بَ ba: short بَا baa: long Short sound, long sound
A fatha says a short a. Put an alif after it and the sound gets long. بَ says ba. بَا says baa. Hold the sound a little longer.
بُ bu: short بُو buu: long نُور nuur: light Waw makes a long u
A damma with a waw after it says a long u. بُ says bu. بُو says buu, like in boot. Nuur means light.
بِ bi: short بِي bii: long fiil Ya makes a long i
A kasra with a ya after it says a long i. بِ says bi. بِي says bii, like in bee. Fiil means elephant.
بَا fatha + alif بُو damma + waw بِي kasra + ya Three helper letters
Alif, waw and ya are the long vowel helpers. Each one stretches the mark before it. Fatha goes with alif. Damma goes with waw. Kasra goes with ya.
نَار naar: fire نُور nuur: light فِيل fiil: elephant Read and stretch
Read these words slowly and stretch the long sound. Naar means fire. Nuur means light. Fiil means elephant.
For parents
Goal: Your child learns that alif, waw and ya stretch a short vowel into a long one.
- We write a long sound with two letters, like baa or nuur, so your child knows to hold it.
- Say a short and a long sound side by side: ba, baa. Bu, buu. Bi, bii. Ask which one is longer.
- Ask: which helper letter comes after the fatha? After the damma? After the kasra?
Away from the screen: Stretch a rubber band or a piece of string while your child says a long vowel, like baaa. Let it go short for ba. Take turns.