Week 1: B vs V Sounds

Learning the Difference Between /b/ and /v/

b = /b/ (lips together)     v = /v/ (teeth on lip)
🇪🇸 For Spanish Speakers:
In Spanish, B and V both sound like /b/. In English, they are different! B = /b/ (both lips come together) V = /v/ (top teeth touch bottom lip with voice). Practice saying "ball" (/b/) and "very" (/v/) - feel the difference!

Pronunciation Practice Chart

Practice these words. Notice the difference between B and V sounds.

Picture
Word
Pronunciation
Word
👨👩
ball
bawl
ball
📚
book
book
book
👶
baby
bā' bē
baby
🚌
bus
bus
bus
✅
very
vĕr' ē
very
👔
vest
vĕst
vest
🚐
van
văn
van
🗳️
vote
vōt
vote

Vocabulary: Words You Will Read

Practice these words before reading the story. Pay attention to B and V sounds.

business
(biz' ness)
beautiful
(bū' ti ful)
believe
(bē lieve')
visit
(viz' it)
village
(vil' lage)
various
(var' i ous)
become
(bē come')
before
(bē fore')
between
(bē tween')
value
(val' ue)
available
(a vail' a ble)
behavior
(bē hav' ior)

Reading: "Building a Better Business"

Building a Better Business
Maria and Victor are business partners. They believe that a good business must provide value to its customers. Before they started their business, they visited many successful businesses in their village. They wanted to learn what makes a business become successful.
Maria and Victor noticed that the best businesses have beautiful stores. The stores are clean and well-organized. The workers are friendly and helpful. These businesses serve their customers very well. The customers believe they are getting good value for their money.
Maria and Victor decided to open a small store between the village market and the bus station. They wanted their business to be available to many people. They worked very hard to make their store beautiful. They painted the walls, organized the shelves, and made sure everything was clean.
When they opened their business, they had various products available. They sold books, bags, and beautiful vases. They also sold various vegetables from local farms. Their prices were fair, and their service was excellent. The people in the village began to visit their store very often.
The business became successful because Maria and Victor believed in good behavior. They treated every customer with respect. They listened to what customers wanted and tried to provide it. They valued their customers' opinions and made changes based on their feedback.
Today, Maria and Victor's business is very successful. They have become well-known in their village. Other business owners visit them to learn from their success. Maria and Victor believe that the value of good service and beautiful products will always bring customers back. Their business continues to grow because they never forget what made them successful in the beginning.

Comprehension Questions

1. Who are the business partners in the story?
2. What did Maria and Victor do before they started their business?
3. Where did they decide to open their store?
4. What products did they sell in their store?
5. Why did their business become successful? Give two reasons.
6. What do other business owners do now?
7. According to Maria and Victor, what will always bring customers back?
8. In your own words, what is the main lesson of this story?

Pronunciation Practice

Activity 1: Say the words. Circle the words with the sound /b/ as in "ball".
ball
very
book
vest
baby
van
bus
vote
business
visit
become
village
beautiful
value
before
various
Activity 2: Say each word. Put the stress mark (') after the syllable that is stressed.
Example: business = bus' iness
Example: beautiful = beau' ti ful
1. believe = be lieve
2. visit = vis it
3. village = vil lage
4. become = be come
5. before = be fore
6. between = be tween
7. value = val ue
8. available = a vail a ble
Activity 3: Practice saying these word pairs. Notice the difference between B and V sounds.
B words (/b/):
ball - book - baby - bus
business - become - before
beautiful - between - believe
V words (/v/):
very - vest - van - vote
visit - village - value
various - available - behavior