LESSON 5: ‘Н’ & ‘Л’

22 Jan 2025

The consonants ‘н’ and ‘л’ sound almost like the English letters ‘n’ and ‘l’ in the words ‘note’ and ‘love’. But, their pronunciation is a bit different.

When you articulate the Russian letters ‘н’ and ‘л’, the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth.

As for their English counterparts, the tongue is a bit further back. It touches the teeth ridge – the bumpy area behind the upper front teeth.

Listen to the audio and repeat:

Here are some tips for practicing pronouncing the Russian letter ‘л’, as its pronunciation is particularly difficult:

Start pronouncing the English letter ‘l’: l, l, l… Then you slowly move your tongue forward, until you touch the back of your upper teeth. Unlike the English letter ‘l’, which sometimes involves curling the tongue back, the Russian letter ‘л’ keeps the tongue flat and the tip just touching the teeth. Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and bite it slightly. Try to pronounce ‘л’ with the tongue in this position.