May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, and we thought we help you get closer to Hispanic culture with some tips on Spanish pronunciation.
The H is always silent: (H)éctor, (h)uevo (egg), (h)istoria (history)
On the other hand, the J sounds like an “h” would in English: juntos (together), Julio, japón (Japan)
Open your mouth for the A, like you do in father: Antonio, CArmen, AnA
I is never pronounced /ai/. It’s like the “e” in me: biología (biology), psicología (psychology)
The E always sounds the same, like in elephant. So, careful with me gusta (I like); you don´t want to end up saying mi gusta (I like it).
The U sounds like moon, not like university. Try it here: universidad (university)
B and V have the same sound in Spanish, like in bill: Barcelona, Valencia
C sounds like “s” before I and E, but like “k” before A, O, U and consonants: cinco (five), Cuba, recto (straight)
Don’t worry about the R. Yours sounds so cute to native speakers! But you can practice the trill by copying how native speakers do it.
The U in gue, gui is totally silent: guerra (war), guirnalda (garland)
You can read more about Cinco de Mayo here. or you can get started on your Spanish by subscribing to our Online Spanish course.