Lesson 1: The Spanish Alphabet
(Lección 1: El Alfabeto Español)
This work will attempt as much as possible to explain the pronunciation of Spanish using the similarities between Spanish and other languages of the world that share the same units of sound or phonemes, especially the phonetic ones, and especially where English is deficient. It is almost impossible to teach the exact pronunciation of Spanish words in English, given that Spanish is quite a phonetic language (every vowel is given its full value, and there are no hidden diphthongs, just like in Latin proper, Latin languages, African languages and Arabic) while English is quite the opposite.
The Spanish Alphabet used to comprise 29 letters: the 26 that form the English Alphabet, plus 3 more letters, namely: ch after c, ll after l, and ñ after n. Their positions are illustrated in the figure below:
a b c ch d e f g h i
j k l ll m n ñ o p q
r s t u v w x y z
But in the changes made and published by the Real Academia Española in 2010, the two-letter consonants of the Spanish language: ch after c and ll after l, continue to be part of the language in written and spoken Spanish, but not anymore as independent two-letter letters. They have effectively been removed from the alphabet and made to melt into the letters c and l, from which they were derived; ch will continue to appear in Spanish dictionaries after c and ll will continue to appear in Spanish dictionaries after l, but when the alphabet is read out or written down, they will not be mentioned. Therefore, the Spanish alphabet now comprises only 27 letters, the 26 letters of the English alphabet plus one more, namely, the ñ, as is shown in the figure below:
a b c d e f g h i
j k l m n ñ o p q
r s t u v w x y z
Pronunciation of the Alphabet
(La Pronunciación del Alfabeto)
There is a number of things to bear in mind while learning the pronunciation:
· Although ch and ll each contain two letters, they were, however, regarded and treated as a single consonant. For historical reasons and because new students will be confused if they do not know how things used to be, I will treat them in the pronunciation class.
· It must be mentioned emphatically that this book intends to teach Spanish language as it is spoken in Castilla (Castile), the birth place of the language, in the very centre of the country today known as Spain, for which reason another name for El Español (Spanish language) is El Castellano. But because dialects and phonetic differences exist in all languages of the world, do not be surprised if you hear pronunciations of Spanish words different from what is in this book. There are different pronunciations in some parts of Spain, especially in the north, in many countries of South America and in Africa. More attention will be given to this topic later, but to avoid confusion while you learn, just follow this book. When you become proficient in the language, you will have the choice to speak the language like it is done in any part of the world you prefer, and the whole Spanish-speaking world will understand you.
· Remember you are learning a language that is not English, so do not let the English or any other language you know interfere with the Spanish you are learning. Just shut out any other language you know from your brain and concentrate on the one you are learning. This way you learn and retain fast.
· The pronunciation of a letter when it stands alone is most times different from, and less important than, its pronunciation when in combination with other letters.
· I will not use international phonetic symbols in this book because the linguistic lay man does not understand them.
The Spanish Alphabet used to comprise 29 letters: the 26 that form the English Alphabet, plus 3 more letters, namely: ch after c, ll after l, and ñ after n. Their positions are illustrated in the figure below:
a b c ch d e f g h i
j k l ll m n ñ o p q
r s t u v w x y z
But in the changes made and published by the Real Academia Española in 2010, the two-letter consonants of the Spanish language: ch after c and ll after l, continue to be part of the language in written and spoken Spanish, but not anymore as independent two-letter letters. They have effectively been removed from the alphabet and made to melt into the letters c and l, from which they were derived; ch will continue to appear in Spanish dictionaries after c and ll will continue to appear in Spanish dictionaries after l, but when the alphabet is read out or written down, they will not be mentioned. Therefore, the Spanish alphabet now comprises only 27 letters, the 26 letters of the English alphabet plus one more, namely, the ñ, as is shown in the figure below:
a b c d e f g h i
j k l m n ñ o p q
r s t u v w x y z
Pronunciation of the Alphabet
(La Pronunciación del Alfabeto)
There is a number of things to bear in mind while learning the pronunciation:
· Although ch and ll each contain two letters, they were, however, regarded and treated as a single consonant. For historical reasons and because new students will be confused if they do not know how things used to be, I will treat them in the pronunciation class.
· It must be mentioned emphatically that this book intends to teach Spanish language as it is spoken in Castilla (Castile), the birth place of the language, in the very centre of the country today known as Spain, for which reason another name for El Español (Spanish language) is El Castellano. But because dialects and phonetic differences exist in all languages of the world, do not be surprised if you hear pronunciations of Spanish words different from what is in this book. There are different pronunciations in some parts of Spain, especially in the north, in many countries of South America and in Africa. More attention will be given to this topic later, but to avoid confusion while you learn, just follow this book. When you become proficient in the language, you will have the choice to speak the language like it is done in any part of the world you prefer, and the whole Spanish-speaking world will understand you.
· Remember you are learning a language that is not English, so do not let the English or any other language you know interfere with the Spanish you are learning. Just shut out any other language you know from your brain and concentrate on the one you are learning. This way you learn and retain fast.
· The pronunciation of a letter when it stands alone is most times different from, and less important than, its pronunciation when in combination with other letters.
· I will not use international phonetic symbols in this book because the linguistic lay man does not understand them.
The letters of the Spanish alphabet, therefore, are pronounced as follows:
a: English calls it ay but Spanish calls it ah, like the a in grammar. Word sample: Padre (Father), Madre (Mother), Casa (House).
b: English calls it bee but Spanish calls it bay. At the beginning of a word and before a consonant, this letter is like the b in bank or in blonde. Word sample: Banco (Bank), Blando (Soft, Bland), Biblia (Bible).
At the end of a word and before vowels, the pronunciation is very soft, almost silent. Word sample: Cubo (Bucket), Saber (To know), Cabo (Cape, Corporal). English has no equivalent for this second sound. Just pronounce the letter with your lips barely touching each other.
c: English calls it see and Spanish calls it thay, the th like in thin. Word sample: Cinco (Five), Cebolla (Onion), Cintura (Waist, Belt).
ch: This is the first of the three letters that used to make the Spanish alphabet differ from the English alphabet. Spanish language calls it chay, the ch like in change. Word sample: Chico (Boy, Little), Chapa (Sheet, Panel, Veneer), Cheque (Cheque). Do not forget, like has been mentioned above, Spanish is a phonetic language. All vowels are pronounced, whether they occur at the beginning or in the middle or at the end of a word. Example: the word, cheque, is spelt alike in English and Spanish, but pronounced differently. English pronounces it as check, but Spanish pronounces it as chay-kay, the last e given its full phonetic value.
NOTE: This two-letter letter of the Spanish alphabet, according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, is no more a letter of the Spanish alphabet. It has been featured here so that the student might learn its pronunciation and know the history of the language.
d: English calls this letter dee but Spanish calls it day. The pronunciation is strong when d is at the beginning and at the middle of a word, and soft when it is at the end. Word sample: the d in Domingo (Sunday) is like the d in Dominic; the d in Linda (Beautiful) is like the d in India; the d in Dramaturgo (Playwright) is like the one in Dramatist. But the last d in Madrid is pronounced so soft it is almost silent, and it is pronounced like the th in thin. (Mah-dreeth). Universidad, pronounced Oo-nee-ver-see-dath (University)
e: English calls this letter ee but Spanish calls it ay, just like the English letter a. Word sample: Estudio (Study), Este (East), Templo (Temple).
f: English calls this letter ehf but Spanish calls it ay-fay. It is pronounced in Spanish words just like in English words. Word sample: Francisco (Francis), Sofa (Sopha), Fibra (Fibre).
g: The pronunciation of this letter is very difficult to present in writing. It is called the gargling sound because it is much like the sound that comes out of your mouth when you try to clear your throat. It is best represented as khay. Try to pronounce, not k and not h but something in between. This sound is also found in Scottish (loch) and Urhobo (Oghene). It is also found in Gaelic, Arabic, Itsekiri and some other African Languages.
h: English calls this letter haych but Spanish calls it ahchay. This is the only letter that is never pronounced in Spanish. It is silent in all words. Word sample: Habla (Speak), is pronounced ahblah. Hola (Hello, Hi) is pronounced ohlah. Hijo (Son), pronounced ikjo. If you find it impossible to pronounce this letter, just pronounce it like a very strong English h.
i: English pronounces this letter like the English word eye but Spanish calls it ee, like the ee in heel. Word sample: Italia (Italy), Simple, pronounced seempleh (Simple), Vivo (Alive).
j: j is very much like the Spanish g because they both have the gargling sound. This letter is pronounced as khota. Word sample: Jirafa, pronounced Kheerahfah (Giraffe), Jabón, pronounced Khabon (Soap), Ajo, pronounced Akho (Garlic).
k: English calls this letter kay but Spanish calls it kah. It is not originally Spanish but it has come to be part of the alphabet. It features mostly in words of foreign origin, especially Greek. Word sample: Kilómetro (Kilometre), Klaxon (Horn), Kiosco (Kiosk).
l: English calls this letter ehl but Spanish calls it ay-lay. Word sample: Elefante (Elephant), Letra (Letter), Londres (London), Salomón (Solomon).
ll: Pronounced aydyay, this is another of the tricky pronunciations in Spanish. The double l letter is pronounced almost like j and almost like y. Try pronouncing the English j and y at the same time. You will get something like aydyay with the d very soft, or ayjay, with the j very soft, like the j is French Je. Lazy people who do not want to be bothered by the troubles of pronunciation pronounce the letter as a y; they simply say, ayyay Spanish linguistic purists say it should be pronounced as ayliay, with the double ll pronounced as li. But having lived with Spanish almost all my life I can tell you that those purists are so infinitesimal in number I have not heard many people pronounce it like that in more than twenty years – and I have been all over the Spanish-speaking world! Therefore, as your teacher, I can tell you that most Spaniards call that letter aydyay. The choice belongs to the student. Word sample: Llamada (Call) is pronounced dyamada, Llave (Key), Mallorca (Majorca).
NOTE: This two-letter letter of the Spanish alphabet, according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, is no more a letter of the Spanish alphabet. It has been featured here so that the student might learn its pronunciation and know the history of the language.
m: English says ehm but Spanish calls this letter ay-may, like the eme in Clement. Word sample: Eminente (Eminent), Miembro (Member), Momia (Mummy).
n: English says ehn but Spanish calls this letter ay-nay, like the ene in Energy. Word sample: Enemigo (Enemy), Entidad (Entity), Nieto (Grandson), Salmón (Salmon).
ñ: Pronounced ay-nyay, this is another of the sounds that you do not find in English language. English books say the nearest thing is the sound of the n in onion. This phoneme is exactly the gn in Latin proper, like in Agnus (Lamb), and is exactly the ny in most African languages, like the Anya (Eye) in Igbo, the Enyi (Egg) in Yoruba, the Hanya (Road) in Hausa, the Ochanya (female name) in Tiv, etc. Word sample: España (Spain), Leña (Firewood), Ñame (Yam). You might know some other languages of the world that have this unit of sound.
o: The Spanish o is a straight o, not the diphthongal English o. It has two sounds, one like the o in Token and the other like the o in Odd. Word sample: Otoño (Autumn), the three o’s like the o in Token; Donación (Donation), the first o like in Token and the second like in Odd, Moneda, (Coin, Currency), like the o in Odd.
p: English calls it pee, Spanish calls it pay. Word sample: Pecho (Chest), Pan (Bread), Playa (Beach).
q: Pronounced koo, this letter never occurs alone in a word, except in words of foreign origin, like Iraq or Qatar. It is always in the combination of que or qui, and has the k sound. Word sample: Querido pronounced kay-ree-doh (Beloved), Aquí pronounced ah-kee (Here), Química pronounced kee-mee-kah (Chemistry or Chemical).
r: The Pronunciation is ay-ray. To speak good Spanish, this letter must be rolled wherever it occurs in a word, like in Arabic, Italian or Hausa. It is pronounced stronger when it begins a word than when it is in the middle or at the end. Word sample: Barcelona pronounced Ba-r-r-thay-loh-nah, (Barcelona), Rayo pronounced R-r-r-ayo (Ray), Charlar pronounced Ch-a-r-r-l-a-r-r (To Chat, To Converse). The letter r in many words come double (rr), in which case, the pronunciation is given double the thrill, equivalent to the r when it begins a word. Word sample: Desarrollo (Development), pronounced de-sa-r-r-r-odyo, with the last d almost silent, Arroz (Rice), Terror (Terror). Many grammar books of old treated rr as a separate letter of the alphabet after r, just like ch and ll, but not anymore.
s: This letter is pronounced ay-say, like in essay. Word sample: Espíritu (Spirit): Señorita (Miss), Paraguas (Umbrella).
t: This letter is pronounced tay, like in taint. Word sample: Té (Tea), Atencíon (Attention), Utensilio (Utensil).
u: English calls it you, Spanish calls it oo, like in wool. Word sample: Unión, pronounced oo-nion not you-nion (Union), Lunes (Monday), Champú (Shampoo).
v: This letter does not have the strong English v sound. It is pronounced oovbe; v and b have the same pronunciation in Spanish, or almost, and the sound is something between the two letters. Try to pronounce b and v at the same time. What you get is a very soft b or very soft v. Try pronouncing the English b or v with the lips barely touching. Word sample: Vamos, pronounced vbamos (Let´s go), Eva (Eve), Vista (Sight).
w: oovbe doble, pronounced like Spanish v. This is another letter not originally Spanish, but which has come to be part of the alphabet. It also features mostly words of foreign origin, like in Wenceslao (William), Wáter, taken from water closet (Toilet, Lavatory), Whisky pronounced gwiskee (Whiskey).
x: Pronounced ay-kees. This is another letter of foreign origin. Word sample: Taxi, pronounced tahk-see or tah-see (Taxi),
y: When pronounced as a stand-alone letter, the pronunciation of this letter used to be ee-gree-ay-gah, literally, Greek i, but according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, its new pronunciation is simply dyay or, if you find this difficult, just say yay, with the y very strong. It shares the same pronunciation with ll when used in words, pronounced like a very soft j, or a very strong y, not like the y in English Yes. Word sample: Yo (I), Yerno (Son-in-Law), Y, pronounced ee (And).
z: This letter is pronounced thay-tah, the th also like in thin, same as the letter c. Word sample: Zapato pronounced thah-pah-toh, the th like in thin (shoe), Zanahoria pronounced thah-nah-oh-reeah (Carrot), Zumo pronounced thu-moh, the th always like in thin (Juice).
Special Consonant-Vowel Combinations
(Combinaciones Especiales Consonante-Vocal)
Now that you have heard the sounds of individual letters of the alphabet, it is time to look at the behavior of some consonants of those letters when they encounter the vowels: a, e, i, o and u. This will help you in mastering the pronunciation of Spanish words in general.
The Letter c has two sounds, which I will call hard and soft. It is hard when it meets a, o and u; and soft when it meets e and i.:
Ca is pronounced like the ca in cat. Example: cámara (camera, chamber).
Co is pronounced like the co in coal. Example: codo (elbow).
Cu is pronounced like the cu in cool. Example: cubo (bucket).
But
Ce is pronounced like the Iberian c in the alphabet. Example: cebolla (onion), pronounced thay-boh-dya, the th like in thin and not like in they, and the d very soft.
Ci is pronounced like the Iberian c. Example cintura (belt, waist), pronounced theen-too-rah, the th like in thin and not like in this.
The letter g also has two sounds, hard and soft. It is hard when it meets a, o and u; and it is soft when it meets e and i.:
Ga is pronounced like the ga in gamble. Example: gamba (Shrimp).
Go is pronounced like the go in goal. Example: gozo (joy).
Gu is pronounced like the gu in goose. Example: gusto (taste, liking).
But
Ge is pronounced like the gargling g in the alphabet. Example: gente, pronounced khenteh (people).
Gi is pronounced like the gargling g in the alphabet. Example: gigante, pronounced kheeganteh (giant).
When g and e have a u between them, like in the word Guerra (war), the g loses the gargling sound and is pronounced like the g in guest, meaning the u is silent and is just there to moderate the sound of the g.
And when g and i have a u between them, like in the word Guia (guide), the g loses the gargling sound and is pronounced like the g in guild, meaning the u is silent.
When the u in the combination gue and gui has to be pronounced, Spanish language lets you know it by placing two dots, called diaeresis, on that u. Word sample: Antigüedad, pronounced antee-gway-dahd (Antiquity); Lingüista (Linguist), pronounced leen-gwees-tah, Cigüeñal (Crank shaft), pronounced thee-gway-niahl, the n like in onion.
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a: English calls it ay but Spanish calls it ah, like the a in grammar. Word sample: Padre (Father), Madre (Mother), Casa (House).
b: English calls it bee but Spanish calls it bay. At the beginning of a word and before a consonant, this letter is like the b in bank or in blonde. Word sample: Banco (Bank), Blando (Soft, Bland), Biblia (Bible).
At the end of a word and before vowels, the pronunciation is very soft, almost silent. Word sample: Cubo (Bucket), Saber (To know), Cabo (Cape, Corporal). English has no equivalent for this second sound. Just pronounce the letter with your lips barely touching each other.
c: English calls it see and Spanish calls it thay, the th like in thin. Word sample: Cinco (Five), Cebolla (Onion), Cintura (Waist, Belt).
ch: This is the first of the three letters that used to make the Spanish alphabet differ from the English alphabet. Spanish language calls it chay, the ch like in change. Word sample: Chico (Boy, Little), Chapa (Sheet, Panel, Veneer), Cheque (Cheque). Do not forget, like has been mentioned above, Spanish is a phonetic language. All vowels are pronounced, whether they occur at the beginning or in the middle or at the end of a word. Example: the word, cheque, is spelt alike in English and Spanish, but pronounced differently. English pronounces it as check, but Spanish pronounces it as chay-kay, the last e given its full phonetic value.
NOTE: This two-letter letter of the Spanish alphabet, according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, is no more a letter of the Spanish alphabet. It has been featured here so that the student might learn its pronunciation and know the history of the language.
d: English calls this letter dee but Spanish calls it day. The pronunciation is strong when d is at the beginning and at the middle of a word, and soft when it is at the end. Word sample: the d in Domingo (Sunday) is like the d in Dominic; the d in Linda (Beautiful) is like the d in India; the d in Dramaturgo (Playwright) is like the one in Dramatist. But the last d in Madrid is pronounced so soft it is almost silent, and it is pronounced like the th in thin. (Mah-dreeth). Universidad, pronounced Oo-nee-ver-see-dath (University)
e: English calls this letter ee but Spanish calls it ay, just like the English letter a. Word sample: Estudio (Study), Este (East), Templo (Temple).
f: English calls this letter ehf but Spanish calls it ay-fay. It is pronounced in Spanish words just like in English words. Word sample: Francisco (Francis), Sofa (Sopha), Fibra (Fibre).
g: The pronunciation of this letter is very difficult to present in writing. It is called the gargling sound because it is much like the sound that comes out of your mouth when you try to clear your throat. It is best represented as khay. Try to pronounce, not k and not h but something in between. This sound is also found in Scottish (loch) and Urhobo (Oghene). It is also found in Gaelic, Arabic, Itsekiri and some other African Languages.
h: English calls this letter haych but Spanish calls it ahchay. This is the only letter that is never pronounced in Spanish. It is silent in all words. Word sample: Habla (Speak), is pronounced ahblah. Hola (Hello, Hi) is pronounced ohlah. Hijo (Son), pronounced ikjo. If you find it impossible to pronounce this letter, just pronounce it like a very strong English h.
i: English pronounces this letter like the English word eye but Spanish calls it ee, like the ee in heel. Word sample: Italia (Italy), Simple, pronounced seempleh (Simple), Vivo (Alive).
j: j is very much like the Spanish g because they both have the gargling sound. This letter is pronounced as khota. Word sample: Jirafa, pronounced Kheerahfah (Giraffe), Jabón, pronounced Khabon (Soap), Ajo, pronounced Akho (Garlic).
k: English calls this letter kay but Spanish calls it kah. It is not originally Spanish but it has come to be part of the alphabet. It features mostly in words of foreign origin, especially Greek. Word sample: Kilómetro (Kilometre), Klaxon (Horn), Kiosco (Kiosk).
l: English calls this letter ehl but Spanish calls it ay-lay. Word sample: Elefante (Elephant), Letra (Letter), Londres (London), Salomón (Solomon).
ll: Pronounced aydyay, this is another of the tricky pronunciations in Spanish. The double l letter is pronounced almost like j and almost like y. Try pronouncing the English j and y at the same time. You will get something like aydyay with the d very soft, or ayjay, with the j very soft, like the j is French Je. Lazy people who do not want to be bothered by the troubles of pronunciation pronounce the letter as a y; they simply say, ayyay Spanish linguistic purists say it should be pronounced as ayliay, with the double ll pronounced as li. But having lived with Spanish almost all my life I can tell you that those purists are so infinitesimal in number I have not heard many people pronounce it like that in more than twenty years – and I have been all over the Spanish-speaking world! Therefore, as your teacher, I can tell you that most Spaniards call that letter aydyay. The choice belongs to the student. Word sample: Llamada (Call) is pronounced dyamada, Llave (Key), Mallorca (Majorca).
NOTE: This two-letter letter of the Spanish alphabet, according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, is no more a letter of the Spanish alphabet. It has been featured here so that the student might learn its pronunciation and know the history of the language.
m: English says ehm but Spanish calls this letter ay-may, like the eme in Clement. Word sample: Eminente (Eminent), Miembro (Member), Momia (Mummy).
n: English says ehn but Spanish calls this letter ay-nay, like the ene in Energy. Word sample: Enemigo (Enemy), Entidad (Entity), Nieto (Grandson), Salmón (Salmon).
ñ: Pronounced ay-nyay, this is another of the sounds that you do not find in English language. English books say the nearest thing is the sound of the n in onion. This phoneme is exactly the gn in Latin proper, like in Agnus (Lamb), and is exactly the ny in most African languages, like the Anya (Eye) in Igbo, the Enyi (Egg) in Yoruba, the Hanya (Road) in Hausa, the Ochanya (female name) in Tiv, etc. Word sample: España (Spain), Leña (Firewood), Ñame (Yam). You might know some other languages of the world that have this unit of sound.
o: The Spanish o is a straight o, not the diphthongal English o. It has two sounds, one like the o in Token and the other like the o in Odd. Word sample: Otoño (Autumn), the three o’s like the o in Token; Donación (Donation), the first o like in Token and the second like in Odd, Moneda, (Coin, Currency), like the o in Odd.
p: English calls it pee, Spanish calls it pay. Word sample: Pecho (Chest), Pan (Bread), Playa (Beach).
q: Pronounced koo, this letter never occurs alone in a word, except in words of foreign origin, like Iraq or Qatar. It is always in the combination of que or qui, and has the k sound. Word sample: Querido pronounced kay-ree-doh (Beloved), Aquí pronounced ah-kee (Here), Química pronounced kee-mee-kah (Chemistry or Chemical).
r: The Pronunciation is ay-ray. To speak good Spanish, this letter must be rolled wherever it occurs in a word, like in Arabic, Italian or Hausa. It is pronounced stronger when it begins a word than when it is in the middle or at the end. Word sample: Barcelona pronounced Ba-r-r-thay-loh-nah, (Barcelona), Rayo pronounced R-r-r-ayo (Ray), Charlar pronounced Ch-a-r-r-l-a-r-r (To Chat, To Converse). The letter r in many words come double (rr), in which case, the pronunciation is given double the thrill, equivalent to the r when it begins a word. Word sample: Desarrollo (Development), pronounced de-sa-r-r-r-odyo, with the last d almost silent, Arroz (Rice), Terror (Terror). Many grammar books of old treated rr as a separate letter of the alphabet after r, just like ch and ll, but not anymore.
s: This letter is pronounced ay-say, like in essay. Word sample: Espíritu (Spirit): Señorita (Miss), Paraguas (Umbrella).
t: This letter is pronounced tay, like in taint. Word sample: Té (Tea), Atencíon (Attention), Utensilio (Utensil).
u: English calls it you, Spanish calls it oo, like in wool. Word sample: Unión, pronounced oo-nion not you-nion (Union), Lunes (Monday), Champú (Shampoo).
v: This letter does not have the strong English v sound. It is pronounced oovbe; v and b have the same pronunciation in Spanish, or almost, and the sound is something between the two letters. Try to pronounce b and v at the same time. What you get is a very soft b or very soft v. Try pronouncing the English b or v with the lips barely touching. Word sample: Vamos, pronounced vbamos (Let´s go), Eva (Eve), Vista (Sight).
w: oovbe doble, pronounced like Spanish v. This is another letter not originally Spanish, but which has come to be part of the alphabet. It also features mostly words of foreign origin, like in Wenceslao (William), Wáter, taken from water closet (Toilet, Lavatory), Whisky pronounced gwiskee (Whiskey).
x: Pronounced ay-kees. This is another letter of foreign origin. Word sample: Taxi, pronounced tahk-see or tah-see (Taxi),
y: When pronounced as a stand-alone letter, the pronunciation of this letter used to be ee-gree-ay-gah, literally, Greek i, but according to the changes of the Real Academia Española promulgated in 2010, its new pronunciation is simply dyay or, if you find this difficult, just say yay, with the y very strong. It shares the same pronunciation with ll when used in words, pronounced like a very soft j, or a very strong y, not like the y in English Yes. Word sample: Yo (I), Yerno (Son-in-Law), Y, pronounced ee (And).
z: This letter is pronounced thay-tah, the th also like in thin, same as the letter c. Word sample: Zapato pronounced thah-pah-toh, the th like in thin (shoe), Zanahoria pronounced thah-nah-oh-reeah (Carrot), Zumo pronounced thu-moh, the th always like in thin (Juice).
Special Consonant-Vowel Combinations
(Combinaciones Especiales Consonante-Vocal)
Now that you have heard the sounds of individual letters of the alphabet, it is time to look at the behavior of some consonants of those letters when they encounter the vowels: a, e, i, o and u. This will help you in mastering the pronunciation of Spanish words in general.
The Letter c has two sounds, which I will call hard and soft. It is hard when it meets a, o and u; and soft when it meets e and i.:
Ca is pronounced like the ca in cat. Example: cámara (camera, chamber).
Co is pronounced like the co in coal. Example: codo (elbow).
Cu is pronounced like the cu in cool. Example: cubo (bucket).
But
Ce is pronounced like the Iberian c in the alphabet. Example: cebolla (onion), pronounced thay-boh-dya, the th like in thin and not like in they, and the d very soft.
Ci is pronounced like the Iberian c. Example cintura (belt, waist), pronounced theen-too-rah, the th like in thin and not like in this.
The letter g also has two sounds, hard and soft. It is hard when it meets a, o and u; and it is soft when it meets e and i.:
Ga is pronounced like the ga in gamble. Example: gamba (Shrimp).
Go is pronounced like the go in goal. Example: gozo (joy).
Gu is pronounced like the gu in goose. Example: gusto (taste, liking).
But
Ge is pronounced like the gargling g in the alphabet. Example: gente, pronounced khenteh (people).
Gi is pronounced like the gargling g in the alphabet. Example: gigante, pronounced kheeganteh (giant).
When g and e have a u between them, like in the word Guerra (war), the g loses the gargling sound and is pronounced like the g in guest, meaning the u is silent and is just there to moderate the sound of the g.
And when g and i have a u between them, like in the word Guia (guide), the g loses the gargling sound and is pronounced like the g in guild, meaning the u is silent.
When the u in the combination gue and gui has to be pronounced, Spanish language lets you know it by placing two dots, called diaeresis, on that u. Word sample: Antigüedad, pronounced antee-gway-dahd (Antiquity); Lingüista (Linguist), pronounced leen-gwees-tah, Cigüeñal (Crank shaft), pronounced thee-gway-niahl, the n like in onion.
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