A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation
Consonants: j, ll, ñ, r, z
A few letters sound different from what an English eye expects.
Most consonants sound roughly as in English. The new ones: j is a rough sound from the back of the throat, like the ch in Scottish «loch» — jamón, Juan — and g before e and i is the same: gente. ñ sounds like the «ny» in «canyon»: España. ll and y before a vowel sound almost everywhere like the y in «yes»: llamo, playa, yo. ch is the ch of «church»: chico, noche.
h is never pronounced, as in «hour»: hola sounds «ola». z is never a buzzing z: in Spain it is the th of «think», in Latin America, the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia a plain s — and the same goes for c before e and i: cero, cinco, zapato. s is always a hissing s, never a z, even between vowels: casa, rosa.
b and v sound the same, both a soft b: vino does not start with an English v. Between vowels b, v, d and g soften further — the d in cada is almost the th of «the». r is a single tap of the tongue, much like the tt in American «better»: pero. At the start of a word, after n and l, and written rr, it is rolled: perro, Roma, Enrique. pero (but) and perro (dog) differ in nothing else.
The form
| j, ge, gi: the ch of «loch» | jamón, Juan, gente |
| ñ: like «ny» in «canyon» | año, España, niño |
| ll, y: usually the y of «yes» | llamo, playa, yo |
| ch: as in «church» | chico, noche, leche |
| h: silent | hola, hay, ahora |
| z, ce, ci: th or s, never a buzz | zapato, cero, cinco |
| s: always hissing, never z | sol, casa, España |
| b and v: the same sound | vino, bueno, vaso |
| r: a single tap | pero, caro, hablar |
| rr and r at the start: rolled | perro, Roma, Enrique |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
j, and g before e or i, sound like the ch in «loch».
Me gusta el jamón.I like ham.
h is never pronounced.
Hola, ¿hay pan?Hi, is there any bread?
z, and c before e or i, never sound like an English z.
Tengo cinco zapatos.I have five shoes.
rr, and r at the start of a word, are rolled.
Mi perro se llama Rufo.My dog is called Rufo.
How to spot it
- j
- ll
- ñ
- ch
- rr
- z
- h
Example sentences
Yo me llamo Juan.My name is Juan.
La playa está cerca.The beach is close by.
Mi hermano tiene un perro.My brother has a dog.
El niño juega en la calle.The child is playing in the street.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Three slips give an English accent away at once: the v said with the teeth on the lip, the z said as a buzz, and the r said the English way, with the tongue curled back. Spelling runs into the opposite problem: since h is silent and b and v sound alike, the sound does not tell you how a word is written. You learn the spelling with the word.
h is silent, j is rough, and rr is rolled.
Your turn
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