Learn Spanish Alphabet Phonetics Part 2: Pronunciation
Spanish is no different to any other language in that it has certain rules that need to be applied and adhered to with regards to pronunciation. It must be stressed from the start that Spanish is an extremely phonetic language and the use of audio commentary would enhance and improve your ability to learn and understand the sounds much more easily and a lot quicker.
Pronunciation of Spanish Vowels:
Spanish vowels have only one sound which is not as long and broad as their English counterpart. The vowel sounds are also shortened when part of a syllable or an unstressed word and when they are before a consonant.
“a” pronounced like “ah”; example: la casa (the house) [lah kah-sah]
“e” pronounced like “ay”; example: la calle (the street) [lah kah-lee’ay]
“i” pronounced like “ee”; example: el pie (the foot) [ell pee-ay]
“o” pronounced like “o”; example: el piano (the piano) [ell pee-ah-no]
“u” pronounced like “oo”; example: uno (one) [oo-no]
The pronunciation of Spanish Consonants:
In Spanish, most of the consonants are pronounced as in English with maybe some minor changes but there are two letters that are pronounced totally different and they are “z” and “j”.
“z” pronounced like “th” in “with” or “thin” for example; el pez (the fish) [ell peth]
“j” pronounced like a the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch”: el ojo (the