¡Con brío! - PROGRAM SAMPLER

P-3 Letter Name Pronunciation Examples a a Like the a in spa. ama, mapa b be Like English b , but stronger at the beginning of a word or sentence and after m . banco, nombre Softer in other positions (between vow- els). fábula, cabo c ce Like English c in cat. casa, coma, Cuba Like s before e or i . cero, cita In some regions of Spain, like th in thirst. cero, cita Ch is pronounced like ch in chief. ocho, chévere d de Like English d , but stronger at the beginning of a word or sentence and after n or l . dama, disco banda, saldo Softer in other positions (between vowels; at the end of words)—like th in though. todo, cada, Madrid e e Like the e in Betty. estéreo, mesero f efe The same as in English. feliz, Filipinas g ge Like the g in go. gasolina, golfo Like the h in help (before e ) or in hit (before i ). general, Gibraltar In the combination gue and gui , the u is silent and the g is pronounced like the g in game. guerra, guitarra When the u carries a diéresis ( ü ), gü is pro- nounced like the gu in language. bilingüe, pingüino h hache Always silent. hola, hotel i i Like the ee in tree or the ea in tea. insecto, isla j jota Like the h in help. jefe, julio k ka The same as in English. (Used only in words of foreign origin.) kilómetro, kárate l ele The same as in English. lunes, loco Double l ( ll ) is most often pronounced like the y in yes. llama, calle m eme Same as in English. mandarina, mano n ene Same as in English. nada, nunca ñ eñe Like ni in onion. mañana, niño *In the past, two two-letter combinations— ch (che), ll (elle)—were part of the Spanish alphabet. 4. The Alphabet and Pronunciation As you have seen, the pronunciation of Spanish vowels is different from the pronunciation of their English counterparts. This is also true for certain Spanish consonants. In addition, pronun- ciation can vary in different regions of the Hispanic world. Below, you will find the Spanish alphabet* with guidelines for pronouncing each letter. Note that every letter is pronounced except for h , which is always silent. Listen to and repeat the name of each letter (second column) and each example word (fourth column).