Chapter 1

Sounding Like a Native Speaker

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting a handle on vowels, diphthongs, and consonants

Dealing with stress and accent marks

Identifying words that are the same in English and Spanish

Recognizing words that are very similar

Avoiding falling into traps

Some people can pick up a foreign language and sound like a native with minimal effort, whereas others struggle to lose their hometown accent. The fortunate ones can imitate the Spanish speakers they've heard in their neighborhood, on TV, in the movies, or on a You Tube broadcast. If you're not among those lucky ones, and don't have a good ear for language, this chapter gives you the practice you need to perfect your pronunciation.

This chapter also presents Spanish words that you already know: words that English has borrowed from the Spanish. Surprisingly, your everyday vocabulary is filled with words that are the same, or almost the same, in both languages. You may realize that you already know quite a bit of Spanish - you just have to pronounce the words a bit differently.

Pronouncing Properly

Naturally, when you speak Spanish, you want to sound as authentic as possible. The good news is that Spanish is quite easy to pronounce because it's a very phonetic language. What does that mean? Simply say each word exactly as you see it and put on your best Spanish accent. Chances are you'll sound more like a native than you could imagine.

The Spanish alphabet contains all the letters of the English alphabet plus ñ, which follows the letter n. In 2010, the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia de la Lengua Española) removed the letters ch and ll, that were previously considered part of the alphabet.

(Track 1) This track gives you the chance to practice Spanish sounds. You'll hear each letter of the alphabet in English followed by its pronunciation in Spanish.

To lay a strong foundation for learning Spanish, read the following sections that discuss the correct ways to pronounce vowels, diphthongs, vowel combinations, and consonants.

Voicing vowels

Unlike in English, each Spanish vowel is pronounced consistently. Table 1-1 gives you a breakdown to help you start.

TABLE 1-1 Pronouncing Vowels

Vowel

English Sound

Spanish Example

a

ah as in spa

papa (pah-pah) (potato)

e

eh as in red

ella (eh-yah) (she)

i

ee as in key

idea (ee-deh-yah) (idea)

o

oh as in no

ojo (oh-hoh) (eye)

u

oo as in do

uno (oo-noh) (one)

Practicing diphthongs

It gets a little tricky when you confront diphthongs, or a combinations of two vowels. Table 1-2 can help put your concerns to rest.

TABLE 1-2 Pronouncing Diphthongs

Diphthongs

English Sound

Spanish Example

ae, ai, ay

ah-eh (ay) as in eye

aeropuerto (ah-eh-roh-poo-ehr-toh) (airport)

aire (ah-eh-reh) (air)

ayuda (ah-eh-oo-dah) (help)

au

ah-oh (ow) as in owl

autor (ah-oh-tohr) (author)

ea

eh-ah

fea (feh-ah) (ugly)

ei, ey

a as in day

seis (seh-ees) (six)

rey (rreh) (king)

eo

eh-oh

leo (leh-oh) (I read)

eu

eh-oo

Europa (eh-oo-roh-pah) (Europe)

ia

ee-ah

seria (seh-ree-ah) (serious)

ie

ee-eh

siete (see-eh-teh) (seven)

io

ee-oh

avión (ah-bee-ohn) (airplane)

iu

ee-oo

ciudad (see-oo-dahd) (city)

oa, ua

oo-ah (wah) as in watch

toalla (toh-ah-yah) (towel)

agua (ah-goo-ah) (water)

oe, ue

oh-eh (weh) as in wet

oeste (oh-ehs-teh) (west)

cuento (koo-ehn-toh) (short story)

oi, oy

oh-ee (oy) as in boy

oigo (oh-ee-goh) (I hear)

soy (soh-ee) (I am)

ui, uy

oo-ee (we) as in we

cuido (koo-ee-doh) (I take care of)

muy (moo-ee) (very)

uo

oo-oh as in woe

cuota (koo-oh-tah) (quota)

Verbalizing consonants

Consonants are a snap to master because most are pronounced exactly the same as they are in English. They are: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, w, y. Note the exceptions in Table 1-3:

TABLE 1-3 Pronouncing Consonants

Consonant

English Sound

Spanish Example

c

s before e and i (s in Latin America and th in Spain.

k elsewhere

centro (sehn-troh) (thehn-troh) (downtown)

cinco (seen-koh) (theen-koh) (five)

casa (kah-sah) (house)

g

h before e and i

hard g elsewhere

gente (hehn-teh) (people)

gira (hee-rah) (tour)

gordo (gohr-doh) (fat)

h

silent

hora (oh-rah) (hour)

j

h

junto (hoon-toh) (together)

ll

y

llama (yah-mah) (llama)

ñ

ni as in onion

niño (nee-nyoh) (boy)

r

slightly rolled r

oro (oh-roh) (gold)

rr

rolled 2 or 3 times

at beginning of word

after l, n, or s

carro (kah-rroh) (car)

rico (rree-koh) (rich)

alrededor (ahl-rreh-deh-dohr) (around)

Enrique (ehn-rree-keh) (Henry)

Israel (ees-rrah-ehl) (Israel)

v

similar to b

vaca (bah-kah) (cow)

x

s followed by a consonant

ks followed by a vowel

extra (ehs-trah) (extra)

exacto (ehk-sahk-toh) (exact)

z

th in Spain

s in Spanish America

zoo (thoh) (zoo)

zoo (soh)

In Spain the consonant z is like the English th as in them. The letter k is used only in words of foreign origin.

Understanding Stress and Accent Marks

In Spanish, words are pronounced just like they sound. Take note of the following...