Master the pronunciation of diphthongs
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| This is the ai /ai̯/ sound, this is the ei /ei̯/ sound, this is the oi /oi̯/ sound, this is the au /au̯/ sound, this is the eu/eu̯/ sound, and this is ou /ou̯/. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Miri, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is ai /ai̯/. This is the ai /ai̯/ sound in aire "air," baile "dance," fraile "friar," and other words. |
| Ei /ei̯/ is the ei /ei̯/ sound in ley "law," peine "comb," reina "queen," and other words. |
| Oi /oi̯/ is the oi /oi̯/ sound in hoy "today," voy "I go," boina "beret," and other words. |
| Au /au̯/ is the au /au̯/ sound in auto "car," raudo "swift," laurel "laurel," and other words. |
| Eu /eu̯/ is the eu /eu̯/ sound in europeo "European," deuda "debt," neutro "neuter," and other words. |
| Ou /ou̯/ is rare in Spanish but can occur in words like bou, which is a type of boat. |
| These sounds are called diphthongs, specifically made up of a strong vowel followed by a weak vowel. Spanish diphthongs are pronounced with more clarity and less glide than English diphthongs. They are also shorter and more even in duration. |
| To make the ai /ai̯/ sound: begin with your mouth wide open with the tongue positioned low and flat, then quickly moves up toward the roof of the mouth, with the lips slightly narrowing. It's similar to the ai in the English word "ice," but without the glide or length of the English diphthong |
| ai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai |
| ai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai |
| The ei /ei̯/sound is similar to the ay in the English word "say," but the Spanish version is shorter and does not glide towards a final /ɪ/ sound as it often does in English. |
| ei |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei |
| ei |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei |
| The oi /oi̯/ sound is similar to the oy in the English word "boy," but the transition from /o/ to /i/ in Spanish is more direct, and the vowels are more evenly blended. |
| oi |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oi (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oi |
| oi |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oi (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oi |
| The au/au̯/ sound is similar to the ow in the English word "cow," but in Spanish, the transition is faster, and the vowels are blended more smoothly. The Spanish version is shorter and doesn't linger on the glide as much as in English. |
| au |
| [3 sec pause] |
| au (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| au |
| au |
| [3 sec pause] |
| au (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| au |
| The eu /eu̯/sound does not have a direct equivalent in English, but you can approximate it by saying “eh-oo" quickly while keeping the vowels distinct but connected. The transition between /e/ and /u/ in Spanish is short and fluid. |
| eu |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eu (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eu |
| eu |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eu (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eu |
| The ou /ou̯/ sound is pronounced similarly to the ow in the English word "go," but without the diphthongal glide commonly heard in English. |
| ou |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou |
| ou |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou |
| In English, diphthongs often have a more pronounced glide between the two vowels, while in Spanish, the transition between the two vowels is faster and less pronounced. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ai, ei, oi , au, eu, ou |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai, ei, oi , au, eu, ou (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai, ei, oi , au, eu, ou |
| Try to pronounce Spanish diphthongs in a shorter and more even way. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| ley/lee |
| "law"/"he/she reads" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ley/lee |
| "law"/"he/she reads" |
| hoy/o |
| "today"/"or" |
| (space for repetition) |
| hoy/o |
| "today"/"or" |
| auto/ato |
| "car"/"I tie" |
| (space for repetition) |
| auto/ato |
| "car"/"I tie" |
| reusar/rezar |
| "reuse"/"pray" |
| (space for repetition) |
| reusar/rezar |
| "reuse"/"pray" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| baile/vale |
| "dance"/"it's worth" |
| (1) |
| baile/vale |
| "dance"/"it's worth" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| reino/reno |
| "kingdom"/"reindeer" |
| (1) |
| reino/reno |
| "kingdom"/"reindeer" |
| (1) |
| doy/do |
| "I give"/"do" (musical note) |
| (1) |
| doy/do |
| "I give"/"do" (musical note) |
| (1) |
| causa/casa |
| "cause"/"house" |
| (1) |
| causa/casa |
| "cause"/"house" |
| (1) |
| reusar/rezar |
| "reuse"/"pray" |
| (1) |
| reusar/rezar |
| "reuse"/"pray" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| ¿Cuánto vale una entrada para el baile? |
| "How much is a ticket for the ball?" |
| (3 sec pause) |
| vale, baile |
| No hay un solo reno en todo el reino. |
| "There isn't a single reindeer in the whole kingdom." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| reno, reino |
| El aula de física está en el ala este de la escuela. |
| "The physics classroom is in the east wing of the school." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aula, ala |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| A causa de las lluvias, la casa está inundada. |
| "Due to the rains, the house is flooded." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| causa, casa |
| Las autoridades no movieron un dedo para localizar a los deudos. |
| "The authorities didn't raise a finger to locate the mourning relatives." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| dedo, deudos |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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