A diphthong (phonetic difnong) is a combination of two vowels pronounced in one syllable. In Spanish, the 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" sounds like a short semi-vowel.

with a final i: ai [ah], ei [hey], oi [oh]: dais [dais], peine [peiné], sois [sois]

with a final u: au [aў], eu [eў], ou [oў]: fauna [faўўna], deuda [déўDa], COU [koў]

with an initial i: ia [ya], ie [ye], io [yo]: iu [yu]: piano [pyano], ciela [syela], adiós [adios], viuda [byúDa]

with initial u: ua [ўа], ue [ўэ], uo [ўо]: agua [а́Гўа], bueno [bўeno], cuota [кўо́та]

At the beginning and at the end of a word i is written as y: yo, soy

When combining two weak vowels the first of them it sounds briefly: iu [yu] and ui [ўi]: ciudad [syuDáD], ruido [РўíDo]. An exception is the word muy(very) pronounced like [muy]

Triftongs

Triftong is three vowels that read as one syllable.
There are 4 triftnogs in Spanish: [yai], [yai], [ўai], [ei]. The stressed syllabic vowels in them are strong vowels a and e: estudiáis [estudyays], limpiéis [limpies], situáis [sitўais], actuéis [actўeis]

Place of stress

1) If a word ends in a vowel sound, diphthong or consonants n, s and there is no stress sign anywhere in the word, then the stress falls on the penultimate syllable:

• gato [gato] - cat
• serio [сэ́ръо] - serious
• flores [flores] - flowers
• comen [komen] - (they) eat

2) If the word ends in a consonant sound (except -n and -s), then the stress falls on the last syllable:

• cantar [kantar] - to sing;
• animal [animáL] - animal;
• universidad [unBersiDaD] - university;

3) Words that deviate from these rules are written with an emphasis:

• Moscú [Moscow] - Moscow;
• estudió [estuD'yó] - studied (as);
• frencés [francés] - French;
• estación [estasyon] - railway station;
• cantará [kantará] - (he, she) will sing;
• cámera [camera] - camera.

In Russian transcription, using capital letters and signs ӈ and ў, sounds that are absent in Russian are shown:

• B - pronounced as b with incompletely closed lips. It is heard as a kind of intermediate sound between [c] and [b]. There is no sound [in] in Spanish;
• L - the sound is average between l and l, pronounced when the tip of the tongue touches the upper alveoli (tubercles above the upper teeth);
• Г - Ukrainian г, in Russian - г в "aha" and "for God's sake";
• P - multi-impact vibrant, rolling p;
• D is an interdental slit voiced sound similar to the English the in this, but with a less protruding tip of the tongue. Sounds like a weak q, at the end of the word it weakens almost to the point of disappearing;
• ў - short u, pronounced like English w in the word water;
• H - middle lingual palatal occlusive. Similar to Russian n, but pronounced with pressing not the front 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;

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As 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, due to which many Spanish words are understandable without translation.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken 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 the "native" Spanish is called castellano - castellano, i.e. Castilian, after the name of one of the central provinces of Spain, and español (Espagnol) means all Hispanic dialects. Two dialects of Spain - Catalan (Barcelona) and Galician (La Coruña) are considered to be independent languages.

Spanish alphabet

The Spanish alphabet is similar to most Latin-based alphabets, 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 "hey".

Vowel reading

Vowels in Spanish are read in the same way as 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 - berguensa (shame, shame)

Y

Y is mostly read like "y".

Playa - playa (beach)

Reading consonants

Consonants in Spanish are a little more complicated. They are generally read as they are written, but there are a few important exceptions.

B-V

B and V read the same

At the beginning of a word or stressed syllable - like Russian "B"

Vamos a bailar - Bamos and baylar (let's dance)

In other cases - an indistinct sound, an average between the Russian "B" and "C"

¡Viva la Cuba! - In and in a la koo in ah! (Hello Cuba!)

C

WITH reads like Russian "s" if it is followed by E, I or Y,

Cigarra - cigar (cigar)

in other cases, C reads like the Russian "K".

Cuba - NS in a

The combination of letters CH reads like the Russian "CH".

Muchacha - Muchacha

G

G reads like Russian "x" if it is followed by E, I or Y,

Gitana - hit ana(Gypsy)

in other cases, G reads like Russian "g".

Gallina blanca - gayina blank (white chicken)

If it is necessary to read G as the Russian "G" before E, I or Y, then an unreadable U should be placed behind G:

Guerra - herra (war)

H

H is never read

La Havana - La A b ana

J

J always reads like the Russian "x".

Julio - Julio

LL

The double L is read as a very soft "l" and often. just like "th".

paella - paeya

Ñ ​​reads soft "n".

Español - espanel

X

X reads "ks",

texto - teksto

Z

Z is always read as Russian "s" (Latin America) or interdental sound "th" in English (Spain).

Gonzalez - Gonzalez

Punctuation marks

Exclamation marks 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 reversed:

¡No pasarán! - but pasaran!

¿Cómo te llamas? - como te yamas? (What's your name?)

Accents

If the word ends in a vowel or consonants N or S, then the stress falls on the penultimate syllable.

If a word ends in a consonant (except for N and S), then the stress falls on the last syllable.

If the stress falls on another syllable, then this is indicated by a special sign

revolu with ión - roaring yo

The stress mark is used for the vowels Á, É, Í, Ó, and Ú.

Audio examples

When I first started learn spanish, I ran into one popular problem. I guess you guessed it was about 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 the Spanish language for beginners, then the doors to any dialect or European language will open before you. It is difficult to explain such a phenomenon, but it is a fact. After Spanish, other languages ​​are remembered like funny anecdotes that we love to tell our friends, and from that we quickly remember them. But let's not get away from the topic and talk about the very trick that came to my mind.

If I ask you to sing any song or recite a verse, if I ask you to remember any foreign word, then the result will be something simple and memorable. For example, people who studied English will immediately say a cat (cat), or a dog (dog). And those who have gathered learn spanish are likely to be pronounced gato (cat) or casa (house). And this suggests that everything that is simple and short is remembered. But that's not all, these words are the easiest to pronounce, and thus you solve two problems: 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 the accumulated experience, you will be able to memorize whole sentences at once or even songs in spanish... Until then, focus on your training.

The note. Want to know in which Spanish word you can find 5 vowels at once? I am sure that you will like this word: Murcielago [murcielago] - which is translated into Russian: Bat. 5 vowels are used: A, E, I, O, U.

How to read Spanish correctly?

Many novice students all the time have the same question, why CAMA [kama] - bed, read through the letter "K", and CERVEZA [Servesa] - beer, read through the letter "C". To quickly deal with this problem, we turn to a special plate. It is small and you can easily remember it. And so, we 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 will have to linger a little, we did not talk about other letters that obey this rule. If you find it difficult to learn just the rules, use our section of dialogues in Spanish and continue your learning in an easy way. Remember, a few lines ago, we said that the Cat in Spanish sounds like "Gato" [gato], but how do you read the word "Gerente"? If someone thought that it reads like "serente" - urgently run into the fresh air, you need to refresh your thoughts. Actually Gerente translates from Spanish to Russian, like a manager! And it reads like this: herente. Hmm .. :) It can't be helped, learning Spanish from scratch is not as easy as many might think, but we can handle it. In general, let's see the sign, it's always easier with it!

Letters b and v

The letters b and v are an interesting case in Spanish. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that it is actually the same letter. Both b and v are pronounced the same, and both can express both sound [b] and sound [ b]... In one case, b and v are pronounced as an explosive sound [b], and in the other case, as a fricative [ b]... Everything will depend on their position in the word and sentence. What is required of us is to remember these cases.

1. Explosive [b]

The letters b and v are pronounced explosive [b] when b or v is at the beginning of a word, at the beginning of a phrase, after a pause, and after the letters m and n. Explosive [b] is exactly the same sound as Russian b (gasoline, furniture).

For example: beso, un beso, vaca, un vaso, también, vino.

Comments: 1) beso - kiss. The first letter is pronounced as [b], as it stands at the beginning of a word; 2) un beso - kiss. The letter b is read as [b] because it is preceded by the letter n: unbeso; 3) vaca is a cow. The first letter is read as [b] because it starts at the absolute beginning. It is correct to say: tank; 4) un vaso - glass. The letter v is read as [b] because it is preceded by the letter n: unbaso; 5) también - too. The letter b is in the middle of the word, but there is an m in front of it, so this is an explosive sound [b]; 6) vino - wine. Read bino... The case is the same as with the word vaca.

Please note that even if one word ends with m or n, and another begins with b or v, the explosive [b] will still be pronounced: u n b eso[unbeso], u n v aso[unbaso]. These letters do not have to appear in the same word.

Try to get used to the fact that v is pronounced the same way as b. Don't say vaca like in aka and the word vino is like in ino... At the beginning of the phrase, these words will sound like b aka and b ino.

2. Fricative [b]

The letters b and v are pronounced fricative [ b], when they stand in the middle of a word or phrase, are in the stream of speech, and when there are no pauses and the letters m and n in front of them. Fricative [ b] pronounced almost like English W (w ell), only the lips are not rounded into a tube. In order to do this correctly, you need to pronounce the usual sound b and leave a small crack between the lips so that the air passes unhindered - it will turn out [ b]... This is a fricative sound.

For example: libro, una vaca, vivo

Comments: 1) libro is a book. The letter b is in the middle of the word, and there are no letters m or n in front of it. The word reads like liwro; 2) una vaca - cow. Although the letter v is at the beginning of a word, it is preceded by the article una. This is already considered a stream of speech. If you say una vaca without pauses, then it should turn out - unawaka; 3) vivo - I live; the first v is read as an explosive b, since it starts at the absolute beginning. The second letter v is pronounced as a fricative w: biwo... Do not say: bibo or vivo .

As you can see, there are times when one word can be read differently in different cases:
vaca - una vaca, ventana - la ventana, bien - muy bien.

Try not to pronounce the Russian sound [v]. When we say "v" in Russian (V olga, right, yes), we lean our lower lip against our upper teeth. And the Spanish fricative sound [ b] pronounced with only the lips. Also, don't compare Spanish to English - don't think that if you write v, then we should speak in.
You can take the letters b and v as one. Historically, it so happened that some word spelled b, and some spelled v. By the sound of the word, it is impossible to determine which of these letters should be written. For example, if there was a word b aca, then it would sound the same as v aca, or v ien would sound like b ien... The letter with which the word is written, you just need to remember. The correct spelling of these words is vaca and bien.

It happens, of course, that illiterate Spaniards themselves confuse these two letters, and write vien instead of bien. But we must learn to write correctly and we will not follow the example of the illiterate;)

You can read more about explosive and fricative sounds here.

1. Explosive [b]

beso, vaca, vaso, vino, blanco, verde, bolso, bastante, bajo, viejo, boca, bar, vale, verano, bien, bonito, bueno, ventana, bolígrafo, viernes, barato, visa, bota, blusa, vestido, bailar, ver, banco, también, hombre, nombre, bomba, alfombra, sombrero, Colombia, un beso, un vaso, un bar, invierno, tranvía.

2. Fricative [b]

libro, Pablo, sobre, pobre, nuevo, nueve, Cuba, cubano, tabaco, abogado, sábado, posible, Isabel, teléfono móvil, problema, nevera, abrir, hablar, abrigo, impermeable, debajo, escribir, habitación, revisista, favor, estoy bien, muy bien, hasta la vista, ¡qué va!

3. In different positions

vivir, vives, vivo, beber, verbo, vaca blanca, tambien vivo en Brasil, bien - muy bien, vino barato, sombrero bonito.

The Spanish letter d has three pronunciations. She, too, can be explosive and fricative, but also some other. Now let's talk about everything in more detail and analyze each of the three cases.

1. Explosive [d]

The explosive [d] is pronounced in the same way as the Russian "d". In Spanish, this sound occurs when: the letter d is at the absolute beginning (the beginning of a word or phrase), after a pause and after the letters l and n.

For example: donde, dinero, espalda.

Comments: 1) donde - where. Both d's are read as explosive sounds. The first is at the beginning, and the second after the letter n; 2) dinero is money. The letter d is at the beginning of a word; 3) espalda - back. Although the letter d is in the middle of the word, it is preceded by the letter l, so it will be an explosive d.

2. Fricative [d]

The letter d reads as a fricative [ d] in the middle of a word and a stream of speech, when there are no pauses and the letters l and n in front of it. Fricative sound [ d] pronounced in the same way as if we wanted to pronounce the usual sound d, but only leaving a small gap between the tongue and upper teeth. Try to pronounce the usual sound q, but so that your tongue barely touches anything. This is similar to the English th sound in the or then. We will denote this sound with the crossed out d.

For example: cuaderno, radio, una dama.

Comments: 1) cuaderno is a notebook. The letter d is pronounced as a fricative d because it stands in the middle of a word between vowels; 2) radio - radio. The letter d also stands between vowels; 3) una dama - lady. The letter d is in the stream of speech, since it is preceded by the article una. Both words are spoken in the same stream.

3. Stunned fricative [d]

The third case of the sounding of the letter d occurs only when the letter d is at the end of a word. In this case, it will express a stunned fricative [ d]... We will denote it as a reduced symbol of the fricative d. This sound is reminiscent of the English dull interdental th sound in thanks, but more attenuated. It can be so weakened that it even becomes barely audible or not heard at all.

For example: pared, ciudad, Madrid, Usted.

There are Spaniards who pronounce these words simply as: paré, ciudá, Madrí, Usté.
We remind you once again that the stunned [ d] pronounced only when the letter d is at the very end of the word.

There are many cases when one word in different positions can be pronounced differently:
donde - de donde, pared - paredes.

In the word pare d es the letter d is no longer at the end, so it will be pronounced like a regular fricative [ d].

Listen and read the words behind the announcer, paying attention to the correct pronunciation. Try to explain each use of explosive and fricative sounds.

1. Explosive [d]

da, de, di, do, du, día, don, dos, dama, drama, domingo, dormir, dormitorio, dentro, deporte, director, dinero, disco, discoteca, donde, falda, espalda, fondo, lindo, grande, bufanda, sandalias, tienda, no entiendo.

2. Fricative [d]

cada, nada, Prado, todo, vida, avenida, moneda, abogado, médico, ovalado, cuadro, cuaderno, cuadrado, ordenador, rosado, anaranjado, madera, cómodo, incómodo, verde, tarde, Peddicro, gordo, perdón, perió estudiante, estudiar, radio, adiós, una dama, Museo del Prado, Canadá, Estados Unidos de América.

3. Fricative stunned [d]

pared, Usted, Madrid, edad, universidad, ciudad, bondad, facultad, verdad, nacionalidad, juventud.

4. In different positions

delgado, bandido, verdad, verdadero, edad, soledad, demasiado, oscuridad, redondo, día - buenos días, donde - de donde, delante de, al lado de, ducha - una ducha.

Spanish reading rules are few and far between. Below is a table containing the Spanish alphabet, which describes the sounds corresponding to the letters of the alphabet.

In addition, there are rules for reading some combinations.

1. B, v- both letters are read as a Russian "b" at the beginning of a word and as a sound between the Russian "b" and "c" in the middle of the word. Although, this rule is not always strictly observed by native speakers.

   For example: vamos, bailar and la ave, el libro.

2. Consonant c pronounced differently, depending on the vowel that follows: ce, ci read as "se" and "si" (or rather, "feta" instead of "s" in classical Castilian), in other cases with reads like Russian "k".
3. If the consonant g should u, then the combinations gui and gue read as "gi" and "ge".

   For example: la guerra, el guía.

   • But if u marked with ü , to g reads like "g"

     For example: el pingüino.

   • If after a consonant g costs i or e, then g reads "x".

     For example: el gitano.

   • If after g costs o, u, a, then g reads like "g".

     For example: la gata, el gorro.

4. Sound ll can be pronounced differently depending on the area. It was originally a soft "l" sound, but most native speakers pronounce ll like "th". And in some areas, this sound is worn out harder and it can turn into a soft "j" or "d".
5. Combinations qui, que read as "ki" and "ke".

   For example: poquito, querer.

6. Sound w pronounced in the same way as a similar sound in English. Used exclusively in words borrowed from the English language.

   For example: Windows.

7. Sound x can be pronounced differently. It ranges from "ks" to "rs" and is pronounced "s" in some cases (usually in the middle of a word before a consonant).

   The exception to the rule is México, where NS reads like the Russian "x".

A very important feature of the Spanish language is the static nature of the stress. acento... In other words, the stressed syllable for the plural remains the same as for the singular.

If the word ends in a consonant, then the stressed syllable is the last syllable. And if the word ends in a vowel, then the stress falls on the penultimate syllable.

For example:
• la m o sca - fly
• la manz a na - apple
• el rel o j - hours
• el pap e l - paper
• la ciru e la - plum

But if the word ends in –S or –N, then again the penultimate syllable will be stressed.

For example:
• C a rmen, v i ven, pint a mos, desc a nsas, and a mos, b a ilan.

If the stress setting in the word does not comply with these rules, then the stressed syllable is marked with a graphic stress mark.