Pronunciation Transparencies
The pronunciation sections in the Student Edition have been enlarged and converted to transparency
format.
Capítulo 1 (page 39)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Las vocales a, e, i, o, u
When you speak Spanish, it is important to pronounce the
vowels carefully. The vowel sounds in Spanish are short,
clear, and concise. The vowels in English have several
different pronunciations, but in Spanish they have only
one sound. Note that the pronunciation of a is similar to
the a in father. The pronunciation of e is similar to the a in
mate. The pronunciation of i is similar to the ee in bee. The
o is similar to the o in most, and u is similar to the u in flu.
Repeat the following.
a
e
i
o
u
Ana
Elena
Isabel
o
uno
baja
peso
Inés
no
mucha
amiga
Felipe
italiano
Paco
mucho
alumna
feo
simpático
amigo
muchacho
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Ana es alumna.
Adán es alumno.
Ana es una amiga de Adán.
Elena es una amiga de Felipe.
Inés es simpática.
Sí, Isabel es italiana.
P1
Capítulo 2 (page 73)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes f, l, m, n, p
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The pronunciation of the consonants f, l, m, n, and p is
very similar in both Spanish and English. The p, however,
is not followed by a puff of air as it often is in English.
Repeat the following.
f
l
m
n
p
favor
la
mucho
no
Pepe
familia Lola
menor
alumna
padre
fácil
Lupe
madre
nieto
piso
famoso alumno
cómico
nuevo
Perú
sofá
abuela
amigo
sobrino
guapo
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
La familia de Felipe es francesa.
Mi hermano menor es Fernando.
Mis abuelos tienen un nieto nuevo.
El apartamento de Pepe tiene dos pisos.
Pepita es una peruana popular.
Mi mascota Mona es mala.
Perú es un país fabuloso.
P2
Capítulo 3 (page 109)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
La consonante t
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
You pronounce the t in Spanish with the tip of the tongue
pressed against your upper teeth. No puff of air follows
the t sound. It is very clear. Repeat the following.
ta
te
ti
to
tu
nota
Teresa
tío
toma
tú
está
interesante
tiene
levanto
estudia
carpeta siete
tipo
momento
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Tito presta atención.
Tu tío Tito es simpático.
Tus tíos tienen tres tacos.
Tu gato Tigre está detrás de la terraza.
P3
Capítulo 4 (page 143)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
La consonante d
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The pronunciation of d in Spanish varies according to its
position in the word. When a word begins with d (initial
position) or follows the consonants l, n, or r, the tongue
gently strikes the back of the upper front teeth. Repeat
the following.
da
de
di
do
du
da
debo
día
domingo
duda
falda
desayuno diciembre cuando
durante
merienda depende difícil
comprendo verduras
When d appears within the word between two vowels
(medial position), d is extremely soft. Your tongue should
strike the lower part of your upper teeth, almost between
the upper and lower teeth. Repeat the following.
da
de
di
do
du
tostada
modelo estudio
helado
educado
ensalada
idea
adiós
sábado
educación
enchilada
decide
bocadillo pescado
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Diego da el helado a Donato.
David Dávila debe dar el dinero a Diana.
Debes comer una ensalada de verduras.
Es un domingo de diciembre.
P4
Capítulo 5 (page 177)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes s, c, z
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The consonant s is pronounced the same as the s in sing.
Repeat the following.
sa
se
si
so
su
sala
seis
sí
sobre
su
pasa
base
decisión solo
Susana
mesa
serio
siete
ambicioso suburbio
interesa mesero
siento
curso
rosado
camiseta televisión
piensa
segundo física
The consonant c in combination with e or i (ce, ci) is
pronounced the same as an s in all areas of Latin America.
In many areas of Spain, ce and ci are pronounced like
the th in English. Likewise, the pronunciation of z in
combination with a, o, u (za, zo, zu) is pronounced as an
s throughout Latin America and as th in most areas of
Spain. Repeat the following.
za
ce
ci
zo
zu
lanza
cesto
cinco
empiezo Venezuela
empieza cena
recibe
lanzo
azul
zapatillas necesita
aficionado perezoso zumo
comienza calcetines encima
almuerzo
ciento
venezolano
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
El señor González enseña en la sala de clase.
El aficionado lleva una camiseta, zapatillas y
calcetines largos.
Toma el almuerzo a las doce y diez en la cocina.
Los venezolanos empiezan a volver al campo.
Sí, Susana recibe seis camisetas.
P5
Capítulo 6 (page 211)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes c, g
The consonant c in combination with a, o, u (ca, co, cu) has
a hard k sound. C changes to qu with e or i (que, qui) in
order to maintain the hard k sound. Repeat the following.
ca
que
qui
co
cu
cama
que
aquí
como
cubano
casa
queso
equipo
cocina
cuando
cámara
parque
quiero
médico
Cuzco
cancha
raqueta
tranquilo terco
catarro
pequeño
físico
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Yo practico el básquetbol en el parque pequeño.
El cubano come el queso aquí en el parque.
Él es muy terco y físico, no tranquilo.
The consonant g in combination with a, o, u (ga, go, gu)
is pronounced somewhat like the g in go. To maintain
this same sound g changes to gu before e or i (gue, gui).
Repeat the following.
ga
gue
gui
go
gu
paga
guerra
amiguito
juego
guante
gana
golpea
seguro
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Góngora gana el Guante de oro.
El amiguito quiere jugar.
El médico examina la boca y la garganta.
P6
Capítulo 7 (page 247)
P7
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes b, v
There is no difference in pronunciation between a b and
a v in Spanish. The b, v sound is somewhat softer than the
sound of an English b. When making the sound, the lips
barely touch.
Since b and v sound the same, people very often have
trouble spelling words with a b or a v. They will often ask:
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
¿B de burro?
ba
balón
base
batea
bajo
bárbaro
bastón
be
béisbol
bebe
recibe
bebida
nube
va
va
nieva
nueva
vamos
vaso
ve
vela
verano
verde
joven
ventanilla
venezolano
¿V de vaca?
bi
bien
recibimos
biftec
billete
vi
vive
vivimos
viejo
vista
invierno
bo
recibo
árbol
bonito
fútbol
boleto
bota
bu
bus
aburre
abuela
buceo
vo
vosotros
huevo
volver
voy
voleibol
nuevo
vu
vuelve
vuestro
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
Va a visitar a sus abuelos en Bolivia.
No nieva en Venezuela donde vivimos.
Bárbara bebe un batido en el bus.
Víctor ve la televisión.
David vive en una casa nueva, no vieja.
El joven alquila un barco de vela en verano.
Lleva bañador cuando bucea.
Capítulo 8 (page 279)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes j, g
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Spanish j sound does not exist in English. In Spain,
the j sound is very guttural. It comes from the throat. In
Latin America, the j sound is much softer. Repeat the
following.
ja
je
ji
jo
ju
hija
garaje
Jiménez
José
junio
roja
antojitos ojo
julio
trabaja
joven
jugar
jardín
frijol
jugo
caja
In combination with e or i, g has the same sound as
the Spanish j. For this reason, you must pay particular
attention to the spelling of words with ge and gi.
ge
gi
gemelos
gigante
gente
biología
generoso
energía
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
El hijo de José Jiménez trabaja en el garaje.
El joven jugador tiene ojos azules.
La clase de biología cultiva vegetales en un jardín.
Los gemelos José y Julián son dos jóvenes generosos.
El viejo general trabaja con alguien en julio.
P8
Capítulo 9 (page 313)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
Las consonantes ñ, ch, x
The ñ is a separate letter of the Spanish alphabet. The
mark over it is called a tilde. Note that it is pronounced
similarly to the ny in the English word canyon. Repeat
the following.
señor
otoño
España
niño
señora
pequeño cumpleaños
compañía
año
mañana
baño
piña
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Ch is pronounced much like the ch in the English word
church. Repeat the following.
coche
chaqueta
champú
chocolate
muchacho
churro
An x between two vowels is pronounced much like the
English x but a bit softer. It’s like a gs: examen ➞
eg-samen. Repeat the following.
exacto
examen
éxito
próximo
When x is followed by a consonant, it is pronounced like
an s. Repeat the following.
extremo explicar exclamar
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
El señor español compra una chaqueta cada año
en el otoño.
Va a tener éxito en su próximo examen.
La señora exclama «¡Qué pena!» cuando el señor
explica la situación extrema.
P9
Capítulo 10 (page 347)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
La consonante r
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
When a word begins with r (initial position), the r is trilled
in Spanish. Within a word, this trilled r sound is spelled
rr. The Spanish trilled r sound does not exist in English.
Repeat the following.
ra
re
ri
ro
ru
rápido
receta
Ricardo
Roberto
Rubén
raqueta
red
aterriza
rojo
rubio
párrafo
corre
río
perro
The sound for a single r within a word (medial position)
does not exist in English either. It is trilled less than the
initial r or rr. Repeat the following.
ra
re
ri
ro
ru
verano
arena
boletería
número
Perú
maletera quiere consultorio pasajero Aruba
para
periódico
cinturón
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
El perro de Rubén corre en la arena.
El avión para Puerto Rico aterriza con un retraso
de una hora.
El pasajero corre rápido por el aeropuerto.
Ricardo pone su raqueta en la maletera del carro.
P10
Capítulo 11 (page 381)
PRONUNCIACIÓN
La h, la y y la ll
H in Spanish is silent. It is never pronounced. Repeat the
following.
hijo
helado
higiénico
hola
hace
hermano
huevos
hispano
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Y in Spanish can be either a vowel or a consonant. As a
vowel, it is pronounced exactly the same as the vowel i.
Repeat the following.
el hijo y el hermano
el hotel y el hospital
Y is a consonant when it begins a word or a syllable. As a
consonant, y is pronounced similarly to the y in the English
word yo-yo. This sound has several variations throughout
the Spanish-speaking world. Repeat the following.
ya
desayuno
ayuda
playa
yo
oye
leyó
Ll is pronounced as a single consonant in Spanish. In many
areas of the Spanish-speaking world, it is pronounced the
same as the y. It too has several variations. Repeat the
following.
llama
botella
taquilla
toalla
lleva
llega
pastilla
llueve
rollo
cepillo
Pronounce the following sentences carefully. Then write
them to prepare for a dictation.
La hermana habla hoy con su hermano en el hotel.
Está lloviendo cuando ella llega a la calle Hidalgo.
El hombre lleva una botella de agua a la playa bella.
Él no lo oyó; lo leyó.
P11