In lesson on how to say spanish words... the speaker is unequivocally pronouncing the 'V' in PRIMAVER as a V.

In the lesson on how to say Spanish words... the speaker is unequivocally pronouncing the 'V' in PRIMAVERA as a V.  Shouldn't it be pronounced as a “B”?

Some people say B and V are pronounced the same, but it is more complicated than that. 

BTW, it might be incorrect, but if you did just pronounce the B and V in Spanish as the B in ball, everyone would understand you, but your accent would just be off. Of course they probably already know that you are not a native speaker!

If the B or V come at the beginning of a word, or the B or V follows an N or M sound, it is pronounced B as in Ball. This is called a “Bilabial Stop”.  Examples include bueno, vaca, viento, enviado, ambos.

When a B or V is found inside the word (except when following an N or M sound) it is somewhat between a B and V (as English speakers say them) but is not technically a sound English speakers make. It is called a “Bilabial Approximant” and you put your lips just barely apart, maybe even just barely touching, then allow air to escape in the tiny gap.  An English V puts the bottom lip and top teeth together (labiodental), the Spanish V and B is always both lips touching or just barely not touching (bilabial).

The big difference being that air - the Stop stops the air briefly, the Approximant does not stop the air.

¡Hola a todos!

Scott_C's explanation is excellent: although we keep things simple at the very start of the course by explaining that the Spanish B and V are both pronounced like the English “B,” it's true that there is actually a subtle difference in sound depending on where these letters fall within the word. Since the V in primavera sits in the middle of the word (and, as Scott_C explains, doesn't come after M or N), it is a softer “B” sound where the speaker's lips don't actually touch (or barely do so). 

Since you're just at the start of your Spanish journey, Gadola, your ears aren't quite used to Spanish sounds yet and may not be able to really hear how this soft “B” sound is all that different from the English “V.” It may help to slow the tutor audio speed for words that you come across with the letter V and have a careful listen to see if you can hear it. But don't worry if you can't! Your brain will start to be able to pick up and identify new Spanish sounds over time as you get more and more exposure to Spanish. 

Saludos,

Liss