1 GUIDE TO BASIC SPANISH PRONUNCIATION TCSS Professional Development Workshop June 2015

Can you say these words? taco burrito Pepe tortilla jalapeño tequila 2

Then you already know most of what you need to pronounce words in Spanish correctly!

4 To pronounce Spanish correctly 85% of what you need to know is found in three things: TACOTACO BURRITOBURRITO PEPEPEPE A = “ah” O= “oh” U = “ooh” I = “ee” E = “ay” Complied in part from the Singing the Basics CD by Todd Hawkins at

5 The Other 15% LL = “y” like in tortillaLL = “y” like in tortilla J = “h” like in jalapeñoJ = “h” like in jalapeño Ñ = “ni” like in jalapeñoÑ = “ni” like in jalapeño QU = “k” like in tequila (*treat as a unit)QU = “k” like in tequila (*treat as a unit) H = always silent (*but CH still sounds like “Ch-uh”)H = always silent (*but CH still sounds like “Ch-uh”) V = more like a soft “B”V = more like a soft “B” R = is trilled and RR is “extra” trilled!R = is trilled and RR is “extra” trilled! –To practice it, isolate the “tt” sound in the English word “butter”. ACCENTS= where stress fallsACCENTS= where stress falls Tip: Just “go with it” like you're speaking English! This works most of the time, except these things.

6 PRACTICE civil

7 bicicleta PRACTICE

8 funeral PRACTICE

9 doctor PRACTICE

10 chocolate PRACTICE

11 natural PRACTICE

12 gasolina PRACTICE

13 tornado PRACTICE

14 radical PRACTICE

15 violencia PRACTICE

16 capital PRACTICE

17 fatal PRACTICE

18 real PRACTICE

19 federal PRACTICE

20 automóvil PRACTICE

21 práctica PRACTICE

22 melón PRACTICE

23 posible PRACTICE

24 carro PRACTICE

25 plantas PRACTICE

26 radio PRACTICE