| Vowels | five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, each with one short, clear sound | banana | banana |
| r / rr | one r between vowels is a single tap; rr is a trill | pero / perro | but / dog |
| j / ge / gi | a strong, rough h from the back of the throat | jardín / gente | garden / people |
| ñ | like ny in English canyon | mañana | tomorrow |
| z / ce / ci | sound /s/, like s | zapato / ciudad | shoe / city |
| z / ce / ci | sound /θ/, like th in English think | zapato / ciudad | shoe / city |
| ll / y | one sound, /ʝ/, close to y in English yes | calle / yo | street / I |
| A1Stress | ending in a vowel, n or s: the next-to-last syllable | casa / hablan | house / they speak |
| A1Stress | ending in any other consonant: the last syllable | hablar / ciudad | to speak / city |
| A1Written accent | marks a stress that breaks those two rules | café / árbol / música | coffee / tree / music |
| A1Words written alike | an accent tells apart two words that are written the same | Tú tienes tu libro. | You have your book. |
| A2Words written alike | sí and si, mí and mi follow the same rule | Sí, es para mí. | Yes, it's for me. |
| A1Trap | question words always carry an accent | ¿Dónde vives? | Where do you live? |