LinguaThe letter Spanish invented
n ñ o p q r s contains the letter no other alphabet has: ñ. It is an n with a wave over it, it is a letter in its own right – not an accent – and it has its own place in the dictionary. Then there is r, which has two sounds: a single tap between vowels, and a full roll at the start of a word or written double.
N is two posts with a diagonal falling from left to right; the small n is a post with one arch. O is a single circle, and it always sounds o.
The n first, then the wave on top. The wave is written last, and without it the word is a different one.
P is a post with one belly at the top; Q is that same O with a little tail. In Spanish q almost never stands alone: you write qu, and that u is silent.
A short post with a small shoulder. Doubled as rr it is the rolled sound, and rr is never written at the start of a word.
One wave from the top. Spanish s is always the sharp sound of sí, never the buzz of the English z.
| Word | The r sound | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| pero | one tap | between two vowels |
| perro | a full roll | written double |
| rojo | a full roll | at the start of the word |
el niño y el perrothe boy and the dog
una silla rojaa red chair
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| niño | boy | Un niño alegre. A cheerful boy. |
| perro | dog | Un perro grande. A big dog. |
| rojo | red | Un coche rojo. A red car. |
| sol | sun | El sol y la playa. The sun and the beach. |
| pan | bread | Pan y queso. Bread and cheese. |
| silla | chair | Una silla vieja. An old chair. |
Exercises
This lesson has 9 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 1
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which letter is the n with a wave written on top?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.