1. Introduction to Spanish (Introducción a Español)
Spanish Alphabet
| A | ah | N | n eh |
| B | beh | Ñ | n yeh |
| C | ceh | O | oh |
| CH | cheh | P | peh |
| D | deh | Q | koo |
| E | eh | R | air ray |
| F | f eh | RR | airrr rray |
| G | hey | S | s eh |
| H | ah cheh (la hache es muda) | T | teh |
| I | eee | U | ooo |
| J | ho tah | V | beh chica |
| K | kah | W | dough bleh beh |
| L | l eh | | (doble V=double V) |
| LL | l yeh | X | eck ease |
| M | m eh | Y | eee gree egg ah |
| | | Z | seh tah |
Spanish Pronunciation and Syllable Division
Spanish is a very phonetic language. The pronunciation of each
vowel and consonant remains constant in any combination of letters. Thus, with
the help of a few basic rules of pronunciation one can sound out correctly
any Spanish word.
Vowel sounds
a - as in father - Ana, casa, sala
e - as in let - el, papel, pared
i - as in machine - sí, mío, bonita; becomes y as in yet when occurs with an a, u
o - as in fore - donde, los, yo
u - like the double oo sound in school or moon - una, mucho, azul
Consonants
Most Spanish consonant sounds are similar to English.
b and v are pronounced like English
b when they occur after a pause, m or an n - Belita, verdad, invitación. When each occurs between two
vowel sounds, both b and v are pronounced with the lips not quite touching, so
that breath is allowed to pass through - Habana, iba, la vida, yo voy, yo bebo,
de vida, la vía.
c - (before e or i) - like
s in the word see - centavo, cinco
c - (in any other combination) - like k - camino, como, cura, clase
d - (between two vowel sounds) - like th in though - nada, madre, ustedes, verdad, adonde
d - (at the beginning of word and after n or l) - like d in den - donde, falda
g - (before e or i) - like ch in Scottish loch or German ach - general, gitana
g - (after a pause - in any other combination) - like g in go - gato, gorra, gusto
(u is silent in gue), guerra
(u is silent in gui), guitarra
(between two vowel sounds) - like French r - agua, agosto
h - is always silent - hora, hablo, hacer
j - like h in hat - baja, junto, hijo, José
ll - like y in yes - silla, llamo, pollo
ñ - like ny in canyon - mañana, año, niño
q - (always followed by u which is silent) - pronounced like k - qué, quién, quiero
r - trilled slightly - like the English t in pot o'tea, gotta go, letter, caterpillar - para, tres, pero
rr - trilled strongly - perro, carreta, carro
s - like the English s in say - salón, mesa, llamas
s - like z before a voiced consonant - buenos días, mismo, desde
x - like English gs as in exist - examen; or like the English x in exercise - éxito. However, in the word México thex is pronounced like the ch sound in the Scottish word loch or the German word ach.
x - (before consonant) - like the English s in list - Taxco, explicar
y - like the consonant y in yes when it ends in a syllable - yo, ya
y - like the vowel i when it ends in a syllable - soy, ley, y
z - like the English s in seek or goose - diez, lápiz, zapato
Linking (sinalefa)
- A final consonant is linked with the initial vowel of the following words: Los Estados Unidos (LosEstadosUnidos)
- Two identical vowels occurring in succession are pronounced as one: de Eduardo (deduardo)
- Two identical consonants occurring in succession are pronounced as one: el lápiz (elapiz)
- A final vowel is linked with the initial vowel of the following word to form one syllable: la oficina (loficina)
Syllable Division
- In Spanish there are as many syllables in a word as there are vowel sounds: fi-lo-so-fí-a, Es-ta-dos U-ni-dos
- A single consonant between two vowels is pronounced with the following vowel: ma-lo, ma-ña-na, a-mo, ú-til
- In some cases, two consonants coming together may be separated:
ac-to, don-de, tin-ta, cin-co, car-ne
However, ll, rr, and ch are considered single consonants and are never
separated: sil-lla, pe-rro, mu-cha-cho
When the second of two consonants is l or
r, the two are not separated:
ha-blo, a-bre, le-tra, li-bro
Diphthongs
When any of the vowels a, e or
o (known as strong vowels) combines with
i, final y, or u (weak vowels), they form one syllable and are sounded as
one syllable: bue-no, jai-me, oi-go, puer-ta, hay, seis, cuatro, aire.
Stressing of Syllables
- All words ending in a consonant other than
n or s carry the spoken stress on the last syllable of the word: papel, azul, capaz, pared, mujer
- All words ending in a vowel, n, or
s, stress the next-to-last syllable:
niño, muchacho, grande, papeles, Estados Unidos
- When the spoken stress occurs on syllables other than those
mentioned above, an accent mark is placed over the stressed vowel:
lápiz, difícil, inglés, habló, vendré, reí, nación
The Numbers 1 to 21
1. uno (oo-noh) Spanish u like oo in booth. Symbol, oo.
Spanish o is like o in bone. Symbol oh.
2. dos (dohs) Spanish s is like s in see.
3. tres (trays) Spanish e is like ay in day. Symbol ay.
Remember: s is like s in see.
4. cuatro (kwah-troh) In the combination ua, the u is pronounced like w.ua = wah. There is no letter w in Spanish.
Spanish r is like r in three. It has a slight trill.
5. cinco (seen-koh) Spanish i is like ee in seen. Symbol ee.
c is pronounced as in English; like s, before e or i (ceiling, cinder); like k, before any other letter. There is no letter k in Spanish.
6. seis (sayees) The combination ei is pronounced ayee. Pronounce the first part (ay) stronger than the second part (ee).
7. siete (syay-tay) In the combination ie, the i is pronounced like y in yes. Thus ie = yay.
8. ocho (oh-choh) ch is like the English ch in choke. In Spanish, ch is considered a single letter and follows c in the alphabet and dictionary.
9. nueve (nway-vay) The combination ue is pronounced way.
10. diez (dyays) Spanish z equals s as in see. It is not like English z.
11. once (ohn-say)
12. doce (doh-say)
13. trece(tray-say)
14. catorce (kah-tor-say) The letter o is something pronounced as in the English word for. In such cases o is used as a symbol instead of oh.
15. quince (keen-say) qu always equals k. qu is found only before e and i.
16. diez y seis (dyays ee sayees)
17. diez y siete (dyays ee syay-tay)
18. diez y ocho (dyays ee oh-choh)
19. diez y nueve (dyays ee nway-vay)
20. veinte (vayeen-tay)
21. veinteiuno (vayeen-tay ee oo-noh)
Note: The letter y as a vowel is pronounced ee. As a consonant it is like y in you. The word y means and.
The Numbers 20 to 100
| 20 | veinte (vayeen-tay) | 70 | setenta (say-tayn-tah) |
| 22 | veintidos | 77 | setenta y siete |
| 30 | treinta (trayeen-tah) | 80 | ochenta (oh-chayn-tah) |
| 33 | treinta y tres | 88 | ochenta y ocho |
| 40 | cuarenta (kwah-rayn-tah) | 90 | noventa (noh-vayn-tah) |
| 44 | cuarenta y cuatro | 99 | noventa y nueve |
| 50 | cincuenta (seen-kwayn-tah) | 100 | cien (syayn) |
| 55 | cincuenta y cinco | | ciento(syayn-toh) |
| 60 | sesenta(say-sayn-tah) | | |
| 66 | sesenta y seis | | |
Note: cien is used instead of ciento before a noun.
Ordinal Numbers
| primero | first |
| segundo | second |
| tercero | third |
| cuarto | fourth |
| quinto | fifth |
| sexto | sixth |
| séptimo | seventh |
| octavo | eighth |
| noveno | ninth |
| décimo | tenth |
Days of the Week
| domingo (doh-meen-goh) | Sunday |
| lunes (loo-nays)) | Monday |
| martes (mahr-tays)) | Tuesday |
| miércoles (myayr-koh-lays) | Wednesday |
| jueves (hway-vays) | Thursday |
| viernes (vyayr-nays) | Friday |
| sábado (sah-bah-do) | Saturday |
Months of the Year
| enero (ay-nay-roh) | January |
| febrero (fay-bray-roh) | February |
| marzo (mahr-soh) | March |
| abril (ah-breel) | April |
| mayo (mah-yoh) | May |
| junio (hoo-nyoh) | June |
| julio (hoo-lyoh) | July |
| agosto (ah-gos-toh) | August |
| septiembre (say-tyaym-bray) | September |
| octubre (ok-too-bray) | October |
| noviembre (noh-vyaym-bray) | November |
| diciembre (dee-syaym-bray) | December |
Seasons of the Year
| La primavera | Spring |
| El verano | Summer |
| El otoño | Fall |
| El invierno | Winter |
The Family (La familia)
| el padre | the father |
| la madre | the mother |
| el hijo | the son |
| la hija | the daughter |
| el niño | the child (little boy) |
| la niña | the child (little girl) |
| el muchacho | the boy (teen age) |
| la muchacha | the girl (teen age) |
| el hermano | the brother |
| la hermana | the sister |
| el tío | the uncle |
| la tía | the aunt |
| el señor | the gentleman |
| la señora | the lady, Mrs. |
| el hombre | the man |
| la mujer | the woman |
Adjectives
| bueno | good | azul | blue |
| excelente | excellent | blanco | white |
| grande | great, big | negro | black |
| importante | important | gris | grey |
| malo | bad | rojo | red |
| mi | my | verde | green |
| mucho | much | vivo | lively |
| necesario | necessary | enfermo | sick |
| otro | other | barato | cheap |
| pequeño | small | caro | dear, expensive |
| sentado | seated | bonito | pretty |
| su | his, her, its | hermoso | beautiful |
| todos | all | simpático | nice |
| un poco | a little | alto | high, tall |
| amarillo | yellow | bajo | low |
| corto | short | caliente | hot |
| largo | long | frío | cold |
| pobre | poor | común | common |
| rico | rich | listo | ready |
| fácil | easy | limpio | clean |
| difícil | hard, difficult | sucio | dirty |
| cómodo | comfortable | lleno | full |
| inteligente | intelligent | próximo | next |
| importante | important | rápido | rapid |
| interesante | interesting | | |
Grammar Notes
1. The Definite Article. Note the four forms of the definite article.
| Masculine | Feminine |
| Singular: | el padre | the father | la madre | the mother |
Plural:
los padres | the fathers | las madres | the mothers |
The definite article has four forms. These agree with their nouns in
number and gender.
2. The Gender of Nouns
a. Nouns are either masculine or feminine in gender. This is true for
thing-nouns as well as person-nouns. Thus:
| el señor | el hijo | el cuarto |
el piso | el comedor |
| la señora | la hija | la sala |
la calle | la casa |
b. Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine. Nouns ending in
-a are usually feminine.
c. The definite article must be repeated before each noun to which it refers.
Thus: el padre y la madre the father and mother.
d. Many nouns for persons have a masculine form in
-o and a feminine form in -a.
Thus: el hermano the brother, la
hermana the sister; el muchacho the boy,
la muchacha the girl; el tío the uncle,
la tía the aunt; el esposo
the husband, la esposa the wife.
3. The Plural of Nouns. Note the singular and plural of the following nouns.
| el padre | el hermano | la casa |
| los padres | los hermanos | las casas |
| | | |
| la mujer | el señor | la ciudad |
| las mujeres | los señores | las ciudades |
To form the plural of nouns add -s if the nouns end in a vowel. Add -es if the nouns end in a consonant.
Note: 1. los padres means either the fathers, or the parents; los hermanos the brothers, or the brother(s) and
sister(s); los hijos the sons, son(s) and daughter(s), or children. In such words the plural masculine may include both genders.
4. The Indefinite Article. Note the four forms of the indefinite article.
| un cuarto | a room | una casa | a house |
unos cuartos | some rooms | unas casas | some houses |
un, a or one, is used before a masculine noun;
una, a or one, before a feminine noun;
unos, some, before a masculine plural;
unas, some, before a feminine plural.
5. Some Common Verbs
| es | (he, she, it) is | vive | (he, she, it) lives |
| está | (he, she, it) is (located) | tiene |
(he, she, it) has |
| están | (they) are (located) | se llaman | they are named, or their names are (lit. they call them-selves) |
| hay | there is, there are | | |
Note: The subject pronouns corresponding to
he, she, it and they,
are usually omitted in Spanish, since the ending of the verb indicates the
subject pronoun quite clearly.
6. All question words in Spanish have an accent mark.
| quién (sing.) | who | cuándo | when | cuánto | how much |
| quiénes(plur.) | who | qué | what | cuántosb | how many |
| dónde | where | cómo | how | por qué | why |
Important Expressions (Expresiones importantes)
| 1. | buenos dias | Good morning (day) |
| 2. | buenas tardes | Good afternoon |
| 3. | buenas noches | Good evening (night) |
| 4. | adiós | goodbye |
| 5. | hasta la vista | until we meet again |
| 6. | hasta luego | so long |
| 7. | hasta mañana | until tomorrow |
| 8. | de memoria | by heart, by memory |
| 9. | por eso | therefore |
| 10. | tal vez | perhaps |
| 11. | basta | enough |
| 12. | por hoy | for today |
| 13. | ¿Cómo está Ud.? | How are you? |
| 14. | con mucho gusto | with pleasure |
| 15. | muy bien | very well |
| 16. | gracias | thank you |
| 17. | en casa | at home |
| 18. | es necesario | it is necessary |
| 19. | por favor | please |
| 20. | ¿Qué es esto? | What is this? |
| 21. | todo el día | all day |
Greetings
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? |
| ¿Habla usted inglés? | Do you speak English |
| Hablo un poquito. | I speak a little. |
| ¿Qué pasa? | What's the matter? |
| ¿Comprende usted? | Do you understand? |
| No entiendo. | I don't understand. |
| Hable más despacio, por favor. | Speak more slowly please. |
| Favor de repetir. | Please repeat. |
| Dígame si no comprende mis preguntas. | Tell me if you don't understand any questions. |
| ¿Cómo se llama usted? | What is your name? |
| Me llamo Maria. | My name is Maria. |
| ¿Cuál es su apellido? | What is your last name? |
| ¿Cuál es su dirección? | What is your address? |
| ¿Su número de teléfono? | Your telephone number? |
| ¿Cuántos años tiene? | How old are you? |
| ¿Tiene alguna identificacion? | Do you have any identification on you? |
| ¿Es casado? | Are you married? |
| ¿Qué ocurrió? | What happened? |
| ¿Cuándo ocurrió? | When did it happen? |
| ¿Donde le duele? | Where does it hurt? |
| ¿Ha estado aquí antes? | Have you been here before? |
| ¿Tiene seguro? | Do you have insurance? |
| ¿Le cubre Medicare? | Are you covered by Medicare? |
| ¿Quién es su doctor? | Who is your doctor? |
| ¿Cómo se siente usted? | How are you feeling? |
| ¿Dónde está usted? | Where are you? |
| ¿Vino usted solo(a)? | Did you come alone? |
| ¿Tiene un carro? | Do you have a car? |
| ¿Quién le trajo? | Who brought you? |
| ¿Puede caminar? | Are you able to walk? |
| ¿Se quiere sentar? | Do you want to sit down? |
| ¿Dónde nació usted? | Where were you born? |
| ¿Dónde vive usted? | Where do you live? |
| ¿Vive lejos de aqui? | Do you live far from here? |
| ¿Vive usted en la ciudad? | Do you live in the city? |
| ¿Vive usted solo(a)? | Do you live alone? |
| ¿Quién vive con usted? | Who lives with you? |
| ¿Tiene algunos parientes? | Do you have any relatives? |
| ¿Es usted soltero(a)? | Are you single? |
| ¿Es usted casado(a)? | Are you married? |
| ¿Es usted divorciado? | Are you divorced? |
| ¿Es usted viudo(a)? | Are you widowed? |
| ¿Es usted separado(a)? | Are you separated? |
| ¿Tiene usted hijos? | Do you have any children? |
| ¿Cuántos? | How many? |
| ¿Asistió usted a la escuela? | Did you go to school? |
| ¿Cuántos grados completó usted? | How many grades did you complete? |
| ¿Hizo usted estudios universitarios? | Did you go to college? |
| ¿Trabaja usted fuera de casa? | Do you work outside the home? |
| ¿Qué tipo de trabajo hace? | What type of work do you do? |
| ¿Dónde trabaja usted? | Where do you work? |
| ¿Tiene usted pasatiempos favoritos? | Do you have any hobbies? |
Expression of Time
| hoy | today |
| mañana | tomorrow |
| ayer | yesterday |
| esta noche | tonight |
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? |
| ¿Qué fecha? | What date? |
| ¿Qué dia es ahora? | What day is it today? |
| Es la una. | It's one o'clock. |
| Son las tres. | It's three o'clock. |
| Son las doce y quince. | It's twelve fifteen. |
| Es la una y treinta. | It's one thirty. |
| Son las dos y veinticinco. | It's two twenty-five. |
| Faltan quince para las cuatro. | It's fifteen to four. |
| Son las cinco menos cuarto. | It's quarter to five. |
| Al mediodía | at noon |
| A las tres | at three o'clock |
| de la mañana | in the morning |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon |
| de la noche | in the evening |
| Ahora | now |
| Mas tarde | later |
| Proxima vez | next time |
| Cada vez | every time |
| Nunca | never |
| Siempre | always |
| A veces | sometimes |
| Muchas veces | often |
| Rara vez | very seldom |
| Ocasionalmente | occasionally |
| Intermitentemente | intermittently |
| Volver a ocurrir | recurring |
| Durante el día | during the day |
| Durante la noche | during the night |
| La primera vez | the first time |
| La última vez | the last time |
| ¿Cuántas veces? | How many times? |
| Una vez al día | once a day |
| Dos veces al día | twice a day |
| Cada hora | every hour |
| Cada dos horas | every two hours |
| Después de comidas | after meals |
| Antes de comidas | before meals |
| Desayunarse | to eat breakfast |
| Antes de desayunarse | before eating breakfast |
| Después de desayunarse | after eating breakfast |
| Almorzar | to eat lunch |
| Antes de almorzar | before eating lunch |
| Después de almorzar | after eating lunch |
| Cenar | to eat dinner |
| Antes de cenar | before eating dinner |
| Después de cenar | after eating dinner |
| Al acostarse | at bedtime |
| Al levantarse | when you get up |
| ¿Désde cuándo? | Since when? |
| ¿Con qué frequencia? | How often? |
| ¿Por cuánto tiempo? | How long? |
Hygiene Supplies
| blanket | cobija |
| brush | cepillo |
| comb | peine |
| deodorant | desodorante |
| lotion | loción |
| mouthwash | enjuague para la boca |
| nightgown, pajamas | camisa de dormir, camison, bata |
| pillow | almohada |
| pillow case | funda de almohada |
| razor | navaja de afeitar |
| sanitary napkin | toalla sanitaria |
| shampoo | champú |
| shaving cream | crema de afeitar |
| sheet | sábana |
| shirt | camisa |
| soap | jabón |
| tampon | tampón |
| toothbrush | cepillo de dientes |
| toothpaste | pasta de dientes, pasta dentifrica |
| towel | toalla |
| underwear | ropa interior |
| washcloth | paño para laverse la cara o el cuerpo |
| water | água |
Antonyms
| alive/dead | vivo/muerto |
| better/worse | mejor/peor |
| central/peripheral | central/periférico |
| dark/light | oscuro/claro |
| fat/thin | gordo/delgado |
| flat/raised | plano/en relieve |
| healthy/sick | saludable/enfermizo |
| heavy/light | pesado/ligero |
| high/low | alto/bajo |
| hot/cold | caliente/frío |
| large/small | grande/pequeño |
| long(length)/short(length) | larga(longitud)/corta(longitud) |
| loud/soft | fuerte/suave |
| many/few | muchos/pocos |
| open/closed | abierto/cerrado |
| painful/painless | doloroso/indoloro |
| regular/irregular | regular/irregular |
| smooth/rough | liso/áspero |
| soft/hard | blando/duro |
| sweet/sour | dulce/agrio |
| symetric/asymetric | simétrico/asimétrico |
| tall(height)/short(height) | alto(estatura)/bajo(estatura) |
| thick/thin | grueso/fino |
| weak/strong | débil/fuerte |
| wet/dry | mojado/seco |
Body Parts - Partes del cuerpo
| abdomen | el abdomen |
| ankle | el tobillo |
| arm | el brazo |
| armpits | las axilas |
| back | la espalda |
| bladder | la vejiga |
| blood | la sangre |
| bone | el hueso |
| brain | el cerebro |
| breast | el seno |
| breasts | los pechos |
| buttocks | las nalgas |
| cartilage | cartilago |
| cheek | la mejilla |
| chin | la barbilla |
| chest | el pecho |
| ear | el oido |
| ears | las orejas |
| elbow | el codo |
| eye | el ojo |
| face | la cara |
| finger | el dedo |
| foot | el pie |
| forehead | la frente |
| gallbladder | la vesicula billiar |
| genitals | genitales |
| groin | la ingle |
| gums | las encías |
| hand | la mano |
| hair | pelo |
| head | la cabeza |
| heart | el corazón |
| heel | el talon |
| hip | la cadera |
| intestines | los intestinos |
| jaw | la mandibula |
| kidney | el riñón |
| knee | la rodilla |
| leg | la pierna |
| ligament | ligamento |
| lip | el labio |
| liver | el higado |
| lower back | la cintura |
| lungs | los pulmones |
| mouth | la boca |
| muscle | el músculo |
| neck | el cuello |
| nipple | el pezón |
| nose | la nariz |
| pancreas | el páncreas |
| pelvis | la pelvis |
| penis | el pene |
| pubic hair | cabello púbico |
| pupils | pupila |
| rectum | el recto |
| rib | la costilla |
| shin | espinilla de la pierna |
| shoulder | el hombro |
| sinus | sinusitis |
| skin | la piel |
| skull | calavera |
| spine | la espina dorsal |
| stomach | el estómago |
| teeth | los dientes |
| tendon | tendón |
| temple | sien |
| testicles | los testiculos |
| thighs | los muslos |
| throat | la garganta |
| toes | los dedos de los pies |
| tongue | la lengua |
| urine | la orina |
| uterus | el útero |
| vagina | la vagina |
| wrists | las muñecas |