Ch 49 · Lesson 16Spanish · Chapter 49 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
The diacritic accent: tú vs tu, sí vs si
The accent that only tells two identical words apart: (you) vs (your), (he) vs (the), (me) vs (my), (yes) vs (if), plus , , , and why lost its accent.
The short version
The pronoun takes the accent, its twin does not
.
Why?Hide
(you), (he), (me) and (yes) carry an accent; (your), (the), (my) and (if) do not. They sound the same, so the accent is the only clue on the page. Quick test: if a noun follows straight away, it is almost always , or , with no accent.
Most Spanish accents mark stress. The diacritic accent marks meaning: it tells apart two words that are spelt and said alike.
.- You have your book., .- Yes, I'm going if I can.
The diacritic accent at a glance
Nine pairs. The accented word carries its own stress in the sentence; its bare twin leans on the word after it.
| With accent | Meaning | Without | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| you | | your |
| he | | the |
| me (after , a) | | my |
| yes; himself, herself | | if |
| I know | | himself, herself |
| tea | | you (object) |
| more | mas | but (literary) |
| give (subjunctive) | | of, from |
| still, yet | | even |
The question words (, , and the rest) follow the same idea, further down the page.
Tú, él, mí, sí: the pronoun takes the accent
Four pairs share one pattern: the pronoun is accented; the possessive, the article or the if is not.
| Pair | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| , | . | You and your brother. |
| , | . | He opens the car. |
| , | , . | It's for me, not my brother. |
| , | , . | Yes, I'm going if I can. |
A quick test: when a noun follows straight away, it is almost always the possessive or the article, so no accent: (your house), (the car), (my mother).
is also himself or herself after a preposition:
.- He talks about himself a lot.
never takes an accent: there is no other to confuse it with.
.- This is for you.
Sé, té, más, aún, and solo
The other five pairs, each in a sentence:
| Pair | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| , | . | I don't know when he/she is leaving. |
| , | . | I'll make you a tea. |
| , mas | , mas . | He/she asked for more time, but did not get it. |
| , | . | I hope he/she gives me a glass of water. |
| , | . | He/she still hasn't arrived. |
Mas without an accent is a bookish : you will read it far more often than you hear it. means (still, yet); means (even):
, .- Even so, we'waiting.
No accent today: solo, este and o
The Real Academia's 2010 Ortografía dropped three accents that older books still show. A 2023 note allows where the writer judges a sentence ambiguous, but it is never required:
| Today, once | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| , once | . | I only want water. |
| , once | . | I prefer this one. |
| o, once ó | 3 4 . | Three or four friends are coming. |
Going further: Question words: qué, cómo, dónde and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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