American English: Native Language Guide for Spanish Speakers

Word Stress

Word Stress

In Spanish, adjectives are stressed more than nouns are. In English it's the opposite.

typical mistake:		should be:
That's a nice car.		That's a nice car.
He's an intelligent man.		He's an intelligent man.

Similarly, Spanish speakers tend to place the most stress in the first part of a phrase or sentence, whereas American stress the ending more. Remember to place the most emphasis on the last content word of each sentence.

typical mistake:		should be:
I drove my car.		I drove my car.
I went to the bank.		I went to the bank.

Other common word stress errors:

typical mistake:		should be:
I should go.		I should go.
Turn it off.		Turn it off.
UCLA.		UCLA.

The Schwa /ə/ Sound

Reduced Vowels in Unstressed Syllables: The Schwa /ə/ Sound

In Spanish all the vowels are pronounced fully, whereas in English vowels in unstressed syllables almost disappear and become a reduced schwa /ə/ sound. For example, the word normal exist in both languages. In Spanish both vowels, the o and a sounds are pronounced. In English, the word sounds like /ˈnoɚməl/. The second vowel, the a is changed to a short, reduced /ə/ sound because it's part of the unstressed syllable.

Spanish		English
chocolate		chocolate /ˈtʃɑ:klət/
control		control /kənˈtroʊl/
familiar		familiar /fəˈmɪljɚ/

The /ʊ/ Sound

The /ʊ/ Sound

Do not make the common error of confusing /ʊ/ sound as good, with /u:/ sound as in food. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:

/ʊ/		/u:/
1. full		fool
2. pull		pool
3. look		Luke

Common Spelling Patterns for /ʊ/

oo		good, look, childhood, understood
u		push, full, sugar
ould		would, could, should
exception:		woman sound: /ˈwɪmən/

Common Spelling Patterns for /u:/

oo		too, food, school, tool
ue		true, blue, avenue
o		du, who, lose, prove
ew		new, blew, drew
u		super, rule, duty, student

The /ʌ/ Sound

The /ʌ/ Sound

You might confuse /ʌ/ sound as in fun, with /ɑ/ as in hop. Practice pronouncing the following words differently:

/ʌ/		/ɑ/
1. shut		shot
2. luck		lock
3. cup		cop

Common Spelling Patterns for /ʌ/

u		but, fun, summer, drunk
o		love, done, come, son
ou		cousin, country, enough

Common Spelling Patterns for /ɑ/

o		hot, stop, modern, job
a		father, watch, dark, want

The /ɪ/ Sound

The /ɪ/ Sound

You might have a tendency to pronounce /ɪ/ as in sit incorrectly. The lips slightly parted and relaxed, the tongue relaxed, high, but not as high as for /i:/. Sides of the tongue touch upper back teeth.

The /i:/ sound is a long vowel sound as in eat and the /i/ sound is a short vowel sound as in very, but both symbols are in the same position. both are the same svowel sound. /i/ is used in final y.

Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:

/ɪ/	/i/	/ɪ/	/i:/
1. live	leave	7. bit	beat
2. fill	feel	8. still	steal
3. list	least	9. itch	each
4. his	he's	10. sick	seek
5. slip	sleep	11. fit	feet
6. chip	cheap	12. ship	sheep

Common Spelling Patterns for /ɪ/

1. i (most common)		sit, give, this, dinner
2. ui		build, quit, quick, quilty
3. y (between two consonants)		system, gym, symbol, hymn
exceptions:
been		in American English been is pronounced the same as bin.
women		sounds like /ˈwɪmən/ (the o is an /ɪ/ sound)

Common Spelling Patterns for /i:/

ee		meet, feel, see, free
ea		team, reach, mean, sea
ie and ei		belief, piece, neither, receive
final e		me, we, she, he
e + consonant + e		these, Chinese, Peter
final y (*)		city, duty, country, ability
endings with ique		unique, boutique, critique

(*) When is a final y, the /i/ sound is short. The word any is pronounce /ˈɛni/, not /ˈɛni:/.

Confusing /s/ and /z/

Confusing /s/ and /z/

The "s" in many English words is frequently pronounce as a /z/ sound such as husband, design, observe, always, and chose. Also, note that in Spanish, a "z" is pronounced as an /s/ sound. This is not the case in English.

/s/		/z/
1. piece		peas
2. face		phase
3. bus		buzz
4. price		prize

When "s" follows a consonant, there are rules for pronounciation, but it follows a vowel there are no rules, so it's best to just memorize the exceptions. Studying the four basic rules below will also be helpful to you.

Rule 1

When an "s" follows a voiceless consonant, it is pronounce as /s/.

books		stops		makes		likes
eats		cats		helps		surfs

Rule 2

When an "s" follows a voiced consonant or a vowel, it is pronounce as /z/.

eggs		beds		lives		cars
comes		boys		loans		feels

Rule 3

Double "s" is pronounced as /s/.

boss		less		success
massive		lesson		essay

Rule 4

An extra syllable is added to words that ends with certain consonant sounds followed by "s". These include:

sound:	consonant:	examples:
/ʤ/	g	manages, changes
/ʃ/	sh	washes, dishes
/tʃ/	ch	churches, matches
/s/	s, ss, c	bosses, faces
/ks/	x	boxes, faxes

Exceptions

Memorize the following common words that have a final "s". The "s" is pronounce as /z/ and not as /s/:

was	his	these	goes	because
is	hers	those	does
as	has	whose	always

Prefix "dis-"

Note that the "s" in the prefix "dis-" is pronounced as /s/ and not as /z/:

disagree		disobey		disappear
disorder		disapprove		disability

Verbs and Nouns, and the Letter "s"

The following words spelled with an "s" have a /z/ sound when they are verbs but have a /s/ sound when they are nouns:

noun:	verb:	noun:	verb:
/s/	/z/	/s/	/z/
1. use	to use	4. house	to house
2. abuse	to abuse	5. excuse	to excuse
3. close	to close	6. advice	to advise

This and These

Make sure you are not pronouncing the words this and these the same way:

	"s" sound is:	vowel sound is:	examples:
this	/s/	/ɪ/ (as in sit)	I like this book.
these	/z/	/i/ (as in meet)	I like these books.

The /s/ Sound

The /s/ Sound

The Spanish language has no word that begins with an "s" followed by another consonant. There is usually a vowel in front of the "s". Make sure you don't inadvertantly insert an extra vowel sound when you say English words beginning with "s". Here are some common words that demostrate the "s" problem.

Spanish		English
escuela		school
español		Spanish
estudiar		study
Esteban		Steven

The /m/ Sound

The /m/ Sound

When speaking quickly, Spanish speakers often don't fully close their lips to produce the /m/ sound especially when it is in the middle of or at the end of a word. Therefore, From time to time can end up sounding like: "fron tine to tine". Also, the word sometime can sound like "sonetine". Make sure you don't confuse "m" with the/n/ sound.

1. I'm		4. some
2. from		5. time
3. sometimes		6. minimum

Verbs Ending in -ed

Verbs Ending in -ed

Make sure you learn to pronounce the three different "-ed" ending of verbs. For example, the ending of the verbs needed, opened, and passed are all pronounce differently. Also some adjectives such as interesting and tired. The "-ed" can be pronounce as /ɪd/, /d/, or /t/. Here are the three rules you need to know when pronouncing "-ed"

Rule 1

If the last letter of the word is spelling with a "d" or a "t", the "ed" is pronounce as /ɪd/ and as a separate syllable.

needed		admitted		attended		decided
avoided		separated		visited		waited

Rule 2

If the last letter of the word ends in a voiced consonant or a vowel sound, the "e" is silent and the "d" is pronounce as /d/.

Reminder:
Voiced consonants are /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /l/, /z/, /ʤ/, /j/, and /ð/.

opened		changed		earned		pulled
called		closed		loved		showed

Rule 3

If the last letter of the word ends in a voiceless consonant, the "e" is silent and the "d" is pronounce as /t/.

Reminder:
Voiceless consonants are /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, and /θ/.

passed		helped		laughed		stopped
washed		watched		worked		liked

Confusing "b" and "v"

Confusing "b" and "v"

Because the Spanish "b" and "v" are pronounce the same, many Spanish speakers of English pronounce the words very and berry or curve and curb the same.

Remember, for /v/ sound, the upper teeth touch the lower lip. For /b/ sound, both lips touch and fully close so that no air escapes.

/v/	/b/	/v/	/b/
1. vest	best	4. vet	bet
2. very	berry	5. curve	curb
3. vow	bow	6. vote	boat

Confusing "sh" /ʃ/ and "ch" /tʃ/

Confusing "sh /ʃ/" and "ch" /tʃ/

Remember, "sh" or /ʃ/ sound requires a continuous air flow coming out through the tongue. For the "ch" or /tʃ/ sound, however, the tip of the tongue blocks the air flow. Both sounds are voiceless.

/ʃ/		/tʃ/
1. shoes		choose
2. share		chair
3. wash		watch
4. cash		catch
5. sheet		cheat
6. wish		witch
7. mash		match
8. washing		watching

Take note of the following exceptions. These words are spelling with "ch" but are pronounced with a "sh" or /ʃ/ sound. These words are mostly French in origin.

1. chef	4. chandelier	7. Chicago
2. machine	5. champagne	8. Michigan
3. chic	6. chauffeur	9. Chevrolet

The "th" Sound for Spanish speakers

The "th" Sound for Spanish speakers

A common mistake for Spanish speakers is to substitute "th" sound for a "t" or "d" sound.

There are two "th" sounds in English:

1- The voiceless "th" as in think.
2- The voiced "th" as in that.

1- Voiceless "th" vs. "t"

Some Spanish speakers incorrectly pronounce the voiceless "th" as a "t" and the following words end up sounding the same:

/θ/		/t/
thank		tank
bath		bat

To correct this problem change the position of your tongue by moving it forward to touch the teeth. Also, make sure that there is a flow of air between your tongue and your teeth. Your vocal cords do not vibrate.

2- Voiced "th" vs. "d"

Some Spanish speakers incorrectly pronounce the voiced "th" as a "d" and the following words end up sounding the same:

/ð/		/d/
they		day
breathe		breed

To correct this problem change the position of your tongue by moving it forward to touch the teeth. Also, make sure that there is a flow of air between your tongue and your teeth. Your vocal cords vibrate.

Make sure that your tongue vibrates under your upper teeth. Do not bite your tongue or press it on your upper teeth too strongly, this will block the flow of air that is required to produce the /ð/ sound correctly.

Comparing "th" with "s" and "z"

Some people wrongly pronounce the voiceless "th" as an "s" or "z". They say "sank" for thank instead of pronounce /ˈθæŋk/, and pronounce the voiced "th" as an "briz" for breathe instead of pronounce /ˈbri:ð/.

Learn the correct pronunciation of this sound in The "th" Sound.

Confusing /ʤ/ and /j/

Confusing /ʤ/ and /j/

The Spanish "ll" as in the word silla is usually pronounce like the English /ʤ/ and /j/ put together or, in certain Spanish dialects, like the /j/ sound. You need to learn the difference between these two English sounds. Otherwise, you might end up saying "I'm going to jail" when you want to say "I'm going to Yale".

For the /ʤ/ sound, the tip of the tongue quickly touches the gum ridge and then releases. The sides of the tongue are against the upper teeth.

For the /j/ sound, the tip of the tongue is down touching the bottom teeth.

/ʤ/		/j/
1. jet		yet
2. jew		you
3. joke		yolk
4. jam		yam
5. major		mayor
6. juice		use

The Problematic "O"

The Problematic "O"

Words spelled with the letter "o" can cause many frustrations for students of the American accent. You have already learned that the pronunciation of a vowel does not necessary correspond to the spelling of the vowel. This is especially true of the letter "o". The letter "o" in the words job, love, and only are all pronounced differently.

The letter "o" is often represented by vowel sound /ʌ/, /oʊ/, and also by the vowel sound /ɑ/.

The Neutral Sound /ʌ/

First, let's look at the most problematic sound with an "o" spelling. It's the neutral sound /ʌ/, as in love /ˈlʌv/, other /ˈʌðɚ/, and Monday /ˈmʌnˌdeɪ/. which non-native speaker frequently mispronounce as /ˈlɑ:v/, /ˈɑðɚ/, and /ˈmɑnˌdeɪ/. The wrong pronunciation occurs because the /ʌ/ doesn't exist in some language and also because learners are used to this sound usually being spelled with the letter "u" as in up /ˈʌp/, fun /ˈfʌn/, and Sunday /ˈsʌnˌdeɪ/. You will improve your American accent if you simply memorize some very common words with the neutral /ʌ/ sound that are spelled with an "o", or "ou" or even "oo". Start by studing the pronunciation exceptions in the lists below.

Words spelled with "o" but pronounced as /ʌ/:

above	done	money	once	somewhere
another	dove	month	one	son
brother	from	mother	other	ton
color	love	nothing	some	won
come	Monday	of	something	wonderful
does

Words spelled with "ou" but pronounced as /ʌ/:

double		couple		Douglas		enough		rough
country		tough		cousin		touch		southern

Words spelled with "oo" but pronounced as /ʌ/:

blood

flood

The Sound /oʊ/

The vowel sound /oʊ/ is a close-mid back vowel. The vowel sound /oʊ/ is a 'rounded' vowel. It is pronounced with the lips rounded.

Words spelled with "o" but pronounced as /oʊ/:

comb	home	lone
coat	boat	load
chose	clothes	nose

The Sounds /ɑ/ and /ɔ/

In contrast to the /ʌ/, the vowel sound /ɑ/ as in father /ˈfɑ:ðɚ/, and /ɔ/ as in saw /ˈsɔ:/, require the mouth to be open. The sounds /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are very similar, except that for the /ɔ/, the lips are a bit more oval in shape and the tongue is slightly tense. However in many parts of the United States the /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are pronounce the same way. For example, many Americans pronounce hot /ˈhɑ:t/ and tall /ˈtɑ:l/ with the same vowel sound. Here we use /ɑ/ because it was decided not to indicate the contrast between words with /ɑ/ and /ɔ/.

Words spelled with "o" but pronounced as /ɑ/:

cot	hot	Tom	lot	rod
lost	boss	stop	job	office
modern	confident	clock	dollar	doctor

Consonant Clusters

Consonant Clusters

In Spanish language, when there are two consonants together, such as "rd" or "ct", a vowel usually follows. In English that is not the case. For example, Americans say Robert with "rt" at the end. The Spanish equivalent is Roberto; the "rt" cluster is followed by a vowel, making it easier to pronounce the second consonant. Because it doesn't feel natural to Spanish speakers to pronounce the consonant at the end, they tend to pronounce only the first consonant of the group, making the name Robert sound like "rober". Also, card can sound like "car", and Richard will sound like "richar". Another good example is the English word correct, which in Spanish in "correcto".

When you come across a word with two or more consonants next to each other, make sure that you pronounce every consonant. Pay special attention to past tense -ed verbs. They generally form consonant clusters as in worked and watched.

1. worked hard		4. played cards
2. extra strength		5. extremely difficult
3. lost and found		6. wild world

More information about Consonant Clusters

American English

Fecha

Pages

Word Stress

The Schwa /ə/ Sound

The /ʊ/ Sound

The /ʌ/ Sound

The /ɪ/ Sound

Confusing /s/ and /z/

The /s/ Sound

The /m/ Sound

Verbs Ending in -ed

Confusing "b" and "v"

Confusing "sh" /ʃ/ and "ch" /tʃ/

The "th" Sound for Spanish speakers

Confusing /ʤ/ and /j/

The Problematic "O"

Consonant Clusters