Asturian orthography is based on a five-vowel system (), with three aperture degrees. It has the following consonants: . The phenomenon of "-u" metaphony is uncommon, as are decrescent diphthongs (, usually in the west). Although they can be written, "ḷḷ" ("che vaqueira", formerly represented as ""ts"") and the eastern "ḥ" aspiration (also represented as ""h."" and corresponding to "ll" and "f") are absent from this model. Asturian has triple gender distinction in the adjective, feminine plurals with "-es", verb endings with "-es, -en, -íes, íen" and lacks compound tenses (or periphrasis constructed with ""tener"").