Spanish is spoken as it is spelled (phonetically), but what are some good rules for better pronunciation?

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 video

预约视频课程

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!

Related Lessons

Related Videos

When I listen to the pronunciation of the word 'oui' and it sounds like 'we'. I often hear on radio and in particular films what I assume means yes but sounds more like 'way'. Is there a difference?
Ale Lorenzo
How long does it take to learn Spanish?
Ale Lorenzo
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre usar fine y good? Es válido decir: i'm good, we're good, it's fine?
Nayane Bremm
What are the rules for using the imperative in French?
Ale Lorenzo
Introduction: Eugene Klassen
Eugene Klassen
Profile Video
Matthew T. Carlson
Spanish is spoken as it is spelled (phonetically), but what are some good rules for better pronunciation?
Ale Lorenzo
Introducción: Suzana
Suzana
更换语言:
French Spanish English Italian German Portuguese Chinese