Guide To The Spanish Language
An introduction to Spanish without the grammar - A new and fresh perspective with some interesting items on
language and the similarities between Spanish and English
The word consonant comes from Latin and means "sounding with" or
"sounding together." In “Articulatory Phonetics” a consonant is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by a closure or stricture of the vocal
tract sufficient to cause audible turbulence. They do not sound on their own but with an associated vowel. Consonant sounds are different from consonant
letters of the alphabet.
There are far more consonant sounds in the world's languages than the number of consonant letters in any one alphabet. The International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA) assigns a unique symbol to each possible consonant. A pair of letters representing a single speech sound, such as the “ph” in pheasant or
the “ea” in beat is known as digraphs. Digraphs like "sh" and "th" are used to
represent specific sounds. Many English speakers aren't even aware that the
"th" sound in "this" is a different sound from the "th" sound in "thing" but the
IPA has identified these differences and classifies them as different sounds in the phonetic alphabet.
These subtle differences are something we should be aware of if we are learning a second language.
Many Spanish consonants are pronounced almost like their English equivalents so not too difficult. First let’s see the difference between the
English and Spanish consonants.
b, c, ch, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z
As you can see a few differences but not so many, ch, ll, ñ, and also the double rr is a different sound to the single r and is almost like a separate
letter.
B and V are pronounced the same like the b in beach. In English we make the V sound by touching the upper teeth with our bottom lip. In Spanish we do not
do this, we make the V sound the same as we make the b sound by touching the lips together - B is called in Spanish “be” V is called in Spanish “uve”
C - can be hard like K or soft like s - C is called in Spanish ce /se
CH - is pronounced the same as the "ch" in church and cheek - CH is called che
D - generally is pronounced like the "d" in "diet," or the English “th” sound.
The tongue touches the bottom teeth instead of in English the tongue touches the top teeth - D is called de
F - is pronounced like the "f" in "fox." - F is efe
G - is pronounced similar to the English "h" sound, only courser. Think of the
"ch" in the word Bach as in “Johann Sebastian Bach.” Almost like a gargle
sound - G is ge
H - is always silent - H is aa-che
J - is practically identical to the English "h" only raspy. Try gently clearing your
throat as you do it, like you were making the sound of a cappuccino milk steamer - J is jota hota
K – has the same sound in Spanish, although softer as in the English word key - K is ka
L – like the first "l" in "little," - L is ele
Ll - is similar to the English letter y in yahoo - ll is elle
M - is like the "m" in "mother." - M is eme
N - is like the English letter "n" in the word no - N is ene
Ñ - is like the ny in the English word canyon almost a y sound - Ñ is eñe enye
P - is like the "p" in "spot" or “pea” not as strong as "spot" - P is pe
Q - is like an English k often followed with a silent "u" - Q is cu
R – is like English but we also have the double RR – the rolled r sound - This
is like a cat purring a sound made with the tongue flapping and not with the throat - R is ere
S - is pronounced like the "s" in "simple" In English we often pronounce an “s”
vat the end of words like a "z" sound - "wears" - S is ese
T - is pronounced like the "t" in "stop" and not quite as strong as the "t" of "top" - T is te
W - is pronounced like the "w" in "water" - W is uve dobleh
X - is like English letter "x " - X is equis
Y - is like in English - Y is i griega
Z - In parts of Spain the letter "z" is pronounced with a lisping "s" sound or otherwise similar to "th" sound in “thin” - Z is ceta
Please read and re-read the section on “How We Make Real Spanish
Sounds” it is very important. If you can really get this section then you can
learn and improve your Spanish by reading, without really absorbing this section you will struggle to ever speak Spanish. It is the real fundamental
basis of the language and if you can properly understand this part of the course
and the differences between Spanish pronunciation and English pronunciation then the rest is relatively simple, not easy, but simple. To move
from this point to a good level of speaking Spanish is then about reading, increasing your vocabulary and usage.
The List of the 146 Most Used Words in Spanish
Now we understand about reading Spanish and pronunciation we can take another look at the
list of 146 words. Basically you have to get familiar with
these words, you have to know them, you need to recognize them when you hear them and be understood when you speak them. It is a chore I know but
that is part of learning the language. Write them out on index cards in bold colourful
ink. Browse them, think about them, say them aloud, sing them, whatever suits you but get familiar with them because if you are going to
speak Spanish then you will need to use these words very often.
Now you can read Spanish and are familiar with the most common words used we can look at some useful
phrases in the next lesson............
