Tips for Speaking Spanish

Pronouncing the Vowels

a         is pronounced like the English a in father.

e         is pronounced like the English e in they.

i          is pronounced like the English ee in see or i in thing.

o         is similar to the English o in no but without the glide and it is rounded.

u         is pronounced like the English oo in food.

Stressing Vowels

Always stress the vowel before the last syllable and prolong the length of the sound.  If there is an accent mark, stress that vowel instead.

Pronouncing the Consonants

b         is pronounced the same way as it is in English.

c         is pronounced like the k in English except for words with the ción sound (nación).  In that case it would be like the English word cereal. (an s sound)

ch       is pronounced like the English ch in child. (coche, Chile, mucho, ...)

d        At the beginning of a word and after n or l, the tip of the tongue is pressed against the back of your front teeth. (día, dar, el deseo, ...)
          All other words, place the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth.  It is pronounced like the English th in the word they, but it is softer.

f         is pronounced like the English f.

g        At the beginning of the word or after n it is pronounced like the English word guy. (guerra, ángulo, ...)
          In other words, except before e or i, it is pronounced like the English g in sugar. (lago, amigo...)

ge       is pronounced like the English ey in hey (geografía).

gi       is pronounced like the English word he but not as strong (giro).

gua    The g is pronounced like the English g but not has hard and the Spanish u and a.

gui     is pronounced like the English g and the Spanish i.  (guiar)

gü      It is pronounced like the English g in guy and oo in food.  It is similar to the English gw in Gwen but it is not as strong. (pingüino)

h        In the beginning of a word, it is silent.

hia     The h is pronunced like the English h in he and the Spanish a. Do not pronounce the i. (hiato)

hie     The h is pronounced like the English ye in yellow and the Spanish e.  Do not pronunce the i. (hielo)

j         is pronounced like the English h in hat or hey or hoe (bajo) but not that strong. Some countries pronounce it even stronger.

k        k, c before a, o, u, or a consonant, and qu, is pronounced like the English k in key but without the puff of air.

l         is pronounced by placing your tongue on your teeth to make this letter.

y, ll    In most countries it is pronounced like the English y in yes. (oye, llama, bella, ...) 
          When it stands alone, it is pronounced like the English i in thing. (hoy, y, muy, ...)

m       is pronounced like the English m in mother.

ñ        is pronounced like the English ny in canyon.

n        is pronounced like the English n.
          When the n occurs before b, v, or p, it is pronounced like an m. (un brazo, comen peras, un vaso, ...)  

p         is pronounced like the English p but without the puff of air. 

r, rr     In the beginning of a word and after n, l, or s, and also rr in the middle of a word, are pronounced by rolling it.  

           Bring your tip of your tongue near the top of your teeth and let it vibrate.  
           
          Tip: You can practice this by placing an "a" before "rr" until you can roll them.

r        The single r is pronounced with a single flap of the tongue against the roof of mouth (like the English dd in the word ladder).  (harina, cara, oro, ...)


s        s, z, and c before e or i  is pronounced like the s in sing.  (vaso, cima, zapato, ...)

t        is pronounced by touching your tongue to the back of your front teeth.

v       Always pronounce the v at the beginning of a word like the English b.

x       When the x is between vowels it is like the English gs in egg.
         When it is before a consonant, it sounds like the English s.

z       Always pronounce the z like the English s.