Sounds and letters - two different things in English

The letter of the alphabet 'E' is rarely pronounced / iː/ .  

e.g. species → / iː /    

Most of the time it is pronounced /e/.  

e.g. bed, semester → / e /

It can also be pronounced / ɪ /  in some words.  

e.g.  resource, semester, subject → / ɪ /

▪ If you add 'r' after the 'e', the pronunciation is different again, as you pronounce it /ɜː/  

 

or even /ɪə/.  

e.g.  her → / ɜː /                              here→ / ɪə /     
        term  → / ɜː /                          atmosphere → / ɪə /

▪ If you combine two letters 'E', you often have the sound  / iː/    

  e.g.  green, degree → / iː /