Alphabet Spanish

Letter Spanish English Pronunciation

a a ah like the a in "father"
b be bay like the English b but pronounced very softly *
c ce say before a, o, u, like the c in "can"; before e, i, like the c in "cent"
ch che chay like the ch in "church"
d de day like d in "bed" but with tongue forward, almost like th in "the"
e e ay like the ay in "pay" *
f efe ay-fay like the English f
g ge hay before a, o, u, like g in "get"; before e, i, like an English h *
h hache ah-chay always silent *
i i ee like ee in "feet"
j jota ho-ta like the English h
k ka kah like the English k
l ele ay-lay like the English l
ll elle ay-yay like the y in "yes"
m eme ay-may like the English m
n ene ay-nay like the English n
ñ eñe ay-nyay like the ny in "canyon"
o o oh like the o in "no"
p pe pay like the English p
q cu koo like the English k *
r ere ay-ray like the English r but softer, almost sounds like a d *
rr erre ay-rray strongly trilled
s ese ay-say like the English s
t te tay like the English t
u u oo like the oo in "pool"
v ve vay almost no difference between b and v in Spanish *
w doble ve do-blay vay like the English w *
x equis ay-kees like the English x *
y i griega ee gree-ay-ga like the English y; like ee in "tree" when used alone
z zeta say-ta like the English s *
Spanish Articles

In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. There several rules which help to identify
a given object's gender; for example, nouns that end in a - like "manzana" (apple) - are almost always
feminine, while nouns that end in o - like "bolígrafo" (pen) - are almost always masculine.

Definite Articles / Artículos definidos

Definite articles (the) refer to a specific object (the apple or the pen). Check out a few examples:
Article -
Article - English Noun - English Noun - Spanish
Spanish

masculine, singular the el the pen el bolígrafo

masculine, plural the los the pens los bolígrafos

feminine, singular the la the apple la manzana

feminine, plural the las the apples las manzanas

Indefinite Articles / Artículos indefinidos

Indefinite articles (a, an, some), on the other hand, refer to an unspecified object (an apple or a pen ).
Article - English Article - Spanish Noun - English Noun - Spanish

masculine,
a, an un a pen un bolígrafo
singular

masculine, plural some unos some pens unos bolígrafos

feminine, singular a, an una an apple una manzana

feminine, plural some unas some apples unas manzanas

The Definite Article
The Definite article in English is "The". In Spanish there are four words to translate "the". These are "El",
"La", "Los" and "Las". The Spanish definite article must agree with the gender and number of the noun
that follows it. So if we want to say "The bed", we know that bed in Spanish is cama, and that it is a
feminine noun so we must use La with it. Before I get too deep in this explaination, let me give you a
chart of the definite articles in Spanish.
z English Translation Gender Number Example

el the masculine singular el libro the book

la the feminine singular la puerta the door
los the masculine plural los libros the books
las the feminine plural las puertas the doors

In Spanish the definite article is often used in places where we don't use it in English. For example:
The Definite article is used... Example Translation

I have a headache. / My head

With parts of the body Me duele la cabeza.
hurts.

With articles of clothing Qu�tate la chamarra. Take off your jacket.

Love is forever. / My head

With abstract nouns El amor es para siempre.
hurts.

With nouns referring to a

No me gusta el pluralismo. I don't like pluralism.
general idea

With nouns used in a general

No me gustan los tacos de bistec. I don't like beef tacos.
sense

La se�ora de Uribe dar� hoy un

With people's titles Mrs. Uribe will speak today.
discurso.

The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article in Spanish is similar to the definite article and has four forms as well, and must also
agree in gender and number with the noun that it modifies.
Indefinite English
Gender Number Example
Article Translation
un a/an/one masculine singular un libro a book, one book
una a/an/one feminine singular una oficina an office, one office
some/about/a unos libros some books, a few books
unos masculine plural
few unos tres meses about three months
 some/about/a Hace unos a�os. A few years ago. / Some
unas feminine plural
few years ago.

The Neuter Article

There is also a neuter article "Lo" that is used as follows:

 Lo interesante de eso es que... The interesting thing about it is that...

 Tomamos lo aburrido y lo convertimos en algo interesante. We take what is boring and make it
interesting.
 Lo f�cil de esto...The easy part...

Feminine nouns beginning with a tonic A

Feminine nouns that begin with a tonic or stessed A sound use the masculine definite or indefinite
article in the singular but in the plural use the feminine article. Additionally, any other adjectives should
use the feminine form. Some examples:

Noun Example English Translation

�guila el �guila negra the black eagle

�guila las �guilas volaron the eagles flew

agua el agua the water

agua el agua clara the clear water

agua las aguas negras the greywater

alma Me parte el alma It just breaks my heart(soul).

alma las almas the souls

hambre el hambre hunger

hambre Tengo mucha hambre. I'm really hungry.