Learn to pronounce the vowels
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| a e i o u (enunciated) |
| These are the vowel sounds in Spanish. By the end of this lesson, you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Miri, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first is a /a/. This is the a /a/ sound in casa "house," rata "rat," rana "frog," and other words. |
| E /e/ is the e /e/ sound in mesa "table," bebé "baby," escalón "step," and other words. |
| I /i/ is the i /i/ sound in sí "yes," mío "mine," tipo "type," and other words. |
| O /o/ is the o /o/ sound in loco "crazy," oso "bear," todo "all," |
| U /u/ is the u /u/ sound in tú "you," dúo "duet," curable "curable," and other words. |
| These are the five vowel sounds in the Spanish language. They are similar to the English vowel sounds but are typically shorter and tense compared to their English counterparts. |
| To make the a /a/ sound: open your mouth wide and keep your tongue low. Produce the sound from the back of your throat. It's similar to the a in the English "father" but shorter and more towards the front. |
| a |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a |
| a |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a |
| To make the e /e/ sound, open your mouth slightly and place your tongue slightly forward. Relax your tongue and produce the sound from the front of your mouth. This is similar to the E sound in the English word "let" but slightly higher and tenser. |
| e |
| [3 sec pause] |
| e (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| e |
| e |
| [3 sec pause] |
| e (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| e |
| To make the i /i/ sound: open your mouth slightly and place your tongue slightly forward and upward but without touching the roof. The lips should be unrounded and slightly stretched. This is identical to the double E sound in the word "see" but shorter and more tense. |
| i |
| [3 sec pause] |
| i (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| i |
| i |
| [3 sec pause] |
| i (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| i |
| To make the o /o/ sound: round your lips into a small, tight circle. The tongue stays relaxed in the middle of the mouth, not touching the roof or the teeth, and the sound flows smoothly with minimal movement. This is similar to the O sound in the word "boring" but with the mouth more closed and the tongue higher. |
| o |
| [3 sec pause] |
| o (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| o |
| o |
| [3 sec pause] |
| o (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| o |
| To make the u /u/ sound: round your lips into a tight circle, but slightly less than for the o sound. Position the tongue high and towards the back of the mouth without touching the roof or teeth, and the sound is produced with a smooth and steady airflow. This is identical to the double OO sound in the word "boot" but shorter and more tense. |
| u |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u |
| u |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u |
| Spanish vowels are typically shorter and tense compared to their English counterparts. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| a e i o u |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a e i o u (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a e i o u |
| Many Spanish learners tend to stretch out the vowel sounds longer than necessary. When practicing these sounds, be careful about this. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| más/mes |
| "more"/"month" |
| (space for repetition) |
| más/mes |
| "more"/"month" |
| casa/cosa |
| "house"/"thing" |
| (space for repetition) |
| casa/cosa |
| "house"/"thing" |
| misa/mesa |
| "mass"/"table" |
| (space for repetition) |
| misa/mesa |
| "mass"/"table" |
| puro/poro |
| "pure"/"pore" |
| (space for repetition) |
| puro/poro |
| "pure"/"pore" |
| piso/puso |
| "floor"/"put" |
| (space for repetition) |
| piso/puso |
| "floor"/"put" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| cama/quema |
| "bed"/"burn" |
| (1) |
| cama/quema |
| "bed"/"burn" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| maya/mayo |
| "Mayan"/"May" |
| (1) |
| maya/mayo |
| "Mayan"/"May" |
| (1) |
| pico/peco |
| "beak"/"I sin" |
| (1) |
| pico/peco |
| "beak"/"I sin" |
| (1) |
| cuco/coco |
| "cuckoo"/"coconut" |
| (1) |
| cuco/coco |
| "cuckoo"/"coconut" |
| (1) |
| salida/saluda |
| "exit"/"greet" |
| (1) |
| salida/saluda |
| "exit"/"greet" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Quiero más dinero este mes. |
| "I want more money this month." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| más, mes |
| La cama es cómoda, pero él está en coma. |
| "The bed is comfortable, but he is in a coma." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| cama, coma |
| Planeo ir a la Riviera Maya en mayo. |
| "I'm planning on going to the Mayan Riviera in May." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| maya, mayo |
| Después de la misa, nos sentamos en la mesa. |
| "After the mass, we sat at the table." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| misa, mesa |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| La luna brilla sobre la lona. |
| "The moon shines over the canvas." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| luna, lona |
| Él puso la caja en el piso. |
| "He put the box on the floor." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| puso, piso |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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