| Cadence | the voice falls at the end: the sentence is complete | Me voy a casa. ↘ | I'm going home. |
| Anticadence | the voice rises at the end: a yes-no question | ¿Vienes mañana? ↗ | Are you coming tomorrow? |
| Pause | separates the subordinate clause from the main clause | Si llueve // nos quedamos en casa. | If it rains, we stay at home. |
| Alternative question | the voice rises on the first part and falls on the last | ¿Vamos en tren ↗ o en autobús? ↘ | Shall we go by train or by bus? |
| Complete list | the voice rises a little on each item and falls on the last | Compré pan, ↗ leche ↗ y queso. ↘ | I bought bread, milk and cheese. |
| Question word | the pitch is high on that word and the voice falls at the end | ¿Dónde vives? ↘ | Where do you live? |
| C1Ambiguity | the pause changes the meaning of the sentence | Los alumnos que estudian aprobarán. · Los alumnos // que estudian // aprobarán. | The students who study will pass. / The students, who study, will pass. |
| C1Echo question | repeats what was said and the voice rises at the end | ¿Que si tengo hambre? ↗ | Am I hungry? |
| C1Emphasis | the strongest stress falls on the word being highlighted | Fui yo quien lo rompió. | I was the one who broke it. |
| C2Strong emotion | circumflex inflections: the voice rises and falls within one group | Con decirte // que llevo una hora esperando el autobús. | Let me just tell you that I've been waiting for the bus for an hour. |
| C2Irony | the contour is flat and weakens the rise in intensity | ¡Qué bien has dejado la cocina! | Look how nicely you've left the kitchen! |
| C2Rhythm | in proverbs and poems, the stresses fall at regular intervals | A mal tiempo, buena cara. | Keep a brave face in bad times. |