Los acentos en EspañolKnowing how letters are

pronounced is only one aspect of learning Spanish pronunciation. Another key aspect is knowing which syllable should be stressed.

Fortunately, in Spanish the rules for stress (also known as accent) are straightforward.

Remember, how do we divide words into syllables?

That’s right! Clap them out.

In fact, there are only three basic rules that cover nearly every word:

Tres, tres, tres, tres, tres….

Regla número uno If a word ends in a

vowel, n or s, the stress is on the penultimate (next to last) syllable. For example, toro, computadora, joven and zapatos all have their accent on the next-to-last syllable. Most words fit this category.

What were those letters again?

Vowel

N

S

¿Cómo se pronuncian estas palabras?

Profesora

Bebe

Trabajan

Comen

Trabajamos

comemos

Regla número dos

Words than end in other letters have the stress on the last syllable. For example, hotel, hablar, madador and virtud all have the accent on the final syllable.

What were those letters again?

Oh yeah, any other consonant beside

N or S.

¿Cómo se pronuncian estas palabras?

Comer

Beber

Aptitud

Solitud

Madrid

Papel

Reglas número tres If a word isn't

pronounced according to the above two rules, an accent is placed over the vowel of the syllable that gets the stress. For example, común, lápiz, médico, inglés, and ojalá all have the stress on the indicated syllable.

Where do we put the accent mark in these words?

sabado sábadotelevisiontelevisiónmiercolesmiércolesfrancesfrancés

Excepciones The only exceptions to the

above words are some words of foreign origin, generally words adopted from English, that retain their original spelling and pronunciation. For example, sandwich is usually spelled without an accent over the initial a, even though the stress is as in English. Similarly, personal names and place names of foreign origin usually are written

without accents (unless accents are used in the originating language).

MÉXICO, PERÚ, PANAMÁ Note also that some

publications and signs do not use accent marks over capital letters, although it is normally best to use them when possible.

Él o el You should be aware that

sometimes accent marks are used only to distinguish two similar words, and they don't affect pronunciation (because the marks are already on a syllable that is being stressed). For example, el and él are both pronounced the same way, even though they have quite different meanings. Similarly, some words, such as que and quien, use accent marks when they appear in questions, but usually not otherwise.

Now you try…

State the rule number (1 or 2) that applies and say the word with the proper stress.

Where’s the stress?

Literatura

1- literatura

Animal

2- animal

Mochila

1- mochila

Interesante

1- interesante

Más práctica

Amarilla

1- amarilla

Compositor

2- compositor

español

2- español

Any written accent mark is automatically regla 3

Matematicas

3- matemáticas

Mama

3-mamá

Razon

3- razón

Es fácil, ¿no?

¿Qué es regla # 1?

If a word ends in a vowel ,n or s the stress is on the next-to-the-last syllable.

What’s rule #2?

If a word ends in any other consonant besides n or s the natural stress is on the last syllable.

Y regla # 3…

Any exception takes a written accent mark over the vowel of the syllable that is stressed!

¡EL FIN!