Tips for Speaking Spanish
Pratt's Educational
Resources
Spanish Speaking Tips - pdf
Pronouncing the Vowels
a
is pronounced like the English a in father.
e is
pronounced
like
the
English e in they.
i
is pronounced like the English ee in see or i in thing.
o
is similar to the English o in no
but without the glide and
it is rounded.
u
is pronounced like the English oo in food.
Stressing Vowels
Always stress the vowel before the last syllable and prolong the
length of the sound. If there is an accent mark, stress that
vowel instead.
Pronouncing the Consonants
b
is pronounced the same way as it
is in English.
c
is pronounced like the k in English except for words
with the ción sound
(nación). In that case it would be like the English
word cereal. (an s sound)
ch
is pronounced like the English ch in child.
(coche, Chile, mucho, ...)
d
At the beginning of a word and after n or l, the
tip of the tongue is pressed against the back of your front teeth.
(día, dar, el deseo, ...)
All other words, place
the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth. It is
pronounced like the English th in the word they, but it is softer.
f
is pronounced like the English f.
g
At the beginning of the word or after n it is pronounced like the
English word guy. (guerra,
ángulo, ...)
In other words, except before e
or i, it is pronounced like the English g in sugar.
(lago, amigo...)
ge is
pronounced like the English ey in hey
(geografía).
gi
is pronounced like the English word he but not
as strong (giro).
gua The g is pronounced like the
English g but not has hard
and the Spanish u and a.
gui is
pronounced like the English g
and the Spanish i.
(guiar)
gü
It is pronounced like the English g
in guy and oo in food. It is similar to the English gw in Gwen but it is not as strong. (pingüino)
h
In the beginning of a word, it is silent.
hia The h is pronunced like the English
h in he and the Spanish a. Do not pronounce the i. (hiato)
hie The h is pronounced like the English ye in yellow
and the Spanish e.
Do not pronunce the i. (hielo)
j
is pronounced like the English h in hat
or hey or hoe (bajo) but not that strong. Some
countries pronounce it even stronger.
k
k, c before a, o, u, or a
consonant, and qu,
is pronounced like the English k
in key but without the
puff of air.
l
is pronounced by placing your tongue on
your teeth to make this letter.
y, ll In most
countries it is pronounced like the English y in yes. (oye, llama,
bella, ...)
When it stands alone,
it is pronounced like the English i in thing. (hoy, y,
muy, ...)
m is
pronounced like the English m
in mother.
ñ
is pronounced like the English ny in canyon.
n
is pronounced like the English n.
When the n occurs before b, v, or p,
it is pronounced like an m.
(un brazo, comen peras, un vaso, ...)
p is
pronounced
like
the
English p but without the
puff of air.
r, rr In
the beginning of a word and after n, l, or s, and also rr in the
middle of a word, are pronounced by rolling it. Bring your tip
of your tongue
near the top of your teeth and let it
vibrate.
Tip: You can practice
this by placing an "a" before "rr" until you can roll them.
r
This is pronounced like the English dd in the word ladder.
(crema, harina, oro, ...)
s s,
z, and c before e or i
is pronounced like the s
in sing. (vaso,
cima, zapato, ...)
t
is pronounced by touching your tongue to the back of your front
teeth.
v
Always pronounce the v
at the beginning of a word like the English b.
x When
the x is between vowels it
is like the English gs in
egg.
When it is before a
consonant, it sounds like the English s.
z
Always pronounce the z
like the English s.
Copyright © 2000-2003 Barbara Pratt. All rights
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