Spanish
Pronunciation
Lessons
Spanish pronunciation is fairly straight-forward, because there are regular
rules for the pronunciation of each letter and letter combination, with very few exceptions. Most letters represent a single sound. The
pronunciation of some letters depends on the location of the letter in the
word and the letters beside it.
Please note that these lessons are only a guideline for the Spanish that I know,
which is Castilian Spanish. There are many regional variations in Spanish
pronunciation.
Acute Accent - Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú
The Spanish acute accent, or tilde, has two different uses. Leaving off the accent on a word
is a spelling mistake, and may even cause confusion, so it's important to
learn what it's there for.
Alphabet
The Spanish alphabet has 30 letters - learn 'em all. Lesson includes a sound
file for each letter as well as a single (long!) sound file with the entire
alphabet.
All About Vowels
An introduction to the pronunciation of Spanish vowels, with sound files.
All Letters
Learn, practice, or review Spanish pronunciation with this detailed
explanation of and sound files for each Spanish letter.
And + Or
The words "and" and "or" have different forms in Spanish
depending on the pronunciation of the word that follows.
Audio Dictionary
The Spanish audio dictionary contains more than 700 alphabetical entries, each with a
Spanish word or expression, sound file, English translation, and link to additional
information.
Dieresis - Ü
The Spanish dieresis is used to obtain a W sound in front of certain vowels.
Diphthongs and Hiatus
When a Spanish word has two vowels side by side, various pronunciation issues
come into play: syllable division, diphthongs, and hiatus. In terms of
syllable division, Spanish vowels are divided into two categories: strong and
weak. To pronounce Spanish correctly, you need to understand strong and weak
vowels and how they affect pronunciation.
Enlace/Encadenamiento
Enlace or encadenamiento is the phenomenon in Spanish whereby each
word seems to run into the next, as if there are no boundaries between them. In fact, this is
exactly the case: there are no phonetic boundaries in Spanish, and words do run together,
in three different ways.
Hard and Soft Vowels
Spanish vowels are divided into two categories: hard and soft. Hard vowels cause the consonant that precedes them to be pronounced with a hard
sound,
while soft vowels are preceded by a soft sound.
Silent Letters
Figuring out how to pronounce a new Spanish word is fairly easy, because there are
consistent rules about how to pronounce each letter, and only two silent
letters.
Spelling Change Verbs
Spelling change verbs undergo consonant changes in certain conjugations, due to a certain aspect of Spanish pronunciation.
Stressed A
When a feminine Spanish noun begins with a stressed A sound, it may require a
masculine article.
Syllabification / Word Division
Spanish words are divided into
syllables according to fairly simple rules.
U
The Spanish letter U has some unique
characteristics. Learn about weak vowels, hard vowels, dieresis, diphthongs, and more in this lesson
(with sound files).
Advanced Pronunciation
Spanish pronunciation is what I like to call phonetic, meaning that
according to the pronunciation rules, in a given use, each letter is always
pronounced a certain way. Many Spanish letters have only one pronunciation, making
them especially easy to learn. But certain consonants have two or more
pronunciations depending on where/how they are used.
Recommended Resources
Audiomagazine
Puerta del Sol is an audiomagazine for intermediate and advanced Spanish students, yet is versatile
enough for just about anyone. I wholeheartedly recommend it for teachers, independent students, homeschoolers,
travelers, and anyone else looking for authentic Spanish listening
practice.
Audio Materials and Resources
Work on your Spanish by listening to Spanish audio. This
page includes links to language tapes/CDs, audio books, and more.
How
to Pronounce Spanish Correctly
CD and booklet with detailed instructions to help you improve your Spanish
accent.
Pronounce It Perfectly in Spanish
This
book and two-tape set will help you master Spanish pronunciation. It
includes information on the accents from different parts of the
Spanish-speaking world.
Upcoming Lessons
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