How can I know when the word is written with A or with O? How to distinguish them?

Asked by Veronika on March 6, 2018

Question

Hi. I'm studying Russian on my own, it's difficult but I'll get it. One of my many questions is how can I know when the word is written with A or with O? How to distinguish them? Thank you in advance.

Answer

Hi Veronika! In Russian, all the unstressed Os are read as As. If an O is stressed it is read as an O. A stressed A is also read as an A. You have to check all words that contain Os in the dictionary to be able to spell and pronounce them correctly.

For example, the noun "корова" (cow) is read as karova because the first o is not stressed.

Do you have questions yourself? Ask us and we will be happy to help you!

Ask your question