Thread: help with й!

Privjet I just started learning Russian a few days ago; I was reading on a website about the Cyrillic alphabet-they said that the letter й modifies a vowel, I know it has sort of a "y" sound, but what effect does it have on a vowel next to it? Thanks for the help in advance

Privet, Mashka!
I do not know wether it helps or not but the letter й does the same effect on a vowels like the letter Y in the words yonder yankee you and such.

It doesn't modify a vowel actually...

а sounds ah
йа sounds yah
o sounds oh
йо sounds yoh
and so on...

Originally Posted by Mashka Romaniuk

Privjet I just started learning Russian a few days ago; I was reading on a website about the Cyrillic alphabet-they said that the letter й modifies a vowel, I know it has sort of a "y" sound, but what effect does it have on a vowel next to it? Thanks for the help in advance

Й is basically the equivalent of the English sound Y (the semi-vowel sound):

ой = oy, like it toy
ай = ay, like the sound in high, bye, kayyak (sp?)
эй = hey, gay
etc.

йа = yam
йо = yonder