Here are a few examples (the highlights correspond to the highlighted syllables): If you see a word with NO accent marks, and it DOES end in n,s, or a vowel, then you stress the second to last syllable, starting from the right. Thank you for helping build the largest language community on the internet. Just be aware of them and let your brain take care of the rest as you practice. However, It is important that you pronounce it as “ah” because the English pronunciation that sounds like “eh”, actually resembles the pronunciation of a different vowel in Spanish, the vowel E, and this can be confusing for Spanish speakers who are trying to understand what you’re saying. The easiest way to remember how to pronounce it correctly is to imagine there is a letter H after the E in English, so it sounds like “eh”, which is similar to the way it is pronounced in the English words “elephant” or “electronic”. It is the same case with the A in these 2 words: sample and bar. Here are the words: Both B and V are pronounced the same way in Spanish, as a regular b in most cases. • q. like the English . Let’s move on to the next letter. Here are a few examples that use the vowel I in Spanish. Actually, this is not an instinctive sound like “ma” or “pa” which are sounds most children make when they are very little all over the world. How to pronounce 'hotel' in English. This is useful because you will become aware of these tendencies, so you can spot them as they show up when you’re speaking Spanish, and gradually phase them out with practice. In a nutshell, the alphabet in Spanish is similar to the alphabet in English, plus one additional letter, the “ñ” which looks like the “n” with a “tilde” on top that looks like a little hat. ... Spanish (USA) Pronunciation: Spanish (Castilian) Pronunciation: Spanish (Castilian) Pronunciation: Spanish (Spain) Pronunciation: So, don’t worry about all this. The Spanish pronunciation of the letters H,G, J, LL and Y is often problematic for native English speakers. pronounced as “u” when it acts as a syllable, as in: pronounced as “guh” when it is next to a vowel, as in: When the words that have W in Spanish come from Eastern Languages, such as Korean or Chinese, the W is pronounced as “guh”, as in: The letter “X” is known as “equis” and it is pronounced as “eh-kees”. Finally, let’s go over a few common pronunciation patterns and common questions related the pronunciation of accents and stressed syllables that you will encounter often in everyday Spanish. Many native English speakers tend to pronounce the J in Spanish, using a soft sound that resembles the English pronunciation, as in the words”Jeff” or “John”. However, native English speakers often tend to pronounce it as an “L” and it is important that you avoid this. However, you shouldn’t worry too much about this because even if you don’t get it perfect, the context of each sentence will help the other person understand what you are talking about most of the time. Or as they say in Spanish “la H es muda” (the h is mute.). No registration required. Translate Hotel. If you happen to run into your high school Spanish professor, and he or she notices a pronunciation that falls within this 10%, tell him (or her) that I said it’s OK, that you have my blessing. This is a bit more challenging but it is easier than most people think. On all other occasions, pretend the H is not even there. Hôtel: learn how to pronounce Hôtel in French with the correct pronunciation approved by native linguists. Depending on where you are, you may also hear a few alternative names for the V in Spanish such as: In Spanish, the letter “W” is known as “doble u” and it is pronounced as “doh-bleh uh”, Note: In Spain, it is known as “doble uve”. First, a harsh one that is a similar to J in Spanish, as in GE and GI. That is easy, whenever you see the letter “r” in a situation that doesn’t fall within the three cases I just mentioned, you can pronounce it as a soft R. As I said before, don´t worry too much about these rules. – Why did you arrive late? and zapatos all have their accent on the next-to-last syllable. Learn about pronunciation h ch a in Spanish using our interactive, multimedia Drag-n-Match quiz. If you notice them, it only means you’re actually practicing and getting better every minute you do it. Imagine it as vividly as possible): This simple mnemonic (a fun memorization tool) showcases the pronunciation of the first three vowels in Spanish at the beginning of each word. Who is this gentleman? There are two ways to pronounce the “Y” in Spanish: 1- It is pronounced as a short “ee” in English when…, 2- When it is next to a vowel, it is pronounced similar to the way the J sounds in the word “Jessica” (which is, similar to the LL in Spanish). A word without an accent mark that ends in other letters has the stress on the last syllable. 5- Why does the word for “what” in Spanish (qué) sometimes has an accent and sometimes doesn’t? When you read a word that has a written accent, it is easy to know which syllable should be stressed as you read it out loud. “hay” – This one means “there is” or “there are.” Sometimes English speakers pronounce it as “hah-ee” buy it should sound more like a shorter version of “eye” in English. Don´t worry about getting it perfect, just keep moving forward. Just keep things simple and pronounce the “z” the way Latin Americans do it, like an “s”. In fact, many of the most common questions I get from my students are related to the pronunciation of Spanish words, and that is why decided to create this resource; The Ultimate Guide to Spanish Pronunciation.. BIG surprise, huh?) As an additional note, there are a few places, like Argentina; where the Y is pronounced as “sh” but in most places it sounds like a soft J when the word Jessica is pronounced in English.