Exercises: Compound Vowels

The page you're reading right now is an exercise page. Exercise pages contain exercises that allow you to practice your Sanskrit skills and make sure that you've understood the material in the lesson. Later in the guide, exercise pages will also feature some vocabulary and other information to deepen your understanding of Sanskrit and its history.

Try to avoid the temptation to do these exercises in your head. By writing down your answers, you commit to them; otherwise, it is too easy to shrug off your mistakes.

Vowel Length and Strength

In each exercise below, a certain type of vowel is described. Provide all of the vowels that match this description.

• The long version of a
• The weak version of ai
• The medium version of au
• The short version of ī
• The short vowels
• The strong version of o
• The strong version of ṛ
• The short and weak version of au
• The medium version of ṝ
• The medium version of i

The Alphabet

List the first twelve letters of the Sanskrit alphabet in their correct order.

Answers

Vowel Length and Strength

• ā

• i, ī

• o

• i

• a, i, u, ṛ

• au

• ār

• u

• ar

• e

The Alphabet

a ā, i ī, u ū, ṛ ṝ, e ai, o au

How did you do? If you made a few mistakes here, don't feel discouraged; mistakes are often the fastest path to learning something new. But if you did make mistakes, be sure to review the answers above and understand them. If you do not understand an answer, or if you think that there is a mistake in the answer key, please use the contact page