href="#litres_trial_promo">Numbers
| English – Spanish | A – C |
| D – F | |
| G – I | |
| J – L | |
| M – O | |
| P – R | |
| S – U | |
| V – Z | |
| Spanish – English | A – C |
| D – F | |
| G – I | |
| J – L | |
| M – O | |
| P – R | |
| S – U | |
| V – Z |
Spelling and pronouncing Spanish are easy once you know the few basic rules. This book has been designed so that as you read the pronunciation of the phrases, you can follow the Spanish. This will help you to recognize the different sounds and give you a feeling for the rhythm of the language.
In Spanish, vowels have only one sound. When you find two together, pronounce both of them in quick succession, as in aceite a-they-te (see note below about pronouncing ce).
You can use this as a guide to pronouncing vowels:
a sounds like a (as in apple)
e sounds like e (as in ever)
i sounds like ee (as in even)
o sounds like o (as in shop)
u sounds like oo (as in zoo)
The syllable to be stressed is marked in bold in the pronunciation. Here are a few rules you should know:
| Spanish | sounds like | example | pronunciation |
| au | ow | autobús | ow-to-boos |
| ca | ka | cama | ka-ma |
| co | ko | con | kon |
| cu | koo | cubo | koobo |
| ce | the | cena | the-na |
| cer | thair | cerca | thairka |
| ci | thee | cine | theene |
| cia | thya | Escocia | es-ko-thya |
| ga | ga | gato | ga-to |
| go | go | algo | algo |
| gu | goo | algún | algoon |
| ge | khe | gente | khente |
| gi | khee | giro | kheero |
| j | kh | jueves | khwe-bes |
| ll | ly | llamo | lya-mo |
| ñ | ny | señor | se-nyor |
| ua | wa | cual | kwal |
| ue | we | vuelva | bwelba |
| v | b | vuelva | bwelba |
| z | th | Zaragoza | tha-ra-go-tha |
h is silent: hora o-ra, hola o-la.
r is rolled and rr even more so.
Note that the th sound in ce and ci is pronounced like in the English word thing. Similarly, the sounds for ge and gi can be tricky to grasp. You can think of kh as in the English words her and he, with strong emphasis on the h.
1 Greet people with a ‘Buenos días’ or ‘Buenas tardes’ on entering a lift, as it’s rude not to acknowledge them.
2 Spain is not a queuing country: people tend not to queue at bus stops. In places such as shops, banks, markets, etc., people ask ‘¿quién es el último?’ which means ‘who is the last one in the queue?’
3 When addressing elders or people you have been just introduced to, use the polite ‘Usted’ mode of address.
4 Having a ‘siesta’ in the middle of the day is no longer a common tradition. Although some shops, businesses and schools do still close for a couple of hours in the middle of the day, people are generally too busy to have a nap.
5 Taking up spare seats at a table that’s already occupied is not common.
6 Spanish people do not make a habit of saying ‘sorry’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ – it is implied in the tone of voice. It is a cultural thing, so don’t think they are being rude!
7 When you enter a restaurant or a home where people are eating, it’s polite to say ‘que aproveche’, meaning ‘enjoy your meal’.
8 Spaniards may speak very loudly, and are often unaware of the fact! It is a cultural trait and does not imply anger or any other emotion.
9 Expect to be interrupted when speaking!
10 Going for ‘tapas’ is a popular Spanish tradition which involves going from bar to bar and enjoying a small dish of something to accompany your drink. These little tasters are often brought as a free complement to a drink.
The word for Mr is Señor (se-nyor) and for Mrs/Ms Señora (se-nyo-ra).
| Yes | Sí see |
| No | No no |
| OK! | ¡Vale!
|