Spanish · Chapter 1 · Lesson 8 · Vocabulary
The sounds of Spanish
Five pure vowels, two r's, and the soft d. Watch the mouth make each one, then make it yourself.
Pick a sound, watch the mouth make it, then play the example words and copy them aloud. When a slider appears, drag it slowly and watch which part of the mouth moves - that moving part is the whole difference between the two sounds.
Spain vs Mexico: what actually differs
Both are correct. Pick the one you are learning towards, be consistent, and know the other when you hear it.
c and z before e/i - THE divide (distinción vs seseo)
Spain: cielo/θjelo/ - th, as in English 'think'
Mexico: cielo/sjelo/ - a plain s, all of Latin America agrees
z at the end of a word
Spain: vez/beθ/
Mexico: vez/bes/
the j rasp
Spain: trabajo/x/ - a strong Scottish-loch rasp
Mexico: trabajosofter, drifting towards English h
everything else - including the soft d of todo
Spain: todo/toðo/
Mexico: todo/toðo/ - shared: the softening happens everywhere Spanish is spoken
Read the mouth
No sound this time: the mouth moves, you say which sound it made. Nobody else will ever test you on this - which is exactly why it sticks.
Hear it, pick it
One of the two words plays - which did you hear? This is the single highest-value pronunciation exercise there is.
Ear check
0/9
Real words, one sound each: how is the highlighted part pronounced?
How do you pronounce the highlighted d in Spain Spanish?
todo
word pageLesson 8 of 9 in this chapter