu-dsuhh, L-dzu, ruhh-naah-yeaht ru-n-jiet leeh-naak l-nk
Anglo-Latvian:

Luu-dsuhh ruhh-naah-yeaht leeh-naak

Syllabic Latvian:

L-dzu, ru-n-jiet l-nk

Real Latvian:

Ldzu, runjiet lnk

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Phrase #14 Could you please help me? Vhy vahh-rahht mahhn pahh-liih-dseet?
Wherever you are, whatever language you speak, who hasnt had to use this phrase? Its one thing when you need help in your own country, its another thing when you are in a strange land. For the time being Latvia will seem like a strange country to the Anglo-Latvian. And Latvian will seem like a strange language. There are several familiar words and syllables here and the formulas for the rest are as follows: Stop a Latvian on the street, say this phrase and you should get instant attention, with a hopefully helpful suggestion and receive a useful solution from them.

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Could you please help me? Vhy vahh-rahht mahhn pahh-liih-dseet? Vhy
vhy=v+eye vi(ce),vi(ceroy),likewhywithaV

vahh-rahht vahh
vahh=v+[short]a vu(lcan),vu(lgar),vu(lture)

rahht
rahht=r+[short]a+t rut,Rut(ledge),muttwithanR

mahhn
mahhn=m+[short]a+n mon(k),mon(ey),Mon(day)

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pahh-liih-dseet pahh
pahh=p+[short]a pa(rade),pa(trol),pa(role)

liih
liih=l+[long]i Lee,lea,lea(p),lea(n)

dseet
dseet=(bu)ds+[long]e+t (bu)ds+(b)e(ar)+t,(su)ds+(ch)ai(r)+t

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Final Anglo / Latvian Review: Vhy Vai vahh-rahht va-rat mahhn man pahh-liih-dseet? pa-l-dzt?
Anglo-Latvian:

Vhy vahh-rahht mahhn pahh-liih-dseet?

Syllabic Latvian:

Vai va-rat man pa-l-dzt?

Real Latvian:

Vai varat man paldzt?

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All 14 phrases in English, Latvian and Anglo-Latvian:

#1 Hello Sveiks! Svakes! #2 Where is the toilet? Kur ir tualete? Kuhr ihr tuhh-ahh-lehh-tehh #3 Do you speak English? Vai Js runjat angliski? Vhy youss ruhh-naah-yahht ahn-gliss-kihh? #4 I dont speak Latvian Es nerunju latviski Ess nehh-ruhh-naah-yuhh laht-viss-kihh
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#5 Good morning Labrt! Lahb-rhiit #6 Good day Labdien! Lahb-deahn #7 Good evening Labvakar! Lahb-vahh-kahr #8 Please Ldzu Luu-dsuh #9 Thank you Paldies Pahl-deahs

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#10 Youre welcome Laipni ldzu Lype-nihh luu-dsuh #11 I am sorry Es atvainojos Ess aht-vhy-nohh-yohss #12 I dont understand Es nesaprotu Ess nehh-sahh-prohh-tuhh #13 Please, speak slower Ldzu, runjiet lnk Luu-dsuh ruhh-naah-yeaht leeh-naak

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#14 Could you please help me? Vai varat man paldzt? Vhy vahh-raht mahn pahh-liih-dseet?

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All 110 InstantLatvian Phrases in 14 Categories

(01) Basic greeting phrases #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 Hello * Good morning * Good day * Good evening * Good night Good bye

(02) Courtesy phrases #7 Please * #8 Yes #9 No #10 Thank you * #11 Youre welcome * #12 Good #13 I am sorry * (03) Basic conversation phrases #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 Probably Yeah, sure Almost okay Its not that bad You could probably say that Candidly, the truth is I do not understand * I do not know I dont speak Latvian * Do you speak English? * Please, speak slower * Please, repeat that Excuse me Thats okay What did you say?

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(04) The first essential questions upon arriving in Latvia #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 Could you please help me? * Where is the toilet? * I am lost Where is the town center? Where is the bus stop? Where is the ATM? Where can I exchange money? Can I reserve a ticket to the opera?

(05) Transportation & Directions #37 #38 #39 #41 Please show on the map where I am * How far is the town center? Is it too far to walk? Please take me to the hotel

(06) Shopping #42 #43 #44 #45 Do you have something to drink? * Where can I buy groceries? How much does the bread cost? How much does the beer cost

(07) Accommodation #46 #47 #48 #49 Do you have a vacancy? * How much does this room cost per night How much do I owe you? Do you accept credit cards? *

(08) Restaurants & Dining #51 Where is the nearest cafe? * #52 Please bring me a menu #53 Please bring me my check

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(09) Visiting #54 #55 #56 #57 #58 #59 #60 #61 #62 #63 How is it going? Good, thank you - and you? I am here on vacation I will be a bit late for our appointment. Please excuse me. * One moment, please Please speak louder What is your telephone number? What is your e-mail address? It was a pleasure meeting you It was a pleasure seeing you

(10) Weather #64 #65 #66 #67 #68 #69 #70 #71 How is the weather today? I wish you a happy rest I lost my passport I would like to go to the opera Have a nice day I wish you success Leave me alone! Go away!

(11) Health #72 #73 #74 #75 #76 #77 #78 #79 #80 #81 I dont feel well I feel sick I have a cold I need medicine for my headache I need a doctor Please call a doctor * I fell and hurt my hand Please call an ambulance I feel better Where is the nearest dentist, I have a toothache? *

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(12) Time #82 #83 #84 #85 #86 What time is it? It is midnight It is twelve noon Its 8 in the morning Its 9 at night

(13) Numbers #87 zero #88 one #89 two #90 three #91 four #92 five #93 six #94 seven #95 eight #96 nine #97 ten #98 eleven #99 fifteen #100 fifty #101 eighty one #102 one hundred #103 one thousand (14) Measures #104 #105 #106 #107 #108 #109 #110 One centimeter One meter One kilometer One kilogram One liter One hectare Zero degrees Celsius

* = Included in Complimentary Sample Package

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A little about me.

It would be less complicated to say I have two names. One is Jnis Rsbergs. The other is Jan Risbergs, Jr. It would be more honest to say I am two people. At once I am a Latvian and at the same time, an American. An American-Latvian. Growing up in America, when we werent calling ourselves Latvians we called ourselves Latvian-Americans. On October 24th in 1952, in Port Washington, New York a unique event occurred. I became an American. I was the first born of two Latvian parents from two small towns, Mati and Mazsalaca, near Valmiera in Northern Vidzeme. Birth made me the first American citizen of our family and we moved to Babylon, Long Island (Lon-Giland) New York when I was 6 months old. I attended Latvian school on Saturdays for eight years then Latvian high school on Friday evenings for three years. I was a pretty good student. My Mom was the Principal, I had little choice.

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During summers my brothers and I attended Latvian Church Camp in the Catskill Mountains. Candidly, I have to admit, while growing up I never was into being Latvian being Latvian was weird. I apologize for saying that, but it was true. So developing InstantLatvian has come in a rather roundabout way. While growing up in America during the 50s, 60s, 70 and 80s, I never thought Latvia would be a free and independent country ever - in my lifetime. As you know, that changed on May 4th, 1990. I first visited Latvia in August 1996. Two observations #1 - I discovered my Latvian language skills were poorer than I thought. I thought this is a different Latvian language than the one I was taught. #2 Somebody, actually a lot of people, had lied to me about Latvia. This was a more wonderful, beautiful, intriguing, etc., place than I ever believed or dreamed. This was not my parents Latvia. I fell in love with Latvia instantly.

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I have visited 15 times, repatriated for a year in 2003-2004, have maintained dual citizenship since 1995 and voted in two elections. Not only do I love Latvia, I love a Latvian. Inra. Youll see and hear her on the videos. In our nine years together we have never spoken a word of English. (Well, maybe 11 words tops) My Latvian language skills have improved considerably because of her. InstantLatvian is my way of sharing what I learned. I have noticed that the Latvian language skills of American-Latvians have deteriorated, many do not speak Latvian at all and many children no longer attend the Latvian schools that I had no choice to attend. This is not a criticism, it is an observation. When a Latvian marries a Non-Latvian and a second generation spawns it is surprising that these kids speak any Latvian. At the same time, in Internet forums such as those in LatviansOnline and Facebook I read how many Anglo-Latvian teenagers and youths of all ages lament that they were never required to learn the language as I was.

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For many reasons I am happy this was a requirement for me. InstantLatvian gives anyone who wants a painless and easy way to speak Latvian that opportunity. This is not a complete course on learning Latvian. As mentioned in the Introduction, there are other such courses available. And they all mean well. I own most of them. I feel you have to be incredibly dedicated to learn the Latvian language using them. See, there is a Secret and it relates to InstantLatvian in this way: When you can pronounce the words of the language, even if you dont understand what the words mean, even if you dont understand the grammar that binds these words and ideas together, you gain the confidence to continue. To continue learning all of the rest all the words and the grammar. And you communicate. This is what InstantLatvian is all about. Communication. Anglo to Latvian. If you want to Speak Latvian, I have some great news. In less than 2 hours you will. You wont have to learn to Speak Latvian, you will be speaking Latvian.

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InstantLatvian Phonetic Translator

Latvian Letters A a B b C c D d Dz dz D d E e F f G g H h I i J j K k L l M m N n O o P R S T U V Z

p r s t u v z

English Transliteration ahh aah b ts ch d ds dsh ehh eeh f g gh h ihh iih y k kh l lj m n nh 1) ohh 2) letter O p r s sh t uhh uuh (ooh) v z zh

Anglo-Latvian Phonetic Formula for Latvian sounds [short]a, a(way), (b)u(t) [long]a, a(rt), (M)a b(utter), b(ig) (ca)ts, (ha)ts, (ba)ts ch(urch), ch(ild) d(ay), d(inner) (bu)ds, (su)ds digraph j(ob), j(ug), j(ump) - digraph [short]e, e(gg), e(nergy) [long]e, a(ir), (b)e(ar), (ch)a(ir) f(un), f(ind) g(ood), g(ive) g(uitar), g(itmo), g(imp) h(ello), h(alf) [short]i, i(n), i(t), I(panema) [long]i, e(longate), (thr)ee, y(ou), y(et), y(am), y(in) k(itten), k(ing) c(atch), k(etchup) l(amp), l(ook) (mi)ll(ion), (bu)ll(ion) m(an), m(ilk) n(ight), n(o), n(ew) (o)n(ion), (u)n(ion) 1) [short]o, (r)o(b), (w)a(llet) 2) [long]o, o(de) , O(pie) p(en), p(an), p(in) r(un), r(an), r(ot) s(and), s(even), s(it) s(ugar), sh(oe), s(ure) t(all), t(eam), t(om), t(im) [short]u, (p)u(t), (w)oo(l) [long]u, (f)oo(l), (f)oo(d) v(ote), v(ine) z(ero), Z(orro) (plea)s(ure), (lei)s(ure)

Latvian words with sounds gal-va m-sa br-lis ci-ti e-tri die-na dzert dun-gi es st, tvs fo-to galds i-me-ne hu-mors il-gi -si jums ka-fi-ja em-me, ka-is labs o-ti, au-dis m-te nakts emt 1) o-la, logs 2) fo-to, o-pe-ra put-ni ro-ka so-ma eit, is ta-gad u-pe -dens vi-si z-ni ur-ka

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InstantLatvian Phonetic Translator Diphthongs

ai au ei ui ie

Diphthongs Anglo-Latvian Phonetic English Transliteration Formula - Latvian sounds eye, (l)ie, (f)i(ne), (l)i(ke) eye Letter I in English (h)ow, ou(r), (s)ou(nd), auh ou(ch) a(typical), pr(ey), ai(mless) A Letter A in English (b)uo(y), m(uy) Spanish uyh ea(r), (d)ea(r), (p)ie(r) eah

Latvian words with these sounds maize, bailes, laime, maija jauks, tauta, augsts, auksts, draugs meita, Eiropa, kleita puika, muita sniegs, iet, iela, ieeja, liepa, latvieu valoda

Heres more linguistic information than you probably want to know: A phoneme is the smallest contrastive unit in the sound system of a language. A diphthong is a gliding monosyllabic speech sound (as the vowel combination at the end of toy) that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position of another Wikipedia: A diphthong (also gliding vowel) is a contour vowel that is, a unitary vowel that changes quality during its pronunciation, or "glides", with a smooth movement of the tongue from one articulation to another, Two letter combinations dz and d are used to indicate single sounds. They are called digraphs. Digraph - A digraph, bigraph or digram is a pair of characters used to write one phoneme (distinct sound) or a sequence of phonemes that does not correspond to the normal values of the two characters combined.

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The sound is often, but not necessarily, one which cannot be expressed using a single character in the orthography used by the language. Usually, the term "digraph" is reserved for graphemes whose pronunciation is always or nearly always the same.

Imagine.
You didnt know any of that 99 minutes ago. And now you are Speaking Latvian.

Congratulations.
(Please click the image below to view All 14 Videos)

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