The Bengali Sound System

This unit introduces the Bengali sound system and writing conventions. You will learn the romanization scheme used throughout this course, the vowel and consonant inventory, and the distinction between aspirated and unaspirated stops. Understanding these fundamentals is essential for accurate pronunciation and for reading romanized Bengali in diplomatic and professional contexts.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Aami bhaashaa shikchhi.	I am learning the language.
Eta Bangla.	This is Bengali.
Apni kemon achhen?	How are you?
Bhalo achhi.	I am well.
Shunun.	Listen.
Bollen.	Please say it.

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
Bangla	Bengali (language)
bhaashaa	language
shikchhi	I am learning
achhi	I am (informal)
achhen	you are (formal)
bhalo	good, well
kemon	how
shunun	listen
bollen	please say
eta	this

Grammar Notes

Bengali Alphabet and Romanization

This course uses a romanization system based on the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) with Bengali-specific adaptations. Vowels and consonants are represented as follows for consistent reading and pronunciation practice.

Vowels: a, aa, i, ii, u, uu, e, oi, o, ou

• a – short a, as in “about” (shwa)
• aa – long a, as in “father”
• i – short i, as in “bit”
• ii – long i, as in “machine”
• u – short u, as in “put”
• uu – long u, as in “boot”
• e – as in “bed” or “they”
• oi – diphthong, as in “boy”
• o – as in “go”
• ou – diphthong, as in “how”

Consonants: Stops, Nasals, Fricatives, Liquids

Bengali has voiced and voiceless stops (k, g, ch, j, t, d, th, dh, p, b), nasals (ng, n, m), fricatives (sh, s, h), and liquids (r, l). The retroflex series (t, d, th, dh) is distinct from dental stops.

Aspirated vs. Unaspirated

Bengali distinguishes aspirated and unaspirated consonants. Aspirated consonants (kh, gh, chh, jh, th, dh, ph, bh) are written with an “h” after the consonant. Unaspirated (k, g, ch, j, t, d, p, b) have no aspiration. This distinction is phonemic and affects meaning.

Inherent Vowel

In Bengali script, consonants carry an inherent vowel “o” unless modified by a vowel sign. In romanization, we write the full vowel explicitly. For example, k plus inherent vowel becomes ko in many contexts.

Drills

Drill 1: Vowel Recognition

Bengali	Vowel(s)	English
bhalo	a, o	good
kemon	e, o	how
achhi	a, i	I am
shunun	u, u	listen

Drill 2: Aspirated vs. Unaspirated

Unaspirated	Aspirated	Notes
kaaj (work)	khaaj (food)	k vs. kh
gaan (song)	ghaar (house)	g vs. gh
chai (tea)	chhobi (picture)	ch vs. chh

Drill 3: Syllable Practice

Word	Syllables	Meaning
Bang-la	2	Bengali
bhaa-shaa	2	language
a-chhi	2	I am
sho-kun	2	please

Drill 4: Listening Discrimination

Read aloud and distinguish: bhalo (good) vs. bhola (forget); kemon (how) vs. kemon (what kind).

Narrative

Eta ekta Bangla bhaashaa shikhoner boi. Aami eta pore bhaashaa shikchhi. Bangla te bohut shobdo achhe. Aami shunun ebong bollen. Bhalo kore shikhte hobe.

This is a Bengali language learning book. I am learning the language by reading it. Bengali has many words. I listen and I speak. One must learn well.