Zaban
Chapter 3 of 16 · Explore the Romanian path

The script · Chapter 3 of 16

Read eight real words from a small sound guide

Use one short guide to say wolf, house, fox, tree, wood, bird, rabbit and mouse out loud. These eight words come back in both stories at the end.

≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter
  • The guide below is small on purpose: it is built around these eight words.
  • Each hint supplies the one thing the spelling does not show — guided reading, not a test from nothing.
  • These eight words come back through the rest of the path.

A small sound guide

This guide covers only what English spelling does not give you. Every row is here because one of the eight words below needs it.

On the pageSound to try
a e i o uah, eh, ee, oh, oo — a final vowel is said too
ăuh, the a ending sofa
â · îih, one tight vowel, two spellings
șsh
țts
c and g before a, o, uk and g, as in cat and go
c and g before e, ithe ch of church and the j of jam
oawah, one sound, as in wander
ea · ieyah · yeh
rtapped once behind the top teeth
hbreathed — silent only inside ch and gh

Everything else behaves as an English reader expects. Work left to right and say the last letter.

Eight words for the first story

Use the guide and the hint. Say the whole word aloud, then reveal.

  1. lup

    One piece, and the u is oo.

    Show answer +
    luploop“wolf”
  2. casă

    Lean on the first piece; the ă is the relaxed uh.

    Show answer +
    casăKAH-suh“house”
  3. vulpe

    Both pieces are said; lean on the first.

    Show answer +
    vulpeVOOL-peh“fox”
  4. copac

    Ends in a consonant, so lean on the last piece.

    Show answer +
    copackoh-PAHK“tree”
  5. pădure

    Ends in -e, so lean on the piece before it.

    Show answer +
    pădurepuh-DOO-reh“wood”
  6. pasăre

    Leans further back than you would guess: PAH-suh-reh.

    Show answer +
    pasărePAH-suh-reh“bird”
  7. iepure

    ie is “yeh”, and it also leans further back.

    Show answer +
    iepureYEH-poo-reh“rabbit”
  8. șoarece

    ș is sh, oa is wah, and ce is “cheh”.

    Show answer +
    șoareceSHWAH-reh-cheh“mouse”
Come back to these chapters whenever you need them.All Romanian chapters ↗