Courses / Spanish / Basics, lesson 3

Consonants that sound different

Most Spanish consonants sound just as they do in English. This lesson is about the dozen that do not, and the few simple spelling rules behind them. After it, nothing written in Spanish will surprise you.

The easy ones first

Most are easy

f · k · l · m · n · p · s · t

1 / 3

H is silent

Silent h

H h

never pronounced

1 / 2

J, and G before E or I

The throat sound

J j

a strong, breathy h

1 / 6

GUE, GUI, and the two dots

A silent u

gue · gui

hard g, silent u

1 / 4

Ñ, LL and Y

Ñ, double l and y

Ñ ñ

like ny in canyon

1 / 4

R and RR

The sound that changes meanings. Take your time with this one.

A tap and a roll

r

one quick tap

1 / 8

B and V

One sound

b = v

one sound

1 / 2

C, Z and QU

The k sound and the s sound

ca · co · cu

1 / 6

Note.

In most of Spain, c before e or i and z sound like the th in think. You will understand both; this course uses the sounds of the Americas.

A soft D, and CH

Two more

d

soft between vowels

1 / 4

All the rules at a glance

Letters	Sound	Words
h	silent	hola hello · ahora now
j, and g before e or i	a breathy sound from the throat, a strong h	jugo juice · gente people
g before a, o, u	hard, as in go	gato cat · gusto pleasure
gue, gui	hard g; the u is silent	guitarra guitar · Miguel
güe, güi	the u is said	pingüino penguin
ñ	like ny in canyon	niño child · año year
ll, y	like y in yes	calle street · playa beach
r between vowels	one quick tap	pero but · caro expensive
rr, and r at the start	rolled	perro dog · rosa rose
b, v	the same sound	vaca cow · bueno good
c before a, o, u; qu	k	casa house · queso cheese
c before e or i; z	s (in the Americas)	cena dinner · azul blue
d between vowels	soft, close to th in this	nada nothing · todo all
ch	as in church	noche night · leche milk

Practice

Press Play, listen, then choose.

Listen: question 1

Press Play and listen.

1 / 1

Question

Which word did Lupe say?

A. pero, butB. perro, dog

Hint

Was it one tap, or a roll?

Solution

Lupe said perro, with a rolled rr.

Listen: question 2

Press Play and listen.

1 / 1

Question

Which word did Pedro say?

A. caro, expensiveB. carro, car

Hint

Was it one tap, or a roll?

Solution

Pedro said caro, with one quick tap.

Listen: question 3

Press Play and listen.

1 / 1

Question

How does the g sound in the word Lupe said?

A. hard, as in goB. a breathy throat sound, like a strong hC. silent

Hint

Look at the letter after the g.

Solution

In gente, g comes before e, so it makes the throat sound of j.

Question

Which letter is silent in hola?

A. hB. oC. l

Hint

One Spanish letter is never pronounced.

Solution

h is always silent: hola sounds like "OH-lah".

Question

You want a hard g, as in go, before e. How is it written?

A. geB. gueC. güe

Hint

A letter is written but not said.

Solution

gue: the silent u keeps the g hard, as in guerra. ge is the throat sound; güe says the u.

Listen: question 6

Press Play and listen.

1 / 1

Question

In the word Pedro said, how does the z sound?

A. like z in zooB. like s in sunC. like ts

Hint

In the Americas, z has the same sound as another letter.

Solution

In the Americas, z sounds like s: zapato is "sah-PAH-toh".

Listen: question 7

Press Play and listen.

1 / 1

Question

Which word did Lupe say?

A. llaveB. laveC. clave

Hint

The first sound is like the y in yes.

Solution

Lupe said llave (key): ll sounds like y in yes. lave starts with an l sound, clave with a k sound.

Question

Why does pingüino have two dots on the u?

A. to make the u longB. to show the u is saidC. to show stress

Hint

Without the dots, the u after g would be silent.

Solution

The two dots tell you to say the u: "peen-GWEE-noh".

Note.

Next: stress and accent marks. A small mark on a vowel tells you exactly where the beat of a word falls, and sometimes changes its meaning.