GUIDE TO SPANISH PRONUNCIATION 1 To pronounce Spanish

GUIDE TO SPANISH PRONUNCIATION 1

To pronounce Spanish correctly 85% of what you need to know is found in three things: • T A C O • BURRITO • P E A = “ah” U = “ooh” O= “oh” I = “ee” E = “ay” 2

The Other 15% (And you already know a lot of them!) • • LL = “y” like in tortilla J = “h” like in jalapeño Ñ = “ni” like in jalapeño QU = “k” like in tequila Z = “s” (like a hissing snake) H = always silent (*but CH still sounds like “Ch-uh”) V = a soft “B” I’s and E’s soften “G’s” and “C’s” -- Hard G (“guh”) like in gato becomes an “h” like in Geraldo -- Hard C (“k”) like in Carmen becomes “s” like in ciencias. 3

Vowel Blends • When there is a strong and weak vowel together they make something called a diphthong or vowel blend. A I E O U 4

Vowel Blends • The two vowels are pronounced as ONE SYLLABLE. You still HEAR each vowel, but one is “drowned out” a bit. • ua like in cuando • ue like in puerta • ia like in demasiado • ie like in viernes • iu like in ciudad 5

NOT Vowel Blends • If a weak and a strong vowel appear together but one has an ACCENT MARK, they are NOT pronounced as ONE SYLLABLE. You hear each vowel alone. • uó like in continuó • ía like in día • ío like in frío 6