El alfabeto y su pronunciación / The alphabet and pronunciation

LETRA NOMBRE PRONUNCIACIÓN

A a as in hat
el anagrama

B be / be larga similar to English b in boat

el bosque

C ce before a, o, u and
consonants: as in cat

la costa

before e and i: as th in thin in

Spain and as s in six in Latin
America.

Cecilia

Ch che as in church
el chancho

D de as th in the
el dedo

E e as e in egg
el elefante

F efe as in English
la fuente

G Ge before a, o, u: as in go.
el gato

before e and i: like ch in

Scottish loch.
la gente

as in guitar
gue la guerra
gui la guitarra

as in well and will

güe la cigüeña
güi el pingüino
H hache silent, only pronounced in
borrowings:
la hora
el hamster

I i / i latina as ee in meet
la institución

J jota like g before e and i, i.e. as ch

in Scottish loch
la juventud

K ka mainly in foreign words, like c

in English cat.
el kilo
L ele similar to l in English clear
el limón

Ll lle as y in English yes

la calle

M eme as m in English
el mes

N ene as n in English
la nariz

Ñ eñe more like ny in canyon than

ni in opinion
España

O o as the o in English pot

la locomotora

P pe as the p to English p in pet

silent in the combinations ps
el portal
la psicología

Q cu always followed by u:
qui and que like c in cat
qua and quo as quick
el queso
el quórum
R ere between vowels or after b, c,
d, g, p, t, as an English r:
el arándano
pero
la profesión
at the beginning of words
and after l or n – a trill or roll
of the tongue
el rojo, alrededor, Enrique

Rr erre a trill or roll of the tongue

el perro

S ese as in sit t rather than rose

la silla

T te similar to English t in tea

la tetera

U u like oo in Google
la uva

V uve /ve corta pronounced exactly like

Spanish b, e.g. el tubo and
tuvo sound the same

W doble uve /doble ve rare, only in borrowed words,

usually as in wood, rarely as
v/b
el whisky

X equis as in axis
el éxito
el xilófono

Y ye / y griega at the beginning of words

and between vowels: as in
English yet; at the end of a
word (or alone) as the
Spanish i
el rey y yo

Z zeta as th in thin in the centre and

north of Spain
as s in six in most of the
Spanish-speaking world

el zorro
Vocales, hiatos y diptongos / Vowels, diphthongs and histus
A diphthong is a sound formed by two vowels in a single syllable. In Spanish,
diphthongs can be formed by combining a strong vowel (a, e, or o) and a weak vowel
(i or u), or by combining two weak vowels. When a diphthong is made up a strong
vowel and a weak vowel, the strong vowel is stressed a bit more than the weak vowel.

Diphthong Pronunciation Examples

au
ow aula , aunque

ai , ay ay aire , hay

eu
ehoo Europa , neutro

ei , ey ey reina , rey

ia
yah piano , hacia

ie
yeh tierra , serpiente

io radio
yoh

iu
yoo viuda , ciudad

oi , oy oy boina , hoy

ua
wah agua , cuadro

ue
weh fuego , trueno

ui
wee buitre , fuiste

uo
woh cuota , individuo

Spanish Vowel Hiatus

When a strong vowel and a weak vowel appear together and the weak vowel is
accented, the vowels belong to two separate syllables. This is called a hiatus. Two
strong vowels together also form a hiatus.
Hiatus Pronunciation Example

aí país
ah - EE

aú Raúl
ah - OO

oí oír
oh - EE

eí reír
eh - EE

eú transeúnte
eh - OO

ía día
EE - ah

íe ríe
EE - eh

ío río
EE - oh

úa cacatúa
OO - ah

úe acentúe
OO - eh

úo continúo
OO - oh

ae caer
ah - eh

ao aorta
ah - oh

aa azahar
ah - ah

ea leal
eh - ah

eo leo
eh - oh

ee poseer
eh - eh
 oa coágulo
oh - ah

oe poetisa
oh - eh

oo alcohol
oh - oh

Frases útiles / Useful phrases

Español Inglés
Buenos días / Buen día Good morning
Buenas tardes Good afternoon/ Good evening
Buenas noches Good evening / Good night
Hola Hello / Hi
Adios Goodbye / Bye
Chau Bye
Por favor Please
Gracias Thank you / Thanks
De nada / Por nada / No es nada You are welcome
Lo siento I am sorry
Perdón (s.) / Perdonen (p.) Excuse me / Sorry / Forgive me
Disculpe (s. f.) / Disculpen (p.) / Disculpa (s. inf.) Excuse me
Hasta luego See you later
Hasta mañana See you tomorrow
 Los nombres de la lengua/ Names of the language

In Spain and in some other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish is

called not only español (Spanish) but also castellano (Castilian), the
language from the region of Castile (where it originated 1200 years ago).
This is to contrast it with other languages spoken in Spain such
as Galician, Basque, Asturian and Catalan.
 Pronombres personales / Personal pronouns
Spanish speakers use tú and usted, which both mean “you,” to convey the formality of a
relationship. Tú is less formal than usted.
You use tú when you are talking to a friend, a family member, or your spouse. You can also
use it when you want to express a certain level of intimacy or informality with someone in
informal contexts (e.g. with a stranger at a party). Most adults address all children using tú.
The pronoun vos is used instead of tú in many countries to talk to one person in an informal
way. In some countries its use is dominant and normal (tú is understood but never used), while
in others vos coexists with tú (in some of these nations vos is associated with marginalized
groups and considered inappropriate).
Usted means a more respectful way of talking to someone, such as a new acquaintance, a
stranger, an older person, or a person of higher rank (e.g. a boss or a professor). NEVER use tú
(or vos) to address someone in any of the categories mentioned before; it is disrespectful and
very offensive.
At some point in a relationship between people who speak Spanish, a shift occurs from the
formal usted to the more informal and intimate tú. At this point, they use the word tú when
addressing each other. In Spanish, we call this tutearse, that is, “to talk to each other using tú.”
On the other hand, if you don’t want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with
someone, or if you want to keep the relationship more professional and less informal, you
should stick to calling that person usted. (The equivalent of using vos is vosearse)
When people in Spain want to address a group of people, they use the word vosotros/as,
which is the informal “you” in the plural. In Latin America people almost never use
vosotros/as. In Latin American Spanish people use ustedes to talk to a group of people in both
formal and informal situations. In Spain is only used to address groups in formal contexts.

Número Persona Pronombres English equivalent

1era Yo I
Singular

2da Tú / Vos You (singular informal.)

2da Usted (Ud.) You (singular formal.)
3era Él / Ella He / She
1era Nosotros / We (all male or mixed group of people) / We (all female)
Nosotras
2da Vosotros / You (all male or mixed group of people, informal) / We
Plural

Vosotras (all female, informal) [used only in Spain]

2da Ustedes (Uds.) You (plural formal in Spain and both formal and informal
plural in Latin America)
3era Ellos / Ellas They (all group male group or mixed) / They (all female)
 Use of Vos around the Spanish-speaking world

Primary spoken and written form

Primary spoken, but not in written form

'Vos' coexists with 'tú'

Spanish-speaking area with voseo non-existent

 Verbos regulares / Regular verbs
Presente del modo indicativo. Verbos regulares

Número Persona Pronombres HABLAR BEBER VIVIR

1era Yo hablo bebo vivo
2da Tú / Vos hablas/hablás bebes / vives / vivís
Singular

bebés
2da Usted (Ud.) habla bebe vive
3era Él / Ella habla bebe vive
1era Nosotros / hablamos bebemos vivimos
Nosotras
2da Vosotros / habláis bebéis vivís
Plural

Vosotras
2da Ustedes hablan beben viven
(Uds.)
3era Ellos / Ellas hablan beben viven

Base Terminación
Habl- -ar
Beb- -er
Viv- -ir

The most basic form of a verb is called an infinitive in English or infinitivo in Spanish. While
both languages have similar names for the infinitive, they do not create the infinitive form of
the verb the same way. In English, the word “to” must be placed in front of a verb to create an
infinitive. For example, the sentence you just read includes the infinitive “to create.”
In Spanish, an infinitive is only one word. Hablar is the Spanish equivalent to the English
infinitive “to speak,” beber is “to drink,” and vivir is “to live.” You will be able to recognize the
infinitive form of verbs in Spanish because they always end in one of three ways: – ar, – er, or –
ir. The above examples of infinitives include one of each type. Because hablar ends in – ar, it is
called an – ar verb. Beber is an –er verb and escribir is an –ir verb. The type of infinitive the
verb has ( –ar, –er, or –ir) will determine the conjugation patterns of the verb in different
tenses. When you look for a verb in the dictionary, you will find the infinitive form listed. If you
see a verb in a Spanish sentence that you want to look up, first you will have to determine the
infinitive form. For example, amo (I love) is not in the dictionary because it is a form of the
verb amar. Since all verbs end in –ar, –er, or –ir you can usually find the correct infinitive in the
dictionary without much difficulty.
Regular verbs follow predictable patterns. The pattern that a verb follows depends on the
last two letters of the infinitive form of the verb. To conjugate a verb, follow these two steps:

1. Remove the – ar, – er or – ir ending from the infinitive. What is left is called the base of the
verb.

2. Using the regular endings highlighted with bold font in the table, you would place the base
of the verb in front of those endings.
 Spanish is a pro-drop language. This means that you can say or write a sentence and omit the
subject. In Spanish, the verb changes its ending to show tense, person and number, thus
expression of the pronoun is unnecessary because it is grammatically redundant.

Examples:

¿Ves ese tronco? Es bueno para la fogata. Tiene muchas ramas secas. (Spanish)

¿Tú ves ese tronco? El tronco es bueno para la fogata. El tronco tiene muchas ramas secas.
(Spanish with pronouns)

See that log? Is good for the campfire. Has many dry branches (literal, direct translation)

Do you see that log? It is good for the campfire. The log has many dry branches (suitable
English translation)
Subject pronouns in Spanish are often essential, but their use should be avoided when
they're not necessary.

Overuse of subject pronouns is common among English speakers learning Spanish. It's
important to remember that in Spanish the verb forms often make subject pronouns
unnecessary, and when that is the case the pronouns should not be used unless there
is a reason to.

Here is a sampling of sentences where pronouns are unnecessary:

 Voy al supermercado. I am going to the supermarket. (The verb voy can refer
only to the person speaking.)
 ¿Adónde vas? Where are you going? (The verb vas necessarily refers to the
person being spoken to.)
 Roberto no está en casa. ¿Fue al supermercado? Roberto isn't at home. Did he
go to the supermarket? (Standing alone, the second sentence might be unclear
about who the subject is. But in context, it is obvious that Roberto is being
referred to.)
 Nieva. It is snowing. [Nevar, the verb for "to snow," is used in the third-person
singular form and is never accompanied by subject pronoun. The same goes for
all verbs related to weather phenomena like llover (to rain) or granizar (to hail)]

When To Use Subject Pronouns

To avoid ambiguity: Context does not always make clear who the subject is, and some
verb forms are ambiguous. [Yo] tenía un coche. I had a car. (Out of context, tenía could
mean "I had," "you had," "he had" or "she had." If the context makes the subjects
clear, the pronouns normally wouldn't be used.) Juan y María son alumnos. Él estudia
mucho. John and Mary are students. He studies a lot. (Without the pronoun, it is
impossible to tell whom the second sentence refers to.)

For emphasis: In English, unlike Spanish, we often use verbal stress to emphasize a
pronoun. For example, if a strong emphasis is placed on the "We" in "We are not like
them” the understood meaning of the sentence might be "We (and not somebody
else) are not like them" or possibly "We are not like them (and we are proud of that)."
In Spanish, one could similarly add an emphasis by using the grammatically
unnecessary pronoun.

Change of subject: When contrasting two subjects, the pronouns are frequently used.
Yo estudio y él escucha música. I'm studying and he's listening to music. Nosotros
somos pobres, pero él es rico .We're poor, but he's rich.

Usted and ustedes: Even where not strictly necessary, usted and ustedes are
sometimes included and can add a degree of politeness. ¿Cómo está (usted)? How are
you? Espero que (ustedes) vayan al cine. I hope you are going to the cinema.
 Ser y estar
Número Persona Pronombres SER ESTAR
1era Yo soy estoy
Singular

2da Tú / Vos eres / sos estas / estás

2da Usted (Ud.) es está
3era Él / Ella es está
1era Nosotros / somos estamos
Nosotras
Plural

2da Vosotros / sois estáis

Vosotras
2da Ustedes (Uds.) son están
3era Ellos / Ellas son están

There are two verbs in Spanish equivalent to English ‘to be’, namely ser and estar.
Unfortunately for the learner of Spanish, they are not randomly interchangeable. However the
distinction between the two verbs is in principle fairly clear.
Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.
The apple is green.
(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)
The apple is green.
(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)
In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because
it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it
will no longer be green, it will be ripe.
In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple
is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.
In English, the verb “to be” can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what
something is (the essence).
How is the apple?
It is unripe.
What color is the apple?
It is green.
In Spanish, a different verb is used to express “to be” depending on whether the speaker
intends to address a condition or an essential quality. Note how the adjective “verde” actually
changes meaning, depending upon whether it is used with ser or estar.

La manzana está verde.

The apple is green. (condition: verde = unripe)

La manzana es verde.
The apple is green. (essence: verde = color green)

Ser and estar are irregular verbs. They do not follow the standard rules of conjugation for
regular –er and -ar verbs. Therefore, you must memorize them.
As stated before, Ser is used to talk about permanent or lasting attributes. If this general rule is
too vague for you, think of the acronym DOCTOR, which stands for Descriptions, Occupations,
Characteristics, Time, Origin, and Relationships. Let's take a look at each of the above
categories individually.

Descriptions

Descriptions are the essential qualities that define a person or thing and probably won’t
change anytime soon. These descriptions can be names, physical descriptions,
nationalities, political ideologies and religions.

Yo soy Raúl.

I am Raul.

Alberto es vegetariano

Alberto is vegetarian

Yo soy alta, rubia, y delgada.

I am tall, blond, and thin.

Bob es inglés.

Bob is English.

Andrés es católico.

Andres is Catholic.

Stalin era comunista

Stalin was Communist

Occupations

An occupation is what someone does for a living or as a hobby. Basically, if you're talking about
how someone makes money or fills their time, you'll use ser.

Soy profesora de español.

I am a Spanish teacher.

Ellos son estudiantes.

They are students.

Mi padre era jardinero.

My father was a gardener.

Juana es bailarina.

Juana is a dancer

Characteristics

Characteristics are personality descriptions of a person. This category is included to hammer

home the point that ser is used to talk about descriptions.

Alejandro es tímido

Alejandro is shy

Amalia es inteligente, atrevida, y amable.

Amalia is intelligent, daring, and friendly.

Mi esposo es romántico y cariñoso.

My husband is romantic and caring.

Time

Time can refer to days, dates, years, seasons, and the time on the clock. Also, ser is used to talk
about mathematical calculations.

Dos más dos es cuatro

Two plus two makes four

Hoy es miércoles.

Today is Wednesday.

Es invierno

It’s winter

Ayer fue mi cumpleaños.

Yesterday was my birthday.

Ahora es la una.

Right now it is one o’clock.

Son las cinco y veinticinco.

It's five twenty-five.

Origin

The place a person or thing is from or the material something is made of can be considered an
origin.

Celia es de España.

Celia is from Spain.

Este chocolate es de México.

This chocolate is from Mexico.

Las sillas son de madera.

The chairs are made of wood.

Mi anillo es de oro.

My ring is made of gold.

Relationships

Personal relationships, such as family ties, friendship, and romantic relationships, are also
talked about using ser.

Lynne es mi madre.

Lynne is my mother.

Marcos es mi exnovio.

Marcos is my ex-boyfriend.

Juana es mi jefe.

Juana is my boss.
Estar is used to indicate temporary states and locations. If that general rule doesn’t suffice,
there are two acronyms that you can think of, PLACE and LoCo. PLACE stands for Position,
Location, Action, Condition, and Emotion. LoCo stands for Locations and Conditions. Let's
look at PLACE now.

Position

Position refers to the physical position or posture a person or thing is in.

Mi abuela está sentada.

My grandmother is seated.

Yo estaba acostada cuando me llamaste.

I was lying down when you called me.

Location

The location of someone or something describes where it is permanently, temporarily, or

conceptually.

El baño está a la derecha de la sala.

The bathroom is to the right of the living room.

Estamos en el café ahora y estaremos en el cine en 20 minutos.

We are at the café right now and we will be at the movie theater in 20 minutes.

Mi abuelo está en la luna.

My grandfather is out of it.

Exception! The location of an event, meeting or party is described using ser, not estar.

La clase será en el aula grande

The class will be in the large classroom

La fiesta es en mi casa.

The party is at my house.

Actions

Estar is used to describe ongoing actions and is often followed by a pregerund (such as
lavando) or a past participle (such as muerto).

Estoy lavando los platos sucios.

I am washing the dirty dishes.

Estamos leyendo los periódicos.

We are reading the newspapers.

Mi bisabuelo está muerto.

My great-grandfather is dead.

Intriguingly, death in Spanish is seen as an ongoing action, not a permanent state, so estar
is used to talk about being dead. It could be considered an exception to the idea that ser is
used to talk about permanent states.
Conditions

Physical and mental conditions are described using estar. Things that are likely to vary
over several hours, days, or even years can be fall into this category.

Estoy tan cansada esta mañana.

I am so tired this morning.

Mis niños están enfermos hoy.

My children are sick today.

Mi padre está un poco loco.

My father is a little crazy.

Emotions

How a person is feeling at a certain moment is described using estar.

Estoy triste.

I am sad.

Ella está contenta porque recibió unas flores de su novio.

She is happy because she got some flowers from her boyfriend.
Meaning Changes With Ser and Estar Phrases

There are some words that can be used with both ser and estar to form verb phrases, and
these take on different meanings depending on the verb. Here are some examples of these
types of phrases.

Ser Phrase English Estar Phrase English

ser aburrido estar aburrido

to be boring to be bored

ser bueno estar bueno

to be good to be sexy/ ho t/attractive

ser listo estar listo

to be clever to be ready

ser orgulloso estar orgulloso

to be conceited or vain to be proud

ser pálido estar pálido

to be pale-skinned to be pale

ser rico estar rico

to be rich to be tasty

ser seguro estar seguro

to be safe to be certain

ser verde estar verde

to be green to be unripe

ser vivo estar vivo

to be sharp to be alive
Artículos definidos e indefinidos
When you learn a new word that is a noun, learn the gender of the word as a part of the word
by including a definite or indefinite article.

It doesn't matter whether you choose to learn el hombre or un hombre as long as placing el or
un in front of the noun helps you remember that the word is masculine. La or una helps you
remember that the word that follows is a feminine word.

Artículo definido (the):

Masculino Femenino
Singular el la
Plural los las

el hombre la mujer

los hombres las mujeres

In English, only one definite article is used to represent a specific, definite object. The definite
article the can be used in front of any noun without regard to gender or number: the girl, the
books, the man, the chairs. In Spanish, the definite article reflects the gender and number of
the word that follows. The definite article el (the, masculine) is used in front of a singular
masculine noun, and the definite article la (the, feminine) is used in front of a singular
feminine noun. Los and las are used respectively for plural masculine nouns and plural female
nouns.

Articulo indefinido (a/an):

Masculino Femenino
Singular un una
Plural unos unas

un hombre una mujer

unos hombres unas mujeres

There is a masculine and feminine version of indefinite articles, which demonstrate the gender
of the noun that they precede. While a definite article is very specific, an indefinite article
refers to a less‐specific object. In English the indefinite article is the word a. When you request
“a book” you are being much less specific than when you request “the book.” In Spanish, the
indefinite article for a singular masculine noun is un, and the indefinite article for a feminine
noun is una. Unos and unas are used respectively for plural masculine nouns and plural female
nouns.