Jul
16
Spanish pronunciation 101: Vowels
Martín Ventola’s 3 rules to remember about Spanish vowels:
- They are short sounds
- They are “pure” sounds
- They start and end differently from English vowels.
Visit Martin’s blog, Spanish Pronunciation 101, for a detailed description of the correct pronunciation of Spanish vowels.
Vowel A : In Spanish, the “a” is similar in sound to the “a” in the English word “start.”
ala, casa, mala, masa, lana, sala, sana
Qué bonita es la casa blanca.
Vowel E:
leche, cheque, sesenta, elefante
En enero, tenemos mucha nieve.
Vowel I: The Spanish “i” sounds like the “ee” sound in the English word “fleece”
mi, si, ni, fin, Lima, policía, bicicleta
Fui al cine con mis amigos.
Vowel O:
no, oso, ocho, chocó, coco, mono, solo
Los ojos oscuros son bonitos.
Vowel U: Spanish “u” equivalent to the “oo” sound in the English words, “too” and “goose.”
uno, humo, tubo, nunca, futuro, multa
Hubo un culo en el tubo. (A little bathroom humor here. :P)
Extra credit: A trabalenguas (tongue twister) in Spanish: A, E, I, O, U: El burro sabe más que tú. 
Previous podcasts in this series are:
Intro to Spanish pronunciation
[...] hiatus, the Spanish Pronunciation 101 podcasts with Spanish instructor Martín Ventola are back. Today’s episode focuses on Spanish vowels with an extended practice section where you can listen and repeat the words and phrases Martín is [...]
Incidentally, in English, the word “pronounciation” is pronounced “proNUNciation” not “proNOUNciation”