Consonantes

Esta es una introducción a la pronunciación de las consonantes en español. Hay algunas prácticas para repetir y otras auditivas que te ayudarán a distinguir las palabras y también a pronunciarlas.

Just like there are different accents in English, there are different accents in Spanish depending on the place where you grow up. However, those differences in sounds do not stop us from understanding each other. You can hear the following words pronounced by a native speaker from Latin America and another one from Spain. Listen to both. Pay attention to the pronunciation of "caza" and "caja." See if you can notice any difference.

El Salvadoran (Central America) Galician (Spain)

capa     cata      casa      cara      cava      cada   

caza     cacha    caja      cama     cana      caña

cama     cala     calla     carra   

Knowing those differences will help you realize that even though they might be slightly different, they are still the same word (just like the differences between Australian, British and American English).

Práctica básica de consonantes (hasta que tenga mas espacio)

OJO Among native speakers of American English, there is a tendency to pronounce the Spanish “d” and “t” in the middle of a word like the American English “d” and “t” in the words: to t al, ke tt le or i d ol. In those cases, the “t” or “d” is more like the Spanish “r” in the middle of a word. Thus, instead of “todo” or “modo,” they would sound like “toro” or “moro.” The sound of “d” in Spanish is always like the sound of “th” in the word “ th e.” You can practice your “t” by pronouncing it in front of a candle.

Listen to the following examples and repeat.

todo     modo     lodo     moda     dedo     adiós

 

Toto     total     Oto     carta     letal     pato

Práctica de d, t and r (hasta que tenga mas espacio)

The sound of “S” can be written in the following ways in the Spanish spoken in Latin America . However, they can mean different things depending on the letter you write.

sa/za     se/ce/ze   si/ci/zi     so/zo     su/zu

 

Listen to the following examples and repeat.

 

casa (house)       ceso (f. cesar)      sien (fronthead)          sumo (supreme)

caza (hunting)     seso (brain)         cien (one hundred)     zumo (juice)    

 

 

Notice the difference in pronunciation. Listen to the following words pronounced by a woman from Gacilicia, España.

 

 

cero     césped     cima     cerro

 

zapato     zócalo     zorra     zanahoria

 

There are more sounds that we should practice, so wait for more activities soon. In the mean time:

 

Para más práctica, visita este lugar: http://www.studyspanish.com/pronunciation/index.htm