Lesson 1 – Pronunciation and the Alphabet
Unit 1: Bienvenidos | Unit Overview | Course Home
This is your first lesson — no Review Flash yet. Starting with Lesson 3, every lesson opens with a 5-word review of vocabulary from earlier lessons.
Lesson Goals
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Pronounce all five Spanish vowels correctly
- Recognize how key Spanish consonants differ from English
- Read any Spanish word out loud with a reasonable accent
- Understand accent marks and know why they matter
Why Pronunciation First?
Spanish spelling is almost perfectly phonetic. Once you know the rules, you can read any Spanish word you’ve never seen — and pronounce it correctly. English is the opposite: spelling is a guessing game. In Spanish, the rules are consistent. This lesson is your master key.
The Spanish Alphabet
Spanish has 27 letters (English’s 26 plus ñ). The letters are mostly the same as English, but their sounds differ in important ways.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | (ah) Always “ah” as in father |
| B | be | (beh) Soft “b”, sometimes like English v |
| C | ce | (seh) Before a/o/u: “k” • Before e/i: “s” |
| D | de | (deh) Like English d, softer between vowels |
| E | e | (eh) Always “eh” as in pet (never silent) |
| F | efe | (EF-eh) Same as English f |
| G | ge | (heh) Before a/o/u: hard “g” • Before e/i: like English “h” |
| H | hache | (ach-eh) Always silent — hola = “OH-lah” |
| I | i | (ee) Always “ee” as in feet |
| J | jota | (ho-ta) Always like English “h” — Jesús = “heh-SOOS” |
| K | ka | (ka) Same as English k (rare, mostly in foreign words) |
| L | ele | (el-eh) Same as English l |
| M | eme | (em-eh) Same as English m |
| N | ene | (en-eh) Same as English n |
| Ñ | eñe | (enyeh) Like “ny” — mañana = “mah-NYA-nah” |
| O | o | (oh) Always “oh” as in go (never “uh”) |
| P | pe | (peh) Same as English p, no puff of air |
| Q | cu | (koo) Always “k” sound, always followed by ue or ui |
| R | ere | (er-eh) Flap r (single r between vowels: tap the tongue once) |
| S | ese | (es-eh) Always like English s, never “z” |
| T | te | (teh) Same as English t, no puff of air |
| U | u | (oo) Always “oo” as in food |
| V | uve | (oo-beh) Same as b in Spanish — no distinction |
| W | uve doble | (oo-beh do-bleh) Rare in Spanish; says “w” like English |
| X | equis | (ek-ees) Usually “ks” sound; sometimes “h” in place names |
| Y | ye | (yeh) Like English y (consonant) or “ee” (vowel) |
| Z | zeta | (seh-ta) In Latin America: “s” sound (never “z”) |
The Most Important Rule: Vowels Are Pure
In English, vowels shift and slide. “Late” has a sliding “ay-ee” sound. “No” slides to “oh-oo.” In Spanish, vowels never slide. They are short, clear, and consistent every single time.
| Spanish Vowel | Pronunciation | Example Word |
|---|---|---|
| A | ”ah” | papá (PAH-pah) = dad |
| E | ”eh” | fe (FEH) = faith |
| I | ”ee” | sí (SEE) = yes |
| O | ”oh” | Dios (DYOHS) = God |
| U | ”oo” | cruz (KROOS) = cross |
Practice this now
Say each vowel out loud five times: ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. Then say them as a string: a-e-i-o-u. Spanish speakers drill this from childhood.
Consonants That Trip Up English Speakers
H is always silent
- hola → OH-lah (not “HOH-lah”)
- hermano → er-MAH-noh (not “HER-mah-noh”)
J sounds like English H
- Jesús → heh-SOOS
- trabajo → trah-BAH-hoh
G before E or I sounds like H
- general → heh-neh-RAL
- gente → HEHN-teh (people)
LL sounds like Y
- llamo → YAH-moh (name)
- llamar → yah-MAR (to call)
Ñ sounds like NY
- mañana → mah-NYA-nah (tomorrow)
- niño → NEE-nyoh (child, boy)
R and RR
- Single R: a quick flap of the tongue — like the “d” sound in American English butter
- Double RR: a full trill — roll the tongue tip against the ridge behind your upper teeth
- This takes practice. Start by saying “d-d-d-d” rapidly and gradually transition to rolling
- pero (PEH-roh) = but vs. perro (PEH-rroh) = dog
Accent Marks
Spanish uses accent marks (´) over vowels for two reasons:
1. To mark stress that breaks the regular pattern By default, Spanish words ending in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable. Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the last syllable. An accent mark overrides this rule:
- habló (ah-BLOH) = he spoke (stress on last syllable, overriding the default)
- rápido (RAH-pee-doh) = fast (stress on first syllable)
2. To distinguish words that look the same
- sí (yes) vs. si (if)
- él (he) vs. el (the)
- tú (you) vs. tu (your)
Story: El Primer Día (The First Day)
Read this story aloud. Every word follows the rules you just learned.
Marcos llega al aeropuerto. Él es misionero de los Estados Unidos. En el aeropuerto, Marcos ve muchas personas. Él lee los letreros: “Salida,” “Llegadas,” “Información.” Las palabras son fáciles de leer. Marcos sonríe. En español, las vocales siempre suenan igual. “¡Puedo hacer esto!” dice Marcos.
(Marcos arrives at the airport. He is a missionary from the United States. In the airport, Marcos sees many people. He reads the signs: “Exit,” “Arrivals,” “Information.” The words are easy to read. Marcos smiles. In Spanish, the vowels always sound the same. “I can do this!” says Marcos.)
Comprehension Check:
- ¿Dónde está Marcos? (Where is Marcos?)
- ¿De dónde es Marcos? (Where is Marcos from?)
- ¿Qué lee Marcos? (What does Marcos read?)
¡Practícalo! (Speaking Practice)
Read each of these words out loud, applying the rules from this lesson. Pay special attention to the underlined sounds.
- hola — OH-lah (H is silent)
- iglesia — ee-GLEH-syah (church)
- Jesús — heh-SOOS (J sounds like H)
- mañana — mah-NYA-nah (Ñ sounds like NY)
- yo — YOH (I)
- gracias — GRAH-syahs (thank you)
- familia — fah-MEE-lyah (family)
- Dios — DYOHS (God)
Now say this sentence: “Hola, yo soy de los Estados Unidos.” (Hello, I am from the United States.)
Cultural Note
In Latin America, Spanish pronunciation varies by region. Colombians are often noted for speaking especially clearly and slowly — great for learners! Argentines use a distinctive “sh” sound for ll and y. Mexicans tend toward a crisp, clear accent. This course teaches Latin American Spanish broadly, which is understood everywhere. You’ll pick up regional flavors naturally as you travel.
Oración
“Dios es amor.” (God is love.) — 1 Juan 4:8
Read it aloud: DYOHS ehs ah-MOR. Three words, three pure vowels, no surprises.
Next Lesson → Lesson 2: Greetings and Farewells