User:Xavexgoem/spanish/2

Pronunciation guide: The suggestions in this guide come from a typical American accent

Vowels
A - A doctor asks you to open your mouth and say "ahhhh". Same principle. E - I've encountered two e's. One is a typical schwa (as in "usted" - where the e is just a sound that gets from the T to the D); the other is how you'd normally say "a" in the English alphabet. I - how you'd say "e" in the English alphabet. O - if you're around Minnesota, or if you've watched Fargo, you know how to make this O. It's just more clipped. U - same as the double-o in "boot"

It's very important that your tongue doesn't move around when you're making these singular vowels. There's a tendency to say "Ay" as in English when you mean a simple "A". To facilitate against these mistakes, it's recommended that you force your month into a tight grin when saying "A", "E", or "I". "O" and "U" are rounded, as in English (albeit less so).

Consonants
B & V - these carry the same sound. If there is no vowel sound preceding a B or V, then it's made as a regular B. If there is a vowel sound before either, it's a bit different: it's very close to a v, but the tongue does not touch the lips. Instead, your lips are tightened and air is forced through. Sounds a lot like a V that way. Consider it like a "light" B. C - Normally holds the same sound as in "cat", unless followed by an i or an e: then it sounds like a regular S. Don't add a puff of air at the end. D - same as in English, but without much force behind it. It's a light sound, which I'll abbreviated as (LS) F - Same as in English G - Same as in English, unless followed by an i or an e. Then it's more of a "ch" sound found in Scottish "loch". Sometimes the sound is a light G, as in "agua". I don't have the right words to describe it. You'll get it intuitively if you listen to Spanish speakers. H - non-existent as a sound. It's all over the place in Spanish, but it doesn't mean anything. J - This often carries the sound of a "y" (as in "yup") K - Non-existent. Maybe a few loan-words carry it... it would take the value of a regular K anyway. L - same as in English. However, English has a "dark l", which you'll hear in the word "English"... has a guttural quality to it. Avoid this. Most l's in English (like in roll and love) don't carry that "dark l"; aim for using those. M - Same. N - Same. P - Same, but lighter. Edges a bit towards sounding like a "b"; just don't add a puff of air at the end (as in "pfft") Q - Always followed by a u. Same value as a C. R - uugh... okay, two versions: one is a "tap", where the tip of your tick strikes against the gums behind your upper teeth. Often sounds like an L or a D, but is distinguishable. If a word begins with an R, it's trilled. RR - R, only trilled. Can't trill? Practice, practice, practice. S - Same. T - Same, but lighter. V - read "B" W - Something you'll never need to worry about. X - this is a bit like a J. If you know German, it's rather similar to the "ch" sound in "ich", but not nearly as strong. Y - Same. Z - Same as an S.