Sounds and Stress
A0–A2Foundations 7 min
The five vowels and the consonant sounds of Spanish, where the stress falls in a word, and when the word takes a written accent. Words ending in a vowel, n or s stress the next-to-last syllable, the others the last; a written accent marks any other stress: casa, hablar, café
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA0–A2
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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? |
VowelsA0
| Letter | Sound | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | casa | house |
| e | /e/ | mesa | table |
| i | /i/ | libro | book |
| o | /o/ | todo | everything |
| u | /u/ | uno | one |
- Each vowel keeps its one short, clear sound, stressed or not: banana — banana
- Two vowels side by side are both pronounced: aeropuerto / leer — airport / to read
ConsonantsA0
| Letters | Sound | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| b / v | /b/ | boca / vaca | mouth / cow |
| d | /ð/ between vowels, like th in English this | todo | everything |
| h | no sound | hola | hello |
| j / ge / gi | /x/ | jardín / gente | garden / people |
| ll / y | /ʝ/ | calle / yo | street / I |
| ñ | /ɲ/ | mañana | tomorrow |
| r | /ɾ/, one tap of the tongue | pero / caro | but / expensive |
| rr, and r at the start of a word | /r/, a trill | perro / rojo | dog / red |
| z / ce / ci | /s//θ/ | zapato / ciudad | shoe / city |
- The sounds /p/, /t/ and /k/ come without a puff of air.
- Spain: In most of Spain, z and c before e, i sound /θ/, like th in English think, so casa and caza sound different.
- Latin America: In Argentina and Uruguay, ll and y sound /ʃ/, like sh in English she: calle, yo.
StressA1
- Every word has one stressed syllable, said a little louder and longer: mesa — table
- A word that ends in a vowel, n or s stresses the next-to-last syllable: casa / hablan / lunes — house / they speak / Monday
- A word that ends in any other consonant stresses the last syllable: hablar / ciudad / reloj — to speak / city / watch
- i and u join the vowel next to them in one syllable: bueno / ciudad — good / city
The written accentA1–A2
- A written accent marks a stress that breaks the two rules above: café / jamón / árbol — coffee / ham / tree
- A word stressed before the next-to-last syllable always takes a written accent: música / sábado — music / Saturday
- An accent on i or u splits it from the vowel next to it: día / país — day / country
- Question and exclamation words carry a written accent: ¿Qué quieres? / ¿Cómo estás? — What do you want? / How are you?
| Word | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú | you | Tú eres mi amigo. | You are my friend. |
| tu | your | Es tu libro. | It's your book. |
| él | he | Él es Juan. | He is Juan. |
| el | the | El libro es azul. | The book is blue. |
| té | tea | Un té, por favor. | A tea, please. |
| te | you, yourself | ¿Cómo te llamas? | What's your name? |
| A2sé | I know | No sé. | I don't know. |
| A2se | himself, herself, themselves | Ana se levanta temprano. | Ana gets up early. |
| A2sí | yes | Sí, claro. | Yes, of course. |
| A2si | if | Si quieres, vamos. | If you want, let's go. |
| A2mí | me | Es para mí. | It's for me. |
| A2mi | my | Es mi casa. | It's my house. |
Typical errorsA0–A1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo un pero. | Tengo un perro. | rr is a trill: perro is dog, pero is but |
| A1Un cafe, por favor. | Un café, por favor. | a stressed last syllable ending in a vowel takes an accent |
| A1Me gusta la musica. | Me gusta la música. | stress before the next-to-last syllable always takes an accent |
| A1¿Donde vives? | ¿Dónde vives? | question words take an accent |
| A1Tu eres mi amigo. | Tú eres mi amigo. | the pronoun tú takes an accent; tu means your |