Basic Pronunciation For Spanish

PRONUNCIATION

In Spanish, as in English, letters and sounds do not always correspond. Nevertheless, Spanish has far more consistent spelling patterns than English. In this guide to correct pronunciation, you will first find the letter as it is spelled. As the explanation starts, you will find phonetic symbols that appear within brackets. These symbols represent specific sounds. You will

be instructed at this point on an easy and general way to the correct production of the sound. In some instances, you will also find a section called To the ambitious, which consists of a more comprehensive explanation of each sound.

Basic Vowel Sounds

There are five basic vowel sounds in Spanish. It is very important to move your lips and pronounce them as short, quick, distinct sounds. A clear, consistent, unchanged pronunciation of these five sounds, regardless of their position and their stressed or unstressed condition, is the first step to good Spanish. Keep in mind that Spanish vowels should never be pronounced as a shwa (“uh” sound), as this sound does not exist in Spanish, nor are they pronounced as a glide, as in the i in the word pine.

The Letters a, e, i, o, u

[a] As in the English Ahh! Open, clear, distinct (cama, calamar, amaran).

[e] As the English e in Emma. Spread lips, make a tense, clear, distinct sound (Elena, elefante, esperarán).

[i] Similar to the English vowel sound in meat. Spread lips, make it clear,

distinct (di, dividir, disco, isla).

[o] As in the English Oh! Clear and distinct. Round your lips before you pronounce the preceding consonant. This may mean that the whole word is pronounced with rounded lips (toro, moroso, tonto, oro, ocioso).

[u] Like the English oo sound in mooo! Clear and distinct. Round your lips before you pronounce the preceding consonant. This may mean that the whole word is pronounced with rounded lips (tú, tufo, uno, uso, único).

Syllables, Diphthongs, and Stre s s

A Spanish syllable always contains a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a vowel combination. To avoid a strong foreign accent, practice separating syllables in the right places. The most important and general rule to remember is that, in contrast to English, a Spanish single consonant is always followed by a vowel. Single consonants include ch, ll, rr. To pronounce Spanish syllables

correctly, allow each the same amount of time and pronounce every vowel clearly and distinctly. As the examples show, most Spanish syllables end in a vowel.

Spanish	English
vo-ca-bu-la-rio	vo-cab-u-lar-y
pro-fe-so-res	pro-fes-sors
to-ta-li-ta-rio	to-tal-i-tar-i-an

A diphthong is a complex sound consisting of two vowels within one syllable. Diphthongs in Spanish are formed when a so-called strong vowel (a, e, or o) combines with an unstressed weak vowel (i, u), or when two weak vowels combine with each other within one syllable. Again, allow time to pronounce every vowel in the diphthong.

es-tu-dian-te	co-mer-cio	au-to-ri-dad
cui-da-do	pue-blo	res-tau-ra-ción
lue-go	cuer-po	pia-no

When you find a two-vowel combination with a written accent on the weak vowel (í, ú), that serves as an indication that the two vowels do not form a diphthong; they belong to separate syllables.

pú-a	pa-ís	bio-lo-gí-a
dí-a	mo-rí-an	rí-o

Spanish words of more than one syllable have a spoken stress. Spanish words that end in a vowel, -n, or -s have this stress on the next-to-the-last syllable.

me-di-ci-na	si-llas	so-la-men-te
pe-ri-pe-cia	e-tu-dian	con-ver-san

Words ending with a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.

doc-tor

cul-tu-ral

ca-la-mi-dad

 The Spanish written accent shows that the word is pronounced contrary to the preceding statements.

des-pués	mé-di-co	mú-si-ca	sí-la-ba
des-dén	in-glés	á-la-mo	án-gel

Spanish stress and written accents are very important, as the meaning of the

word or sentence may depend on them.

amo = I love                           amó = he loved

 este = this                              esté = present

el papá = the father                la papa = the potato

Spanish Consonants

The Letters b and v

divertirse	dibujo	divino	revista
debajo	cobija	abeja	abominable

Pronounced [b/] in most instances, with the lips barely touching as air is forced out (fricative sound). There is no equivalent to this sound in English, although it may sound like a v to the English speaker.

To the ambitious:

There is a [b] sound in Spanish similar but softer to the b in boy. This [b] is

a so-called “stop sound” that occurs only at the beginning of the breath

group or after a pause, and after m or n. Note that n is pronounced [m]

before [b].

cambiar	convenir	combatir	convencer
invocar	inventar	involucrar	mambo

For spelling purposes, it is necessary to memorize all occurrences of b and v.

The Letter ñ

The sound [ñ] resembles the ny sound in the English canyon. It is both a separate sound and a separate letter in the Spanish alphabet (appearing after n). The letters [ñ] and [n] form minimal pairs in Spanish, which means words whose different meaning is determined only by the presence of thesedifferent sounds.

[ñ]	[n]
caña = cane	cana = white hair
doña = Mrs.	dona = he, she donates
moño = bow of ribbon	mono = monkey
Toño = nickname (Antonio)	tono = tone
sueño = the dream	sueno = I sound

The Letter h

The letter h is often referred to as silent h, because it is used in spelling only

and does not represent any sound.

ahora	hamaca	hombre	hora
ahorrar	hueco	huevo	humor

The Letters rr and r

The letter rr between vowels corresponds to the sound [rr] (arrogante, arriendo). This sound is pronounced through vibration of the tongue tip placed on the upper gum ridge. The sound [rr] also corresponds to one r at the beginning of a word (rosa, robo), and after the consonants l and n (alrededor, enredo).

enroscar	arroba	ratón	rincón
remolino	Enrique	alrededor	remar

For practical purposes, remember that [rr] has a longer duration than you

would normally allow it. Exaggerate at first and always make sure that it is much longer than the single-vibration [r] corresponding to the spelling r found between vowels and after all consonants, except l and n. The contrast between [r] and [rr] is very important in Spanish, as these two sounds form minimal pairs.

[r]	[rr]
caro = expensive	carro = car
pero = but	perro = dog
moro = Moor	morro = hill
ara = she, he plows	arra = small gold coin used in weddings

The Letters p and t

These letters correspond to the sounds [p] and [t]. The main difference between the sounds [p] and [t] in English and the Spanish [p] and [t] is that these sounds are usually aspirated in English (that is, they are pronounced with a puff of air, as in the words pot and top). Spanish [p] and [t] are not aspirated (as in the English words spear and stew). Unlike English [t],

Spanish [t] is made with the tip of the tongue touching the back of the upper front teeth (not the gum ridge).

panadería	tardes	Tomasito
Pepe	partitura	perspectiva

The Combinations ca, co, cu and que, qui

The letter c before a, o, and u should be pronounced [k]. The spellings que and qui correspond to the sounds [ke] and [ki]. The letter u in que or qui is orthographic (always silent). The sound [k] in Spanish is like the English c in the word scam (not aspirated).

queso cuestión quimera corto

quiero cuatro carate queremos

The Letter d

This letter generally corresponds to the sound [d/], pronounced much like the sound th in mother, and it is called fricative (todo, poder, cada, perdido). Failure to produce [d/] results in a heavy and confusing foreign accent.

To the ambitious :

There is one more variant to the pronunciation of [d/]. It is the sound [d] that occurs after a pause and after n and l. This sound is called a stop (because there is a stop of air flow). Place the tip of your tongue behind your teeth to pronounce the Spanish [d].

The Letter j + Vowel, and the Combinations ge and gi

[d]	[d/]
caldo	tardes
molde	moridero
condición	desde
dos	todo

These are represented by the sound [x]. This sound has no English equivalent and should not be confused with the English [h] in hat. The Spanish [x] is pronounced at the back of the throat, forcing the air through a narrow opening.

cogí	José	Gerardo	Germán
jefe	jirafa	bajo	geografía
girar	hija	Jorge	Gibraltar

To the ambitious:

The words México and Ximena have retained the old Spanish spelling with an x, but they are pronounced Méjico and Jimena (in many regions of the Spanish-speaking world they are even spelled with the letter j.) For spelling purposes, it is necessary to memorize all occurrences of ge, gi, je, and ji.

The Letters s, z, and c (Before e and i)

These correspond to the sound [s] in Spanish, equivalent to the English s in Sue.

Cecilia	cilindro	secuestro	zoológico
maíz	zorro	sonido	césped

An important thing to remember is that one s between vowels in Spanish must be pronounced as the soft [s] just described.

presidente	pasión	represión	masa
cosa	besando	pesado	resorte

To the ambitious:

Unlike English, the sound [z] (zebra) does not form minimal pairs in Spanish as it does in English (Sue, zoo). This sound occurs in Spanish only when the letter s is followed by a voiced consonant sound such as [b], [d], [g], [l], or [m].

desbandar	desganado	mismo	isla
desde	desmitificar	desligado	fantasma

In Spain, the letter c (before e and i) and the letter z represent a sound similar to the th sound in the word think.

cero

ciudad

cima

mozo

The Combinations ga, go, gu, gue, and gui

These combinations are pronounced in Spanish as a soft [g/], similar to the English sound [g] in egg (without a complete closure at the velum). This soft sound [g/] occurs after a vowel and (depending on the region) after consonant sounds other than [n]. Note that the u in gue and gui is silent.

cargo	estrago	castigo
maligno	disgusto	Colgate

Contrasting with the [g/], Spanish has a strong [g], as in the English word  get. This sound [g] occurs in Spanish after a pause and after [n].

Strong [g]	Soft [g/]
Congo	amigo
guerra	hago
anglosajón	aseguro
mongol	arreglo
guitarra	disgusto

The Letter Combinations güe and güi These combinations are pronounced like the English [gwe] and [gwi] (lingüística, cigüeña, desagüe, bilingüe).

Various Sounds for the Letters ll, y + vowel, and hie

Most Spanish speakers pronounce the spelling ll (never an l), y + vowel, and hie in exactly the same fashion (a sound similar to the English y in yes). Nevertheless, this sound may vary according to the region, from the y in yes to the strong sound in the English word Sean. A good policy will be to pronounce

these combinations consistently, like the y in yes.

calle	cayó	llano	callarse
caballo	yuca	lloraba	hayan

To the ambitious:

Some speakers pronounce the letter ll in a similar fashion to the English ly

in halyard.

Sound ly	Sound y
calló	cayó
llama	hiena
castellano	reyes
cabello	hierro

 

Artikel terkait :