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GUIDE TO GUIDE TO SPANISH SPANISH

PRONUNCIATIONPRONUNCIATION

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To pronounce Spanish correctly To pronounce Spanish correctly

85% of what you need to know 85% of what you need to know is found in three things:is found in three things:

•TTAACCOO•BBUURRRRIITOTO•PPEEPPEE

A = “ah” O= “oh”A = “ah” O= “oh”

U = “ooh” I = “ee”U = “ooh” I = “ee”

E = “ay”E = “ay”

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The Other 15%The Other 15%(And you already know a lot of them!)(And you already know a lot of them!)

• LLLL = “y” like in = “y” like in tortillatortilla • JJ = “h” like in = “h” like in jalapeñojalapeño• ÑÑ = “ni” like in = “ni” like in jalapeñojalapeño• QUQU = “k” like in = “k” like in tequilatequila • ZZ = = “s”“s” (like a hissing snake) (like a hissing snake)• HH = always = always silent silent (*but CH still sounds like “Ch-uh”)(*but CH still sounds like “Ch-uh”)

• VV = a = a soft soft “B“B””• II’s and ’s and EE’s ’s softensoften “ “GG’s” and “’s” and “CC’s”’s” -- Hard G (“guh”) like in -- Hard G (“guh”) like in gatogato becomes an “h” like in becomes an “h” like in

GeraldoGeraldo

-- Hard C (“k”) like in -- Hard C (“k”) like in Carmen Carmen becomes “s” like in becomes “s” like in ciencias.ciencias.

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Vowel BlendsVowel Blends

• When there is a When there is a strongstrong and and weakweak vowel together they make something vowel together they make something called a diphthong or vowel blend.called a diphthong or vowel blend.

A

O

E I

U

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Vowel BlendsVowel Blends• The two vowels are pronounced as ONE The two vowels are pronounced as ONE

SYLLABLE. You still HEAR each vowel, SYLLABLE. You still HEAR each vowel, but one is “drowned out” a bit.but one is “drowned out” a bit.

• uuaa like in like in cuandocuando

• uuee like in like in puertapuerta

• iiaa like in like in demasiadodemasiado

• iiee like in like in viernesviernes

• iiuu like in like in ciudadciudad

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NOT Vowel BlendsNOT Vowel Blends

• If a weak and a strong vowel appear If a weak and a strong vowel appear together but one has an together but one has an ACCENTACCENT MARKMARK, they are , they are NOTNOT pronounced as pronounced as ONE SYLLABLE. You hear each ONE SYLLABLE. You hear each vowel alone.vowel alone.

• uuó ó like in like in continuó continuó

• ííaa like in like in díadía

• ííoo like in like in fríofrío