LinguaThe letter c has two sounds, and the next vowel decides
Before a, o, u the letter c is k: casa, cosa, Cuba. Before e and i it turns into s: cero, cinco, gracias (in most of Spain this is the th of think). The letter z always has that second sound: zapato, diez. To write k before e or i, Spanish uses qu with a silent u: queso, quince. The letter g follows the same logic: hard g in gato, amigo, a throaty j-sound in gente, and gu with a silent u to keep it hard in guitarra, Miguel.
| Letters | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| ca, co, cu | k as in kilo | casa, cosa, Cuba |
| ce, ci | s (in Spain: th as in think) | cero, cinco, gracias |
| z | the same sound as ce, ci | zapato, diez |
| que, qui | k, the u is silent | queso, quince |
| ga, go, gu | hard g as in go | gato, amigo, gusto |
| gue, gui | hard g, the u is silent | guitarra, Miguel |
| ge, gi | the throaty j sound | gente, gigante |
One r or two: pero and perro
A single r between vowels is one quick tap of the tongue, like the tt in American butter: pero (but), caro, María. Double rr, and r at the start of a word, is a rolled trill: perro (dog), carro, rosa. The pair pero / perro differs only here, so the trill carries meaning. Two more letters behave simply: ch is always the ch of church (chico, coche), and y before a vowel is the same sound as ll (yo, ya); standing alone, y means "and" and is just the vowel i.
| Letter | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| r between vowels | one quick tap of the tongue | pero, caro, María |
| rr, or r at the start of a word | a rolled trill | perro, carro, rosa |
| ch | ch as in church | chico, coche, noche |
| y before a vowel | like ll: the y of yes | yo, ya, ayer |
| y alone (and) | the vowel i | tú y yo |
The soft b and the marks that open a sentence
You know b and v are one sound. Between vowels that sound goes soft: the lips come close but do not fully close, so Cuba, nuevo and la vaca have a b that is almost a breath. At the start of a phrase or after m or n it is a full b: bien, un vaso. And a Spanish question or exclamation is announced before it starts: ¿ opens a question and ¡ opens an exclamation, with the usual ? and ! at the end: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? Your voice rises from the first word, not at the end.
Yo tengo un coche rojo y una guitarra.I have a red car and a guitar.
¡Gracias, Miguel! ¿Quieres queso?Thank you, Miguel! Do you want some cheese?
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cero | zero | Mi número empieza por cero. My number starts with zero. |
| cinco | five | Tengo cinco amigos en Madrid. I have five friends in Madrid. |
| el queso | cheese | Quiero queso y pan. I want cheese and bread. |
| la guitarra | guitar | La guitarra es de Miguel. The guitar is Miguel's. |
| el perro | dog | Mi perro es blanco. My dog is white. |
| pero | but | Hablo español, pero poco. I speak Spanish, but only a little. |
| el chico | boy | El chico se llama Carlos. The boy is called Carlos. |
| ¿qué tal? | how are you? how is it going? | ¡Hola, Ana! ¿Qué tal? Hi, Ana! How are you? |
| gracias | thank you | Gracias por el café. Thanks for the coffee. |
| yo | I | Yo soy de Chile. I am from Chile. |
| el coche | car | El coche es rojo. The car is red. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
In which word is the letter c pronounced like s (or th in Spain)?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.