A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation
The vowels
Five vowels, and each one always sounds the same.
Spanish has five vowels, and each always sounds the same — stressed or unstressed, at the start of a word or at the end. They are short, clear and steady: a as in «father» but shorter, e as in «bet», i as in «machine», o as in «not» said with rounded lips, u as in «rule».
No vowel is ever swallowed, and that is the biggest change for an English speaker. English turns most unstressed vowels into a vague «uh» — the a's in «banana» are not alike. In Spanish every a in banana is the same a, and the e at the end of grande, noche or leche is as clear as the first. Nor does a vowel glide: no is a pure o, not the «noh-oo» of English «no», and se is not «say».
Where two vowels meet, both are pronounced in one breath. ie sounds like «ye» in «yes»: bien, siete, tiene. ei is close to the «ay» of «say»: seis. eu is e followed by u: Europa starts «eh-oo», not «you». And y at the end of a word, or standing on its own, is a vowel and sounds like i: hoy, muy, y (and).
The form
| a: always open, never «uh» | casa, carta, mapa |
| e: clear, even at the end of a word | leche, noche, grande |
| i and o | sí, vivir, todo, poco |
| u: as in «rule», never «you» | uno, mucho, luna |
| ie: like «ye» in «yes» | bien, siete, tiene |
| ei and eu: both vowels heard | seis, Europa |
| y at the end or on its own: like i | hoy, muy, y |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Every vowel always sounds the same, even unstressed.
Mi madre come tarde.My mother eats late.
An e at the end of a word is pronounced clearly.
Buenas noches, Enrique.Good night, Enrique.
In ie and ei you hear both vowels.
Tengo seis o siete euros.I have six or seven euros.
y at the end of a word or on its own sounds like i.
Hoy estoy muy bien.I am very well today.
How to spot it
- a
- e
- i
- o
- u
- y
Example sentences
Mi casa es grande.My house is big.
Todo está bien.Everything is fine.
Vivo en Europa desde hace seis años.I have lived in Europe for six years.
Pedro tiene siete hermanos.Pedro has seven brothers and sisters.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Because the word for «and» sounds like i, it often gets written as i. It is y — except in front of a word beginning with i- or hi-, where it becomes e: padre e hijo. And when spelling aloud, keep the letter names apart: the letter i is «ee», the letter e is «eh».
Five vowels, each always the same and always clear.
Your turn
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