<p>PRONOUNCIATION</p><p>Consonants: less strength, less friction, especially B, D, G</p><p>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.)</p><p>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.</p><p>H always silent</p><p>J pronounced like H in hat, but stronger. jamón, viaje, Juan.</p><p>LL Like Y in English, but w/ more friction. Varies by region. bella</p><p>Ñ Like canyon & onion. mañana.</p><p>R Like ladder or matter. pero, para, árbol, comer. Trilled at start of word and after N, L, S. rosa, honra, alrededor.</p><p>RR Trilled</p><p>V Pronounced the same as Sp. B. The English v sound does not exist in Spanish.</p><p>X S sound before a consonant. sexto, explica KS sound between two vowels. examen</p><p>Z Eng S before A, O, U, and final letter. zapato, feliz, vez. </p><p>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.</p><p>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</p><p>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)</p>