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Beginner reading · A0

Additional consonants and front vowels

Classify ซ and ถ, then read เ and แ written before their consonant.

20 min reading-foundations
Objectives

Some Thai vowels are written before the initial consonant but pronounced after it. Add the low-class consonant ซ and high-class ถ while practising เ /ee/ and แ /ɛɛ/.

  • readingClassify ซ as low and ถ as high class
  • readingRecognise เ and แ before the consonant they follow in speech
  • vocabularyRead eight words with the new patterns
Characters

Characters

ซ s sɔɔ sôo
ถ th thɔ̌ɔ thǔŋ
เ◌ ee
แ◌ ɛɛ
Study cards

Study cards

ถัง thǎŋ 20 litres/unit
ซอย sɔɔy lane
ถาม thǎam ask
ซัก sák wash
แบน bɛɛn flat
เจน ceen skilled
แขก khɛ̀ɛk guest
แพง phɛɛŋ expensive

Source note

Migrated from the verified lesson 10 source and its archived worksheet. No local recorded audio was found. The source glosses and romanisation, tone, cultural context and source rights remain flagged for specialist review.
Exercises

Exercises

01

Which classification is correct?

  • ซ low · ถ high
  • ซ high · ถ low
  • Both middle
Show answer

Correct answer: ซ low · ถ high

ซ is low class and ถ is high class.

02

Where is แ written in แพง?

  • Before พ
  • After พ
  • Above พ
Show answer

Correct answer: Before พ

แ is written before พ even though its vowel is pronounced after the initial consonant.

03

Which word means ‘expensive’?

  • แพง
  • แบน
  • แขก
Show answer

Correct answer: แพง

แพง is read /phɛɛŋ/ and means expensive.