Spanish is written almost exactly as it sounds. Learn this page in week zero and you will be able to pronounce any word you can read, which makes every listening hour more productive.
Pronunciation
Five vowels, one tricky r, and two rules for stress
Spanish is written almost exactly as it sounds. Learn this page in week zero and you will be able to pronounce any word you can read, which makes every listening hour more productive. The play buttons use your device's Spanish voice.
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The vowels
Each is one short, pure sound, the same in every word and every position. Never reduce an unstressed vowel to "uh": banana is ba-na-na with three identical a's.
a"ah" as in father, but shorter. casa, mañana, hablar
e"eh" as in bet, never "ay". mesa, leche, tener
i"ee" as in see, but short. sí, vivir, mi
o"oh" with rounded lips, never "ow". poco, todo, cómo
u"oo" as in food, short. Silent in que, qui, gue, gui. uno, mucho, tú
Diphthongs glide two vowels in one syllable: bien, bueno, aire, seis, hoy, ciudad.
Stress: the two rules and the override
Ends in a vowel, -n or -s → stress the second-to-last syllable. ca-SA, ha-BLAN, LU-nes, es-tu-DIAN-te
Ends in any other consonant → stress the last syllable. ha-BLAR, ciu-DAD, es-pa-ÑOL, re-LOJ
Written accent → stress exactly there, rules be damned. ca-FÉ, MÚ-si-ca, ha-BLÓ, JÓ-ve-nes, ÁR-bol
The accent mark also separates otherwise identical words: él/el, tú/tu, sí/si, qué/que, más/mas, sé/se, dé/de, té/te. And it breaks a diphthong: día (DI-a, two syllables) vs dia- in diario.
Linking
Words run together: a final consonant joins the next vowel, and identical vowels merge. Los amigos están en el hotel sounds like lo-sa-mi-go-ses-ta-ne-ne-lo-tel. This, not speed, is why natives seem fast.
Consonants that differ from English
r single, between vowelsA single tap, like the tt in American butter or ladder. pero, cara, caro, para
rr and r at the startA trill: the tongue tip vibrates against the ridge behind the teeth. perro, carro, rojo, Roma, and also a single r after l, n or s: Enrique, alrededor, Israel. Practice: say "tdtdtd" fast, relax the tongue, blow air. It can take weeks; pero vs perro is the difference between "but" and "dog".
b / vIdentical. At the start of a phrase or after m/n, an English b; between vowels, a soft b with the lips not quite closing. vivir, beber, Cuba, vaca
d between vowelsSoft, like the th in this. nada, cada, todo, cansado. Final -d is very soft or silent: Madrid, usted.
j and g before e/iA raspy h from the back of the throat, like Scottish loch, in Spain and Mexico; a plain English h in the Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and southern Spain. jamón, hijo, gente, gimnasio, México
g before a/o/uHard, as in go, at the start of a phrase or after n: gato, gordo, gustar, tengo. Between vowels it softens like b and d, the back of the tongue not quite closing: amigo, hago, lago. gue/gui = hard g with silent u: guerra, guitarra. güe/güi = the u is heard: pingüino.
hAlways silent. hola, hacer, ahora, hospital
ll / yLike English y in yes, often a bit stronger, close to j. In Argentina and Uruguay, "sh". llamar, calle, yo, playa
ñThe ny in canyon, as one sound. año, niño, señor, España. año (year) vs ano (anus): the tilde matters.
c / z / sc before e/i and z are th (as in think) in most of Spain, and s everywhere else. gracias, cerveza, zapato, cinco
qu / cBoth are k: que, quiero, casa, cómo. There is no kw sound in qu.
p / t / kNo puff of air after them. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: English pa blows, Spanish pa does not. papá, tomate, kilo
xks normally (examen, taxi); h sound in Mexican place names (México, Oaxaca).
Sentences to shadow
Play each, then repeat it immediately, matching rhythm and pitch rather than individual sounds. Five minutes a day of this beats an hour of theory.
1El perro de Ramón corre por el parque.(taps and trills)
2Los niños pequeños juegan en la playa.(ñ, j, ll/y)
3¿Dónde está la estación de tren más cercana?(question intonation, soft d)
4Ayer trabajé todo el día y hoy no puedo más.(final stress on -é, linking)
5Me gustaría que vinieras a cenar el viernes.(the subjunctive rhythm)
6Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal.(the classic tongue-twister)
Test your ear with dictation. The practice app reads a sentence in Spanish, you type what you hear, and it shows exactly which words you missed.