| Spanish alphabet
Vowels:
a as in cat casa (house) patata (potato)
e as in get este (this)
i as in mean or machine pino (pine) disco (record)
o as in not or cot ocho (eight)
u as in too or rule lunes (Monday) fruta (fruit).
An unstressed ‘u’ between a consonant and a vowel is
pronounced like ‘w’ in well. huevo (egg and other meanings!)
It is silent after ‘q’ unless it is marked qü, when it is again pronounced like w in well or wolf.
antigüedad (antiquity, antique, seniority)
To get your mouth moving, practice saying the vowels and become aware of the mouth and facial movements: ah .. eh .. ee oh.. oo
Consonants:
b similar to English. Try saying ‘boy’ but with the lips not quite meeting and with no
exhalation.
c before a, o, or u is pronounced as in cat or cup, como (like)
before e or I is pronounced like ‘th’ as in thin. centro (centre) cine (cinema).
Depending on the origin of the speaker, thgis may be pronounced as an ‘s’
ch No longer a separate letter, but it is pronounced as in chair. chiste (joke, funny story)
d At the beginning of a word or after l or n it is similar to English.
In any other position it is softer. Bring your tongue forward to touch the back of your
front teeth as if to say the th in the, but change the sound to a ‘d’. ciudad (town,city)
f As in English
g Before a, o or u or at the beginning of a word, is pronounced as in gap or gate.
gracias (thank you) gafas (glasses)
In other positions it is softened. Paga (payment, pay, wages)
ge,gi Like the ch in Scottish loch. gente (people) region (region)
h Is always silent. hablar (to speak, talk) hospital (hospital)
j Always like the ch in Scottish loch. trabajar (to work) jugar (to play)
k As in English.
l As in English
ll No longer a separate letter, but it is pronounced like the ‘lli’ in million (almost like a ‘y’)
apellido (surname) talle (size)
m As in English
n As in English
ñ As in the ‘ni’ in onion or the ‘ny’ in canyon. España (Spain) niño (young boy)
p As in English.
q As in king. ¿qué? (what?)
r,rr R is always pronounced in Spanish. It has a ‘flapping’ sound. Try saying ‘round’ but bring
your tongue forward to the back of your front teeth. quitar (to remove, take away)
rr and r at the beginning of a work is produced in the same way but with more force and
has a ‘rattling’ sound. Correos (post office)
s Is usually pronounced as in ‘pass’. quizás (perhaps, maybe)
Before b, d, g, l, m or n it is pronounced as in ‘rose’. isla (island)
t As in English.
v Pronounced like a Spanish ‘b’ (see above), vamos a ver (let’s see)
w Doesn’t actually appear in the Spanish alphabet and Spanish people have difficulty with
this letter. You will hear all sorts of pronunciations because it is used for words ‘imported’ from another language. It is either pronounced like a Spanish ‘b’ wáter (lavatory) or an
English ‘w’ whiskey.
x As in the English ‘toxin’. tóxico (toxic, poison)
y On its own or at the end of a word, sounds like ‘ee’ in see. y (and) hay (there is).
When not at the end of a word it sounds like the ‘y’ in yes. bien (good) playa (beach)
z Is pronounced as ‘th’ in thin but depending on the persons origin it may be pronounced
as ‘s’ in sin (this is becoming the most popular). There is no ‘hard and fast’ rule.
You will nearly always hear tenaz pronounced ‘tenath’, but Guaza is always ‘Gwassa’.
plaza (square) is sometimes platha and sometimes plassa – take your pick!
Dipthongs
ai, ay As in ‘I’ in ride. baile (dance)
au As in ‘ou’ in shout. auto (car)
ei, ey As in ‘ey’ in grey. buey (ox)
eu Both elements pronounced independently (e) + (u). deuda (debt)
oi, oy As in ‘oy’ in toy. hoy (today, now) |