Intonation uses the rise and fall of the voice to mark the end of a sentence, a question and emphasis. The voice falls at the end of a closed statement and rises at the end of a yes-no question: Vienes mañana. ↘, ¿Vienes mañana? ↗
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetB2–C2
| Point | Rule | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadence | the voice falls at the end: the sentence is complete | Me voy a casa. ↘ | I'm going home. | B2 |
| Anticadence | the voice rises at the end: a yes-no question | ¿Vienes mañana? ↗ | Are you coming tomorrow? | B2 |
| Pause | separates the subordinate clause from the main clause | Si llueve // nos quedamos en casa. | If it rains, we stay at home. | B2 |
| 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? | B2 |
| 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. | B2 |
| Question word | the pitch is high on that word and the voice falls at the end | ¿Dónde vives? ↘ | Where do you live? | B2 |
| Ambiguity | 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. | C1 |
| Echo question | repeats what was said and the voice rises at the end | ¿Que si tengo hambre? ↗ | Am I hungry? | C1 |
| Emphasis | the strongest stress falls on the word being highlighted | Fui yo quien lo rompió. | I was the one who broke it. | C1 |
| Strong 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. | C2 |
| Irony | the contour is flat and weakens the rise in intensity | ¡Qué bien has dejado la cocina! | Look how nicely you've left the kitchen! | C2 |
| Rhythm | in proverbs and poems, the stresses fall at regular intervals | A mal tiempo, buena cara. | Keep a brave face in bad times. | C2 |
OverviewB2
- Pauses divide speech into tone units, and a final tone closes each one: Si quieres ↗ // puedes venir. ↘If you like, you can come.
- In the examples, // marks a pause, ↗ a rise of the voice and ↘ a fall.
- Spain: In Spain the voice varies little and the inflections are more balanced.
- Latin America: In Latin America intonation has many variants, with more rises and falls.
Tone units and pausesB2–C2
| Unit | Pause | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punctuation mark | falls where the mark is: colon, semicolon, ellipsis or parentheses | Tengo dos hermanos: // Luis y Marta. | I have two siblings: Luis and Marta. | B2 |
| Fronted complement | can form a unit of its own, with or without a pause | En el parque // se oían pájaros. · En el parque se oían pájaros. | Birds could be heard in the park. / Birds could be heard in the park. | B2 |
| Verb before the subject | forms a single unit, without a pause | Llegó Marta. | Marta arrived. | B2 |
| Subordinate clause | is set off from the main clause | Si llueve // nos quedamos en casa. | If it rains, we stay at home. | B2 |
| Reduced clause or parenthetical | is set off from the rest by pauses | El niño // cansado de esperar // se durmió en el sofá. | The boy, tired of waiting, fell asleep on the sofa. | B2 |
| Defining relative clause | has no pauses: only those who study pass | Los alumnos que estudian aprobarán. | The students who study will pass. | C1 |
| Non-defining relative clause | is set between pauses: all study and all pass | Los alumnos // que estudian // aprobarán. | The students, who study, will pass. | C1 |
| Ambiguous complement | with a pause it joins the verb; without one, the noun | Vi a la niña // con los prismáticos. · Vi a la niña con los prismáticos. | I saw the girl, using the binoculars. / I saw the girl who had the binoculars. | C1 |
| Topicalisation | the fronted topic forms a unit with a short pause | A Lucía // la saludé en la calle. | As for Lucía, I said hello to her in the street. | C1 |
| Focusing | the fronted element joins the rest and takes the strongest stress | Muy amable fue el camarero. | The waiter was very kind. | C1 |
C1
- When reading aloud, the units follow the style and register of the text.
- The voice conveys the author's intention, including what the text leaves implicit.
- Reading has more regular pauses and a more even rhythm than spontaneous speech.
- Without punctuation marks, the reader divides the text into units according to the meaning: Cuando llegué // los invitados // ya se habían ido.When I arrived, the guests had already left.
C2
| Unit | Pause and tempo | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong emotion | the voice makes circumflex inflections: it 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. | C2 |
| Expressive pause | the pause fills the story with suspense or emotion | Abre la puerta // da un paso // se apaga la luz // y // empieza el miedo. | He opens the door, takes a step, the light goes out, and then the fear begins. | C2 |
| Start of a talk | the tempo is slow | Buenos días a todos // y gracias por venir. | Good morning, everyone, and thank you for coming. | C2 |
| Parenthetical | the tempo is fast | Tu hermana —que es muy puntual— llegó la primera. | Your sister, who is very punctual, arrived first. | C2 |
The end of the sentence: final tonesB2
| Final tone | Movement and use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadence | falls about 8 semitones: the sentence is complete | Me voy a casa. ↘ | I'm going home. | B2 |
| Semicadence | falls 3 or 4 semitones: the sentence goes on | Llegué a las ocho, ↘ me senté y empecé a trabajar. ↘ | I arrived at eight, sat down and started working. | B2 |
| Anticadence | rises 4 or 5 semitones: a question | ¿Vienes mañana? ↗ | Are you coming tomorrow? | B2 |
| Semi-anticadence | rises 2 or 3 semitones: the sentence is left unfinished | Si quieres, ↗ puedes venir. ↘ | If you like, you can come. | B2 |
| Suspension | stays at the same pitch: the list stays open | En la bolsa había pan, queso, fruta, leche, etcétera. | In the bag there was bread, cheese, fruit, milk, and so on. | B2 |
- The same words change meaning with the final tone: Es todo. ↘ / ¿Es todo? ↗That's all. / Is that all?
Statements: assertions and listsB2–C1
| Assertion | Intonation | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary | the voice falls at the end with a normal cadence | Me levanto a las siete. ↘ | I get up at seven. | B2 |
| Categorical | a pause sets off the topic and the voice falls all the way at the end | Este problema // tiene una sola solución. ↘ | This problem has only one solution. | B2 |
| Suggestive | the voice stays high at the end and suggests more than it says | Es una idea muy lógica. ↗ | It's a very logical idea. | B2 |
| Doubtful | the voice rises a little at the end: the speaker is unsure | Quizá venga mañana. ↗ | Maybe he'll come tomorrow. | B2 |
| Emphatic start | the voice starts high, already on the first word | ¡Pero si ya es de noche! / ¡Por Dios, qué susto! | But it's already night! / For heaven's sake, what a fright! | C1 |
| List | Intonation | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | the voice rises a little on each item and falls on the last | En la nevera hay leche, ↗ huevos, ↗ queso ↗ y jamón. ↘ | There is milk, eggs, cheese and ham in the fridge. | B2 |
| Incomplete | the voice stays at the same pitch, also on the last item | Había sillas, mesas, bancos, etcétera. | There were chairs, tables, benches and so on. | B2 |
| Descriptive | each action forms a short unit and the last one falls | Me levanto, me visto, desayuno y salgo a trabajar. ↘ | I get up, get dressed, have breakfast and go out to work. | B2 |
| Distributive | a pause separates each group and the pitch pattern repeats in each | Unos estudian, // otros trabajan, // otros descansan. | Some study, others work, others rest. | B2 |
| Internal | the list sits inside the sentence: the voice does not close, and the cadence comes at the end of the sentence | En una mudanza, las cajas, el polvo, las prisas cansan a cualquiera. | In a house move, the boxes, the dust and the rush tire anyone out. | C1 |
| Cumulative | the items are joined by y and the voice repeats the same movement on each | Gritó y lloró y pataleó hasta quedarse dormido. | He shouted and cried and stamped his feet until he fell asleep. | C1 |
| Intensifying | each item rises higher than the one before | No me dio ni un consejo, ni una ayuda, ni un saludo. | He gave me neither advice, nor help, nor even a greeting. | C1 |
| Qualifying | each item qualifies the one before and the voice falls a little on each | Es amable, atento, algo tímido. | He is kind, attentive, a little shy. | C1 |
| Evaluative | the last item evaluates everything before it and the voice falls all the way | Llegamos tarde, mojados y sin maletas: un desastre. | We arrived late, soaked and without suitcases: a disaster. | C1 |
| Emphatic | the voice rises strongly on each item and falls on the last | Y me entran unas ganas de llorar y una rabia y un cansancio enormes. | And I feel such an urge to cry, and such rage, and such enormous exhaustion. | C1 |
C1
- The stronger the feeling, the wider the movement of the voice: Hace frío. / ¡Hace un frío horrible!It's cold. / It's horribly cold!
QuestionsB2–C1
| Question | Intonation | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the form of a statement | the word order is that of a statement and the final rise marks the question | ¿A que esta sopa está buena? ↗ | This soup is good, isn't it? | B2 |
| Polite | the final rise is gentle and the verb is in the conditional | ¿Podrías ayudarme con la maleta? ↗ | Could you help me with the suitcase? | B2 |
| Alternative | the voice rises on the first part and falls on the last | ¿Fue sin querer ↗ o fue adrede? ↘ | Was it by accident or on purpose? | B2 |
| With a question word | the pitch is high on that word and the voice falls at the end | ¿Dónde vives? ↘ | Where do you live? | B2 |
| Restrictive | asks to confirm one specific detail and the voice rises at the end | ¿Eres tú el que dejó la puerta abierta? ↗ | Are you the one who left the door open? | C1 |
| Echo | repeats what was said to confirm it and the voice rises at the end | ¿Que si tengo hambre? ↗ / ¿Cuántos años he dicho que tengo? ↗ | Am I hungry? / How old did I say I am? | C1 |
| Exclamatory | expresses surprise or protest, with the contour of an exclamation | ¿Eso lo llamas tú cocinar? | You call that cooking? | C1 |
| Hypothetical | assumes something and asks for confirmation with a final rise | ¿Imagino que ya has hablado con ella? ↗ | I suppose you've already spoken to her? | C1 |
| Long | is divided into several groups and the biggest rise comes at the end | ¿Si te llamo mañana por la tarde, cuando salgas del trabajo, podrás hablar un rato? | If I call you tomorrow afternoon, when you leave work, will you be able to talk for a while? | C1 |
| With an interrogative parenthetical | the question is inserted into a statement, which then continues | Dijiste —¿te acuerdas?— que vendrías pronto. | You said—do you remember?—that you would come soon. | C1 |
| With a vocative | the vocative forms a unit of its own inside the question | ¿No te parece, Marta, que es muy tarde? ↗ | Don't you think, Marta, that it's very late? | C1 |
Commands, requests and politenessB2
| Speech act | Intonation | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Command | the voice falls at the end | Siéntate aquí. ↘ | Sit here. | B2 |
| Urgent exclamation | the stress is strong and the voice falls quickly | ¡Entra! / ¡Date prisa! | Come in! / Hurry up! | B2 |
| Softened command | the voice falls less and sounds softer | No te preocupes tanto. | Don't worry so much. | B2 |
| Ironic command | the pronoun takes a high pitch and the order sounds like a warning | ¡Tú sigue gastando y ya verás! | You just keep on spending and you'll see! | B2 |
| Command with que | the initial que takes a high pitch and the voice falls hard | ¡Que te vayas ya, por favor! | I said go now, please! | B2 |
| Greeting and polite formula | the voice falls gently at the end | ¿Cómo está usted? ↘ / ¿Qué tal te fue? ↘ | How are you? / How did it go? | B2 |
Expressive speech actsC1–C2
| Speech act | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wish | ¡Lo que daría yo por tener un día libre! | What I wouldn't give for a day off! | C1 |
| Disappointment | ¡Yo que pensaba que ibas a venir! | And there I was, thinking you were going to come! | C1 |
| Protest | ¡Si yo siempre llego puntual! | But I'm always on time! | C1 |
| Resignation | ¡Qué remedio! | What else can I do! | C1 |
| Reproach | ¡Vaya manera de hablarme! | What a way to talk to me! | C1 |
| Surprise | ¡Que no me hayan avisado! | To think that nobody told me! | C1 |
| Persuasive encouragement | Ya verás como todo sale bien. | You'll see, everything will turn out fine. | C1 |
| Exhortation | ¡Hay que ayudarse entre todos! | We must all help one another! | C1 |
| Request in set formulas | Quisiera hablar con la directora. / Le agradecería una respuesta pronto. | I would like to speak to the director. / I would appreciate a reply soon. | C1 |
| Irony: one says the opposite of what one thinks, with a flat contour that weakens the rise in intensity | ¡Qué bien has dejado la cocina! | Look how nicely you've left the kitchen! | C2 |
| Wavy exclamation of strong feeling | ¡Mira que lo sé, Ana, que lo sé! | Oh, I know, Ana, I know! | C2 |
| Lament | ¡Si pudiera volver atrás! / ¡Vaya semana me espera! | If only I could go back! / What a week I have ahead of me! | C2 |
| Refined greeting and wish | Que tengas un buen viaje. / Que todo salga muy bien. | Have a good trip. / May everything go very well. | C2 |
EmphasisC1
- The strongest stress and the highest pitch fall on the word being highlighted.
| Emphasis | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intensity | Hace un calor insoportable. | It's unbearably hot. | C1 |
| Contrastive | Fui yo quien lo rompió, no mi hermano. | I'm the one who broke it, not my brother. | C1 |
| Interrogative | ¿Que Pedro se ha ido sin avisar? | What, Pedro left without telling anyone? | C1 |
| Seriousness | Esto —créeme— es muy serio. | This—believe me—is very serious. | C1 |
Rhythm in proverbs, songs and poemsC2
| Text | Rhythm | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proverb | the stresses fall at regular intervals and help one remember it | A mal tiempo, buena cara. | Keep a brave face in bad times. | C2 |
| Poem | the line has a fixed number of syllables and its stresses fall in fixed places | Caminante, no hay camino, / se hace camino al andar. | Traveller, there is no path, / the path is made by walking. | C2 |
| Song | the beat of the music can move the stress of a word | mirala, mirala | Look at her, look at her. | C2 |
Typical errorsB2–C1
| Wrong | Right | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Me levanto a las ocho. ↗ | Me levanto a las ocho. ↘ | a closed statement ends in a cadence: the voice falls | B2 |
| ¿Vienes mañana? ↘ | ¿Vienes mañana? ↗ | a yes-no question ends in an anticadence: the voice rises | B2 |
| Si // quieres puedes venir. | Si quieres // puedes venir. | the pause falls between the subordinate clause and the main clause | B2 |
| ¿Fue sin querer ↗ o fue adrede? ↗ | ¿Fue sin querer ↗ o fue adrede? ↘ | in an alternative question the voice falls on the last part | B2 |
| ¿Que si tengo hambre? ↘ | ¿Que si tengo hambre? ↗ | the question that repeats what was said rises at the end | C1 |
| Ya te he dicho que eres tú quien debe disculparse. | Ya te he dicho que eres tú quien debe disculparse. | contrastive emphasis puts the strongest stress on the element being contrasted | C1 |