0.4.1 Pronunciation Gotchas Flashcards Preview

In Spanish, the names of the vowels are exactly how they sound in words.

In el gato, the “e” is pronounced like the “e” in “berry”; the “a” is pronounced like the “A” in “father” [ɑ]; and the “o” is pronounced like the “O” in “go” [ō].

And in the word tribu, the “i” is pronounced like the ‘ee’ in “see” [i], and the “u” is pronounced like the ‘oo’ in “food” [u].

Just note that, in Spanish, all vowels are typically pronounced much shorter and more crisply than they are in English, where we tend to speak more lazily. (e.g. In the article el, the “e” may often sound more like the short “e” in the English word “bed” [ɛ].)

The great thing about Spanish vowels is that you can rely on consistency of pronunciation. Unlike languages such as English or French, there are practically no exceptions for vowel pronunciation rules. What you see is what you get!

Note that the “v” in Spanish is pronounced more like a “b” in English (though sometimes a bit more “softly” than a “b”, without fully pursing the lips).

In fact, in many Spanish speaking countries, the “v” and “b” are pronounced so identically, that many poor spellers accidentally choose the wrong letter. (e.g. A kid might write “la baca” instead of “la vaca”.)

Note that when a “c” in Spanish is followed by an “a”, “o”, or “u”, it has a hard C sound, like a “k”.

Note that when a “c” in Spanish is followed by an “i” or an “e”, it has a soft C sound, like an “s”.

However, in much of Spain, the “c” (when followed by an “i” or “e”) is pronounced like the “TH” in the English word “thorn” [Θ], as is the letter “z”. This is known as the “theta”.

e.g. You may have heard certain southern Spaniards famously pronounce Barcelona as if it were “Barthelona” to us English speakers.

Note that when a “g” in Spanish is followed by an “a”, “o”, or “u”, it has a hard G sound, like in the English word “game” [g].

Note that when a “g” in Spanish is followed by an “i” or an “e”, it is pronounced more like the “H” in the English word “house”, but with a harsher “H” (bringing the back of the tongue up to nearly close the opening in the throat).

Note that when a “g” is followed by an “i” or “e”, but you still want it to have a hard G sound, you must insert a “u” right after the “g”.

• gue –> [ge̞]
• gui –> [gi]

When you want to make a sound like “GW” as in the English name “Gwen”, you need a “g” + a “ü” (i.e. a “u” with an umlaut above it).

Note that the “h” is silent in Spanish (unless it’s used in a foreign word where it is pronounced).

Note that “j” is pronounced like the “H” in “house,” but with a harsher “H” (bringing the back of the tongue up to nearly close the opening in the throat) [x].

Note that “ll” is pronounced like the “Y” in “yes,” but slightly harsher.

In certain countries (e.g. Argentina), the “ll” and “y” sounds more like the soft “J” [Sz] sound you might hear in the French name “Jacques”.

Note that “ñ” is pronounced like the “GN” in “consign,” trying to pronounce both consonants in one sound; or like the “NY” in “canyon,” with a very short “Y” sound.

In Spanish, like in English, the “q” is always paired with a “u”. But unlike in English, the letters “qu” in Spanish always have a hard [k] sound.

In Spanish, the “r” sound actually involves your tongue lightly hitting the roof of your mouth, almost as if it were a soft “d”.

Note that a double “rr” in Spanish involves a heavy “trill”, to distinguish it from similar words that have only one “r”. (e.g. “pera” is a totally different word.)