Reglas de Pronunciación Flashcards
z
zeta: the s in sail
azul, brazo, luz
w
doble ve: the letter w exists in Spanish only in words of foreign origin and is not considered part of the Spanish alphabet.
x
equis: english x
experto, examen
a
a: the a in father
casa, tapa, Panamá, Canadá
e
e: the e in café when final, the e in set elsewhere
elefante, verde
i
i: the i in machine
sí, cíne, comída
o
o: the o in hope, the o in for if followed by r
doctor, profesor, oso, hospital
u
u: the u in rule
uno, tu, puro
ü
ü: No english equivalent
agüero (omen or a sign), güiro (gourd)
y
y griega: as a vowel english i
soy, y, hay
as a consonant the same as ll - the y in beyond
papaya, ayer
b or v
be larga, be cortaÑ b and v have the same sound in Spanish. The English v sound does not exist in Spanish.
the b in boat when they occur at the beginning of breath group, or following l, m or n.
baño, burro, embargo, alba (dawn)
softer elsewhere, produced through slightly opened lips.
Cuba, la boca, havana, la vaca
c
ce: the c in cat before a, o, u or before a consonant.
camisa, claro, concreto
the s in sail before e or i
centavo, cita, cinco
ch
che: the ch in charm
chocolate, chorizo
d
de: the d in dog when it occurs at the beginning of breath group, or following l or n; the th in other elsewhere
donde, falda, conde (Count as in Conde Fernán González)
boda, poder, verdad, nada, cada, estudio
f
efe: the english f
futuro, fila, oficina
g
ge: the g in game before a, o, u, or before a consonant.
gato, gusto. grande
the ha in hat before e or i
genio, generoso, gitano (gypsy)
h
hache: silent
hombre, hasta, hablar
j
jota: English h. It can also be given a slightly guttural sound.
Juan, ojo, mujer
k
ka: the english k
kayak, kilómetro, kiwi
l
ele: the english l, but with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth
el, hotel, mil, palo (stick)
ll
elle: the y in beyond, or in some countries, the s in pleasure.
caballo, bello, llave
m
emeÑ English m
menos, cama, marrón (brown)
n
ene: English n
nota, nacíon, nariz
ñ
eñe: the ny in canyon or the ni in onion
mañana, España, señor
p
pe: English p, but not explosive (without the puff of air in the English sound
papel (role), persona, pobre
q
cu: the k in key (found only in the combinations que and qui)
Quito (capital of Ecuador), queso, equipo
r
ere: the dd in ladder ( a single tongue flap)
caro, barato, para, hablar
rr
erre: a trill or tongue roll. there is no equivalent sound in english.
perro, horrible, carro
s
ese: English s
sopa, sala, blusa
t
te: English t, but not explosive (with the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper front teeth)
torta (cake), talento, tesoro
spelling change: z to c
Nouns and adjectives that end in z change to c to form the plural
el lápiz, los lápices
la nariz, las narices
feliz, felices
spelling change: z followed by an a or o
z followed by an a or o changes to c before an e or i.
comienza, comience
empiezo, empiece
spelling change: tocar, llegar
spelling change to maintain a required sound
tocare, toque - maintains the k sound
llegar, llegue - maintains the g sound
Castilian spanish vs latin american spanish pronunciation:
c and z preceding i or e have the th sound
centavo, cita, cinco
j and g preceding i or e have a slightly guttural sound
jinete (horseback rider), jirafa, jicama, gerente
