What are common mistakes with Alfabeto y pronunciación?

Learners often mispronounce H (it is always silent in Spanish) and struggle with the rolled RR. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Tend to pronounce H as in English, add aspiration to P/T/K, and reduce unstressed vowels to schwa (Spanish vowels are always pure). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Generally handle the 5-vowel system well but may over-palatalize consonants before i/e and struggle with the B/V distinction (Spanish B and V are the same sound). 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech speakers pronounce most sounds well due to similar vowel systems, but may struggle with J (Spanish J = Czech CH) and the silent H.

Alfabeto y pronunciación | Spanish Grammar A1

Alfabeto y pronunciación

A1 — Fundamentos

Spanish alphabet, ñ, ll, rr, vowel system, stress rules

Can spell words and recognize Spanish pronunciation patterns including ñ, ll, rr

Spanish alphabet, ñ, ll, rr, vowel system, stress rules

Examples

Hola, ¿cómo te llamas? — Hello, what is your name?
España es un país bonito. — Spain is a beautiful country.
El perro corre por la calle. — The dog runs through the street.

FundamentosA1

Alfabeto y pronunciación

Spanish alphabet, ñ, ll, rr, vowel system, stress rules

Learning Goal

Can spell words and recognize Spanish pronunciation patterns including ñ, ll, rr

Exam Skills:Comprensión auditivaExpresión oral

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

Hello, what is your name?

España es un país bonito.

Spain is a beautiful country.

El perro corre por la calle.

The dog runs through the street.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

El alfabeto español tiene 27 letras: las 26 del alfabeto latino más la ñ. La pronunciación española es muy regular — cada letra suena casi siempre igual.

Letras especiales:

Letra	Sonido	Ejemplo
Ñ, ñ	como «ny» en canyon	España, niño
LL, ll	como «y» en yes	calle, llave
RR, rr	vibrante múltiple	perro, carro
H	siempre muda	hola, hotel
J	como «ch» en Bach	jardín, jugar
Z	como «s» (Latinoamérica) o «th» (España)	zapato, azul

Vocales: Español tiene solo 5 vocales puras: a, e, i, o, u. Son siempre claras y cortas.

Reglas de acentuación:

Palabras terminadas en vocal, n o s: acento en la penúltima sílaba (ca-sa, ha-blan)
Palabras terminadas en consonante (excepto n, s): acento en la última sílaba (ha-blar, ciu-dad)
La tilde (´) indica una excepción: café, teléfono

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Learners often mispronounce H (it is always silent in Spanish) and struggle with the rolled RR. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Tend to pronounce H as in English, add aspiration to P/T/K, and reduce unstressed vowels to schwa (Spanish vowels are always pure).

Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

Hello, what is your name?

H is silent in 'hola', LL sounds like 'y' in 'llamas', and the accent on 'cómo' marks the stress.

España es un país bonito.

Spain is a beautiful country.

The ñ in 'España' makes a 'ny' sound. Without the tilde, it would be 'Espana' (a different word).

El perro corre por la calle.

The dog runs through the street.

RR in 'perro' is a strong rolled R (different from single R in 'pero' = but). LL in 'calle' sounds like 'y'.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Alfabeto y pronunciación used?: El alfabeto español tiene 27 letras: las 26 del alfabeto latino más la ñ . La pronunciación española es muy regular — cada letra suena casi siempre igual.
How is Alfabeto y pronunciación formed?: Vocales: Español tiene solo 5 vocales puras: a, e, i, o, u . Son siempre claras y cortas.
What are common mistakes with Alfabeto y pronunciación?: Learners often mispronounce H (it is always silent in Spanish) and struggle with the rolled RR. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Tend to pronounce H as in English, add aspiration to P/T/K, and reduce unstressed vowels to schwa (Spanish vowels are always pure). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Generally handle the 5-vowel system well but may over-palatalize consonants before i/e and struggle with the B/V distinction (Spanish B and V are the same sound). 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech speakers pronounce most sounds well due to similar vowel systems, but may struggle with J (Spanish J = Czech CH) and the silent H.