# Spanish Lesson - 2026-06-20 - Vowels *Saturday, 20th June 2026 - 13:40 UTC+0100* --- # Vowels *Note - these are my personal notes from the lesson.* | **Vowel** | a | e | i | o | u | | --------- | :----: | :----: | :----: | :---: | :-----: | | **Sound** | `/ah/` | `/eh/` | `/ee/` | `/O/` | `/oo!/` | ## Rules around Vowels 1. Respect the vowels, always 2. Speak thoughts in Spanish 3. Respect intonations. | **Vowel Combination** | ei | ie | aei | ai | ia | ou | eu | ue | eeie | ieai | eón | aína | | :-------------------: | :-------: | :-------: | :----------: | :-------: | :-------: | :-------: | :--------: | :--------: | :------------: | :-------------: | :--------: | :-----------: | | **Sound** | `/eh-ee/` | `/ee-eh/` | `/ah-eh-ee/` | `/ah-ee/` | `/eh-ah/` | `/O-oo!/` | `/eh-oo!/` | `/oo!-eh/` | `/eeeh-ee-eh/` | `/ee-eh-ah-ee/` | `/eh-OHN/` | `/ah-EE-nah/` | ## Alphabet | **Letter** | **Sound** | **Note** | | :--------: | :--------------------------------: | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **a** | `/ah/` (short) | Short, open. Don't lengthen it. | | **b** | `/b/` <br> soft `/b-v/` blend | Hard b (as in English) at the start of a word or after a pause. Soft b-v blend between vowels. | | **c** | `/k/` <br> `/th/` (as in *think*) | k before a/o/u. th (the *think* sound) before e/i — this is the Castilian *distinción*. Latin American Spanish uses s instead. | | **ch** | `/ch/` (as in *chair*) | **Not a separate letter** — was officially one until the 2010 reform, now a two-letter combo for one sound. *chico, noche*. | | **d** | `/d/` <br> `/th/` (as in *this*) | Full d at the start of a word or after a pause. Softens to the *this*-th (not the *think*-th) between vowels or at the end of a word — a different sound family from c/z above. Don't mix them up. | | **e** | `/eh/` | Pure, short vowel, close to the e in *bed*. Don't let it glide into "ay." | | **f** | `/f/` | Identical to English F. | | **g** | `/g/` (hard)<br> `/kh/` (throaty) | Hard g (as in *gammon*) before a/o/u. Throaty, raspy sound before e/i — same as j below. | | **h** | (silent) | Always silent on its own. Only relevant inside the **ch** combination. | | **i** | `/ee/` | Like "ee" in *meet*, but shorter — no glide. | | **j** | `/kh/` (throaty) | Same throaty, raspy sound as g before e/i. Like Scottish "loch." | | **k** | `/k/` | Identical to English K. Rare — loanwords only (*kilo, kiosco*). | | **l** | `/l/` | Tongue touches just behind the upper teeth — slightly more forward than English L. | | **ll** | `/y/` | **Not a separate letter** — also dropped from the official alphabet in 2010, but still one sound. In modern Castilian (Madrid included) it's pronounced the same as consonant y — a merger called *yeísmo*. *lluvia, calle*. | | **m** | `/m/` | Identical to English M. | | **n** | `/n/` | Identical to English N. | | **ñ** | `/ny/` | As in *canyon*. | | **o** | `/oh/` | Pure, short vowel. Don't let it glide into "ow" — English "go" has a hidden w-sound at the end that Spanish "no" doesn't. | | **p** | `/p/` (soft) | No puff of air — softer than an English word-initial p. | | **q** | `/k/` | Always written as "qu" before e/i; the u stays silent (*queso, química*). | | **r** | rolled / quick tap | Rolled at the start of a word, and always when doubled (see rr below). Between vowels, it's a single quick tap — like the "tt" in American "butter" said fast. | | **rr** | `/rr/` (strongly rolled) | **Not a separate letter** — a doubling of r, used between vowels to force a rolled sound where a single r would just tap. *perro* (dog) vs *pero* (but). Doesn't occur word-initially, since single r already rolls there. | | **s** | `/s/` | Similar to English. Mouth position is a touch different but not worth worrying about yet. | | **t** | `/t/` (soft) | Tongue touches the back of the upper teeth, no puff of air — softer than English t. | | **u** | `/oo/` | Like "oo" in *boot*, but shorter and pure — no glide. | | **v** | `/b/` <br> soft `/b-v/` blend | Identical to B — Spanish doesn't distinguish B/V in pronunciation. | | **w** | `/w/` | Loanwords only (*web, kiwi*). | | **x** | `/ks/` / `/s/` | ks between vowels (*examen, taxi*). Castilian words essentially never start with x, so you'll meet it mid-word. | | **y** | `/y/` / `/ee/` | Consonant y (a bit stronger/buzzier in Spain than English y) at the start of a syllable. "ee" when standing alone (*y* = "and"). | | **z** | `/th/` (as in *think*) | Always the *think*-th, never the *this*-th. Same sound as c before e/i. Latin American Spanish uses s instead. | ## Diacritics - á, é, í, ó, ú - phonetic stresses happen here, and are mandatory (e.g. café, teléfono, acuático) - ü - A pronunciation modifier, from silent to voiced (e.g. lingüístico) - ñ - not a vowel, but important in its own way (e.g. mañana, España, español, Malasaña, lasaña, arañas, años) ## Personal Pronouns | español | inglés | | -------- | --------- | | yo | I | | tu | you | | él | he | | ella | she | | nosotros | we | | vosotros | you (pl.) | | ellos | they | > [!note]- ***Ser*** v. ***Estar*** >"**Ser**" and "**Estar**" both mean "to be" "**Ser**" is for ***descriptions***, for when you need to describe something. "**Estar**" is for **feelings**. Such as, telling someone how you feel. "**Estar**" is also used for locations. --- [[Upskilling|← Back to Upskilling]] [[Journal|← Back to Spanish Journal]] [[2026-06-28 - Entry III - Ser, Estar, Negatives, Interrogatives|Next Lesson - Ser, Estar, Negatives, Interrogatives →]]