Consonants: Less Strength, Less Friction, Especially B, D, G

PRONOUNCIATION

Consonants: less strength, less friction, especially B, D, G

C unaspirated K before A, O, U, L, or R: casa, clase. qu forces k-sound before e and i. que, quien S sound before E, I, Y, S. felices, felicidades, ascensor. (that’s why quien needs Q, but cuando can use C.)

G Before A, O, U, R, L, UE, UI at beginning of breath gp, or after N: like g in get. gato, lago, gloria Before E or I, pronounced like H in hat, but stronger. gente, gitano Before U and other consonants, like g in sugar: softly, slight friction. agua, guerra, guitarra. The U in UE or UI after G is silent; it’s there to control the G.

H always silent

J pronounced like H in hat, but stronger. jamón, viaje, Juan.

LL Like Y in English, but w/ more friction. Varies by region. bella

Ñ Like canyon & onion. mañana.

R Like ladder or matter. pero, para, árbol, comer. Trilled at start of word and after N, L, S. rosa, honra, alrededor.

RR Trilled

V Pronounced the same as Sp. B. The English v sound does not exist in Spanish.

X S sound before a consonant. sexto, explica KS sound between two vowels. examen

Z Eng S before A, O, U, and final letter. zapato, feliz, vez.

Condensed from Practical Spanish Grammar by Marcial Prado Vowels Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz Do not lengthen final vowels. e.g. “no.” In Eng the O is extended; in Sp. it’s clipped. The vowels are short, tense and clear. Keep them clipped. A diphthong occurs when I or U is next to (fore or aft) a vowel: aire, piano, causa, puerta.

Accent If the word ends in a vowel, N, or S, accent the second-last syllable. casa, joven, lunes If it ends in any other consonant, accent the last syllable. papel, hablar, salud. All exceptions to these rules have a written accent. está, estás, están, aquí, menú, jardín, también, canción árbol, lápiz, azúcar, fácil

Accent the i or u to break up a dipthong, fore or aft. oír, día, tío, María, maíz Accent to clarify same spellings: él/el (he/the) más/mas (more/but) mí/mi (me/my) sé/se (I know/self) sí/si (yes/if) sólo/solo (only/alone) tú/tu (you/your)