When л is followed by the soft-sign (-ль) then a slight 'y' sound is sometimes added to the L sound. Remember, this extra 'y' sound is only very slight and blends seamlessly with the L.
Some -ль words have a very subtle 'y' sound added (e.g. Кремль) so use the audio below as a guide. To master this subtle pronunciation, listen to the slow recording and say the last part of the word first '-мль'. Then add the syllable Кре- to form the whole word Кремль. It is very good practice to start with the last syllable when learning new words.
It is important to have the tongue in the same position as the -ть sound, with the tip of the tongue touching the base of the bottom front teeth and the middle of the tongue doing the work pronouncing the L.
The Kremlin - [nonsense word]
Кремль - Кремл
Pronounced:
krEh-ml' - kreh-ml
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Pain - [nonsense word]
боль - бол
Pronounced:
bol' - bol
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Zero - [nonsense word]
ноль - нол
Pronounced:
nol' - nol
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
How many - [nonsense word]
сколько - сколко
Pronounced:
skOl'-ka - skol-ka
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Briefcase - [nonsense word]
портфель - портфел
Pronounced:
part-fYEl' - part-fyel
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Coat - [nonsense word]
пальто - палто
Pronounced:
pal'-tO - pal-to
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Salt - [nonsense word]
соль - сол
Pronounced:
sol' - sol
Listen:
(Lena)
Listen:
(Lena)
Stressed?
We probably don't need to remind you again ... when the Russian letter 'o' appears in a word, but is not stressed, then it is pronounced as a Russian 'a'.
If the 'o' is stressed (the syllable which is emphasised), then it is pronounced normally as a Russian 'o'.
