Rules for reading in Spanish. Reading rules, stress placement. H is never read
When I first started learn spanish, I came across one popular problem. I think you already guessed that it was a matter of pronunciation and vocabulary. To get out of this situation and finally improve my results, I decided to use a little trick.
By the way, if you master Spanish for beginners, then the doors to any dialect or European language will open before you. It is difficult to explain this phenomenon, but it is a fact. After Spanish, other languages are remembered like funny jokes that we love to tell our friends, and that’s why we quickly remember them. But let's not go off topic and talk about the very trick that came to my mind.
If I ask you to sing any song or recite a poem, if I ask you to remember any foreign word, the result will be something simple and memorable. For example, people who have learned English will immediately say a cat (cat) or a dog (dog). And those who gathered learn spanish, most likely to be pronounced gato (cat) or casa (house). And this suggests that everything simple and short is remembered. But that’s not all, such words are the easiest to pronounce, and in this way you solve two problems: you expand your vocabulary and improve your pronunciation.
I think you have already guessed that first you need to learn short words. And a little later, with accumulated experience, you will be able to memorize entire sentences at once or even songs in spanish. For now, focus on training.
Note. Want to know which Spanish word has 5 vowels? I am sure that you will like this word: Murcielago [mursielyakho] - which is translated into Russian: Bat. 5 vowels are used: A, E, I, O, U.
How to read in Spanish correctly?
If you want to understand the mistakes of other students, or understand how to correctly read and pronounce Spanish words, you need to visit the eighth lesson: Speaking Spanish correctly - there we looked at all the most popular mistakes and nuances that our readers encounter.Many beginning students always have the same question: why? CAMA [kama] - bed, read through the letter "K", and CERVEZA [serve] - beer, read with the letter "S". To quickly deal with this task, we will turn to a special plate. It's small and you can easily remember it. And so, let's look:
I feel that now you would like to relax, since you have memorized as many as 6 words in Spanish and learned a new rule. But it’s still early, you’ll have to linger a little, we haven’t talked about other letters that obey this rule. If you find it difficult to learn just the rules, use our section on dialogues in Spanish and continue learning in an easy way. Remember, a few lines ago, we said that Cat in Spanish sounds like “Gato” [gato], but how do you read the word “Gerente”? If someone thought that this reads like “serente”, immediately run into fresh air, you need to refresh your thoughts. In fact, Gerente translates from Spanish into Russian as a manager! And it reads like this: herente. Hmm.. :) There's nothing to be done, learning Spanish from scratch is not as easy as many might think, but we can handle it. In general, let's look at the sign, it's always easier with it!
In different parts of the Spanish-speaking world, the letter ll is pronounced differently, for example, the phrase me llamo can be pronounced as: me yamo, me jamo, me shamo, me jamo, me llamo. But the most classic way is to pronounce ll as i-short (th).
For example: ella, caballo, llorar, castellano.
The pronunciation of this letter depends on the region of Spain and Latin America, as well as the individual speech of the individual. I advise you to remember this as an ordinary [th], and then, if desired and as necessary, rearrange this sound, making it more poisonous. Try to get used to the pronunciation of this letter. There is little left of the usual letter l here.
ella, ellos, ellas, silla, bello, bella, pollo, millón, me llamo, ¿cómo te llamas? , caballero , castellano , lluvia , Castilla , pasillo , caballo , Sevilla , bocadillo , tortilla , amarillo , llave , gallina , calle , estrella , zapatillas , allí , bolsillo , llavero , sillón , maquillaje , chiquillo , mantequilla , .
This letter is in some cases pronounced as й or и, and in some it is similar to the letter ll when it comes before vowels:
1) Daniel y José [Daniel and José]
2) Ana y Elena [ana yelena]
3) Estoy bien, ¿y tú? [estoy bien, and tu?] - Everything is fine with me, and with you?
4) Yo me voy ya [yo me boy ya] - I’m already leaving
Listen and read the speaker's words, paying attention to the correct pronunciation.
1. [i] and [th]
chicos y chicas, señoras y señores, España y Rusia, Carlos y Ana.
2. [th] like the letter ll
yo, ya, vaya, mayo, playa, proyecto, desayuno, yoga, yogur, yate.
Ñ always expresses a soft sound like n in Russian yum-yum.
The only thing that needs to be taken into account is that after the letter ñ there should not be a soft sign or sound й. That is, the word español does not need to be pronounced as espan oh or Espana yo. The letter ñ itself is soft, but it does not change the sound of the vowels after it. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of each word presented.
For example: España, español, montaña, niño.
Listen and read the speaker's words, paying attention to the correct pronunciation.
ña, ñe, ñi, ño, ñu, mañana, niño, compañero, España, español, pequeño, año, baño, montaña, piña, engaño, sueño, leña, ña, otoño.
The letter r can be pronounced as a regular single [r] and as a rolling one.
1. Rolling
Rolling appears at the beginning of a word or after a pause, after the sounds l and n, and also when two letters r are next to each other.
For example: ruso, alrededor, en realidad, perro, color rojo.
Comments: 1) Word r uso starts with r, this letter is at the absolute beginning, so it will be pronounced loudly: rruso; 2) In the word a lr ededor the first letter r comes after the letter l: alrededor; 3) Expression e n r ealidad consists of two words, where the first ends with n and the second begins with r. At the junction with the letter n, the letter r is pronounced loudly: enrrealid hell; 4) In the word pe rr o costs double rr : parrot; 5) Combined colo r ojo at the junction of two letters r a rolling rr will appear: colorrojo.
2. Single sound [r]
In all other cases, a single-stress sound [r] is pronounced: in the middle of a word, in the flow of speech, and when there are no letters l, n, and another r before it.
For example: pero, cara, parque.
Listen and read the speaker's words, paying attention to the correct pronunciation.
1. Rolling
radio, ropa, rico, pizarra, rotulador, Inglaterra, Marruecos, Rusia, ruso, rusa, perro, rojo, color rojo, Enrique, carro, arriba, guitarra, cerrar, rectangular, reloj, un reloj, marrón, un ruso, una mujer rusa, en el rincón, ferrocarril.
| Letter of the Spanish alphabet | Approximate match sound in Russian | Usage example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | A | gato [gato]=cat | - |
| b | b | boca [sides]=mouth | not at the beginning of words and not after the sound [m], pronounced weakly with lips not completely closed. |
| c | 1. Before i and e - c 2. In other cases - to | cenar [senar]=have dinner cantar [kantar]=sing | In case 1 in northern Spain it is pronounced like th in the English word thick. |
| ch | h | muchacho [muchach] = boy | - |
| d | d | dato [dato]=date | - |
| e | uh | mesa [mesa]=table | - |
| f | f | fumar [fumar]=smoking | - |
| g | 1. Before i and e - x 2. In other cases - d | 1. gente [hente]=people 2. gústo = taste | - |
| gue, gui | ge, gi | guía [gia]=guide, guerra [guerra]=war | - |
| h | unreadable | haber = to have | - |
| i | i | final [final]=final | - |
| k | A | kilo [kilo]=kilogram | - |
| l | l | mal [mal=bad] | sound between l and l |
| ll | th | llamar [yamar]=to call | - |
| m | m | medusa [medusa] = jellyfish | - |
| n | n | nulo [nulo]=zero | - |
| ñ | no | аño [anyo]=year | - |
| o | O | rosa [rrosa]=rose | - |
| p | n | profesor [professor]=teacher | - |
| qu | To | queso [queso]=cheese | - |
| r | 1. At the beginning of a word and after n, l, s - pp 2. In other cases - p | 1. roca [rrok] = rock 2.cara [kara]=face | - |
| s | With | casa [kasa]=house | - |
| t | T | tema [theme]=topic | - |
| u | at | luna [moon]=moon | - |
| v | b | vaca [baka]-cow | The rules for reading are no different from the rules for reading b: not at the beginning of words and not after the sound [m] is pronounced weakly with lips not completely closed. |
| X | 1. Between vowels - ks 2. Before a consonant - s | 1.examen [exam] = exam 2. texto [testo]=text | - |
| y | th | yo [yo]=I, hay [ay]=available | no different from the combination ll |
| z | With | paz [pass]=peace | no different from s. In northern Spain it is pronounced like th in the English word thick. |
Diphthongs
A diphthong (phonetic diphnong) is a combination of two vowels pronounced into one syllable. In Spanish, a diphthong usually consists of a combination of the so-called “strong” vowels a, o, e and the “weak” vowels i and u. In this case, the “strong” vowel is syllabic, and the “weak” vowel sounds like a short semivowel.
with final i: ai [ay], ei [hey], oi [oh]: dais [dais], peine [payne], sois [soys]
with final u: au [аў], eu [еў], ou [оў]: fauna [фаўна], deuda [де́ўДа], COU [кў]
with initial i: ia [ya], ie [ye], io [yo]: iu [yu]: piano [piano], ciela [syela], adiós [adyos], viuda [byuda]
with initial u: ua [ўа], ue [ўе], uo [ўо]: agua [а́Гўа], bueno [Ҟе́но], cuota [кўо́та]
At the beginning and at the end of a word, i is written as y: yo, soy
When combining two weak vowels first of them sounds briefly: iu [yu] and ui [ўи]: ciudad [съьуДаД], ruido [Рўи́До]. The exception is the word muy(very), which is pronounced [muy] Thrifthongs
A triphthong is three vowels pronounced as one syllable.
There are 4 triplets in the Spanish language: [yay], [yey], [ўay], [ўey]. The stressed syllable-forming vowels in them are the strong vowels a and e: estudiáis [estudyays], limpiéis [limpyeys], situáis [situays], actuéis [actueys] Place of stress
1) If a word ends in a vowel sound, a diphthong or the consonants n, s and there is no stress mark anywhere in the word, then the stress falls on the penultimate syllable:
- gato [gato] - cat
- serio [seryo] - serious
- flores [flores] - flowers
- comen [komen] - (they) eat
2) If a word ends in a consonant (except -n and -s), then the stress falls on the last syllable:
- cantar [kantar] - sing;
- animal [animal] - animal;
- universidad [uniBersiDaD] - university;
3) Words deviating from these rules are written with emphasis:
- Moscú [Moscow] - Moscow;
- estudió [estuDyo] - studied;
- frencés [frances] - French;
- estación [estasyon] - railway station;
- cantará [kantara] - (he, she) will sing;
- cámera [camera] - camera.
In Russian transcription, using capital letters and the signs ӈ and ў, sounds that are missing in the Russian language are shown:
- B - pronounced as b with lips not completely closed. It is heard as some kind of intermediate sound between [v] and [b]. There is no [v] sound in Spanish;
- L - a sound intermediate between l and l, pronounced when the tip of the tongue touches the upper alveoli (the bumps above the upper teeth);
- G - Ukrainian g, in Russian - g in “aha” and “for God’s sake”;
- R - multi-impact vibrant, rolling r;
- D - interdental fricative voiced sound similar to the English the in this, but with a less protracted tip of the tongue. Sounds like a weak d, weakens at the end of the word almost to the point of disappearing;
- ў - short y, pronounced like the English w in the word water;
- N - middle lingual palatal stop. Similar to Russian н, but pronounced with pressing not the front part of the tongue to the alveoli, but the middle part of the tongue to the upper palate;
- ӈ - soft palate nasal sonant, pronounced like ng in the English word sing;
| Letter | Letter position and denoted by it corresponding sounds | Examples from Russian transcription |
|---|---|---|
| A | [A] | gato [gato] |
| b | 1. At the beginning of a word and after m and n - [b] 2. In other cases [B] | 1. boca [sides], hombre [ombre], un baso 2. nube [nuBe], carbón [carbon] |
| c | 1. Before i and e - [s], in the north of Spain it is pronounced like th in the English word thick. 2. In other cases - [k] | 1. cenar [senar] 2. cása [kasa], clase [class] |
| ch | [h] | muchacho [muchacho] |
| d | 1. At the beginning of a word and after n and l [d] 2. In other cases - [D] | 1.dato [dato], anda [anda], cáldo [kaldo] 2.todo [todo], madre [madre] |
| e | [e] | mesa [mesa] |
| f | [f] | fumar [fumar] |
| g | 1. At the beginning of the word before a, o, u and field n - [r] 2. Between vowels and next to a consonant except n - “G” 3. Before e, i - [x] | 1.gallina [gaina], gota [gota], gusto [thick], tengo 2.lago [Lago], siglo [siglo], cargo [cargo] 3. gente [hente], agitar [ahitar] |
| gue, gui | 1. At the beginning of the word and after n - [ge], [gi] 2. Between vowels and next to a consonant except n - [Ge], [Gi] | 1. guerra [gera], lengua [Léӈgўa] 2.águila [aGiLa], pagué [paGe] |
| güe, güi | 1. At the beginning of the word and field n - [гўе́], [гўи́] 2. Between vowels and next to a consonant except n - [Гўе́], [Гўи́] | 1. güirero [gўirero], lingüística [Liӈgўistika] 2.agüero [aГўero], vergüenza [berGўensa] |
| h | Can't read | haber [aBer] | i | 1. Before a, e, o, u and after a, e, o - [th] 2. In other cases - [and] | 1. piano [piano], cielo [syelo], acción [aksyon], ciudad [syudad], aire [aire], veinte [beinte], boina [slaughterhouse] 2. instituto [institute] |
| j | [X] | rojo [Rojo] |
| k | [To] | kiosko [kyosko] |
| l | [L] | sala [sala] |
| ll | [th] | calle [kaye] |
| m | [m] | música [music] |
| n | 1. Usually [n] 2.Before p, b, v, m - [m] 3.Before k, g, j - ӈ | 1. nada [nada], once [onse] 2. un poco [umpoko], un balcón [umbaLkon] 3.cinco [siӈko], lengua [Léӈgўa], un jardín [uӈhardin] |
| ñ | [H] | año [ano] |
| o | [O] | todo [todo] |
| p | [n] | para [pair] |
| qu | [To] | queso [keso], aquí [aki] |
| r | 1. At the beginning of the word, after n, l and s - [P] 2. In other cases - [p] | 1. rosa [Dew], sonrísa [dream of Risa], alrededor [aLReDeDor], desrizar [dezRisar] 2.comprender [comprender] |
| rr | R | torre [toRe] |
| s | 1. Before voiced consonants like [z] 2. In other cases [s] | 1. desde [dezde], los gatos [lozGatos] 2. sala [sala], mesa [mesa] |
| t | [T] | teatro [teatro] |
| u | 1.before a, e, i, o and after a, e, o - [ў] 2. In other cases - [y] | Agua 2.luna [moon] |
| v | same as b | vaca [tank], lavar [LaBar] |
| x | 1. Between vowels "ks" 2.before consonants "s" | 1.examen [examen] 2. texto [testo] |
| y | th | yerro [yero], voy [fight] |
| z | Similar to s. In northern Spain it is pronounced like th in the English word thick. | voz [bos], zapatos [sapatos]. |
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Being a Romance language, Spanish was formed from Latin and is close to Italian, French and Portuguese. There are also many Romance loanwords in English and Russian, making many Spanish words understandable without translation.
Spanish is one of the most common languages on Earth. In addition to Spain itself, most of America speaks it (except for the USA, Canada, Brazil and some islands of the Caribbean archipelago).
There are quite a few dialects in the Spanish language, so "native" Spanish is called castellano - castellano, i.e. Castilian, after the name of one of the central provinces of Spain, and español (Espanol) means all Spanish-speaking dialects. Two dialects of Spain - Catalan (Barcelona) and Galician (A Coruña) are considered independent languages.
Spanish alphabet
The Spanish alphabet is similar to most Latin-based alphabets, but differs from them (for example, from English) in the absence of letters K And W(very rare) and two special letters Ñ “ene” and LL- double L or "eye".
Reading vowels
Vowels in Spanish are read the same way they are written.
EXCEPTIONS:
U
U is not read after Q
Quito - Quito (capital of Ecuador)
U is not read after G if it is followed by E, I or Y.
Guitarra - guitarra
If it is necessary for U to be read, two dots ü are placed above it.
vergüenza - berguenza (shame, disgrace)
Y
Y is basically read as "th".
Playa - playa (beach)
Reading consonants
Consonants in Spanish are a bit more difficult. In general they are read as they are written, but there are a number of important exceptions.
B-V
B and V are read the same
At the beginning of a word or stressed syllable - like Russian "B"
Vamos a bailar - Bamos a bailar (let's dance)
In other cases - an indistinct sound, an average between the Russian “B” and “V”
¡Viva la Cuba! - V in a la Ku in a! (Long live Cuba!)
C
WITH reads like Russian "s" if followed by E, I or Y,
Cigarra - cigarra (cigar)
in other cases, C is read as the Russian “K”.
Cuba - Ku in a
The letter combination CH is read like the Russian “Ch”.
Muchacha - Muchacha
G
G reads like the Russian “х” if it is followed by E, I or Y,
Gitana - hit ana(Gypsy)
in other cases, G is read as the Russian “g”.
Gallina blanca - gayina blanca (white chicken)
If it is necessary to read G as the Russian “G” before E, I or Y, then an unreadable U is placed after G:
Guerra - Guerra (war)
H
H is never read
La Havana - La A b ana
J
J is always read as the Russian “kh”.
Julio - Julio
LL
Double L is read as a very soft “l”, and often . just like "th".
paella - paeya
Ñ is read as a soft “ny”.
Español - Espanel
X
X is read as "ks"
texto - texto
Z
Z is always read as the Russian “s” (Latin America) or the interdental “th” sound in English (Spain).
Gonzalez - Gonzalez
Punctuation marks
Exclamation and question marks in Spanish are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of a sentence, and at the beginning of a sentence they are inverted:
¡No pasarán! - But pasaran!
¿Cómo te llamas? - Como te yamas? (What is your name?)
Accents
If a word ends with a vowel or the consonants N or S, then the stress drops on the penultimate syllable.
If a word ends with a consonant (except N and S), then the stress drops on the last syllable.
If the stress falls on another syllable, this is indicated by a special sign
revolu with ion - I'm worried yo n
The accent mark is used for the vowels Á, É, Í, Ó and Ú.
Audio examples
As it turns out, there are Spaniards everywhere, even in Penza! I stole my Ramon from a foreign language school, to which I am now not allowed. I stole it for my students so that he would come once a week and give a conversation lesson. So Ramon, writing new words for students on the board, periodically confuses B and V, that is, which one is written where, because they are pronounced the same! At the same time, students often correct him, and he draws himself a gallows)))
Letters b and v in Spanish.
As I said, they read the same.
Like "b" they are readable at the absolute beginning of a word(i.e. after a pause), and also after m, n:
¡vamos!"bamos"!,
en vano"en bano"
embarcar"embarkar".
Vamosabailar — Bamos a bailar (let's dance)
In all other cases they are read as “v”, but not our Russian “v”, labial-dental, but labio-labial; those. You make a small gap between your lips and blow air through it with your voice. It turns out something between our “in” and the English w:
nos vamos"nos vamos"
esbelto"esvelto"
la vaca“la vaca.”
Of course, there are areas to which this rule does not apply - the pronunciation options for Spanish are indecently varied. However, it’s better to read according to the rule; you’ll always get it wrong)
VeronicaAbout the author
Veronica
Teaching languages is my life, I can’t do anything else, and I don’t want to do anything else. in 2016, I decided to create the LF School to gather a wonderful team of professional teachers and share with each other their experience and effective secrets in teaching, so that classes at our school become necessary for you and bring the desired result. I will be very glad to see you among the students of our school, or among my personal students!
