Spanish is spoken as it is spelled (phonetically), but what are some good rules for better pronunciation?
Hello, my name is Alejandra and the question I'll be answering now is: Spanish is spoken as it is spelled (phonetically), but what are some good rules for better pronunciation?
I’m assuming you know the alphabet.
The vowels have pretty straight forward sounds.
A E I O U. And they are always pronounced the same.
Examples: Andar. Escribir. Interesante. Olvido. Uso.
The letter D sounds like the TH in ALTHOUGH.
Example: Dedo. Doble.
The letter J sounds like a very rough H in HOT. And so does the letter G when paired with E and I.
Examples:
Jícama. Juan.
Geranio. Giro.
With the vowels A, O, U , the letter G sounds like the G in Goat.
Examples:
Gata. Gol. Gusto.
And we can give the same sound to the vowels E and I, if we put a U in between. The U in this case, is silent:
Examples:
Guerra. Guitarra.
And if we add two dots above the U, it’s not silent anymore.
Examples:
Güero. Güisqui.
The H in Spanish is silent.
But when paired with a C (CH) it sounds like the TCH sound in NOTCH.
Examples:
Bicho. Noche. Chiste.
The letter Ñ is similar to the NY sound in the word CANYON.
Example:
Niña. Cañón.
The letter R has two sounds. As a general rule, when you see a RR, then you have to roll your tongue. You also have to roll your tongue when you see a single R at the beginning of a word. The rest of the time, that is, when the single R is in the middle of a word, it sounds like R.
Examples:
Perro. Gorro. Cerro.
Roberto. Restar. Ridículo.
Pera. Esfera. Coro.
Finally, when you see this: ´ which is called “tilde” or “acento”, you need to stress that syllable.
Examples:
Canción. Víbora. Hacía.
I hope this cleared your doubts. Remember private sessions are also available if you would like ONE ON ONE learning. Feel free to message me to schedule a session. See you around and have a nice day!
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