b and v
ñ
rr
ll

Resources for further reading:

Let's look at the Spanish vowels.

The top ten hacks to fast-tracking your Spanish

1. The letters b and v

In English, the letters b and v are clearly differentiated. They’re not so clear in Spanish. Ask a native Spanish speaker to say the English word very and he may well end up saying berry.

The vibrating v sound doesn’t exist in Spanish. Instead, v is pronounced in a much softer way. Listen to the following words that start with v and repeat each of them.

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Voy a...

I'm going to...

Vamos

Let's go

Ver

To see

Vaca

Cow

When the v sound comes in the middle of a word, it becomes less distinguishable from b. Try these words aloud.

Avión

Plane

Mi novia

My girlfriend

Cerveza

Beer

Llaves

Keys

Acabar

To finish / To end

Cabaña

Cabin / Hut

Spanish speakers themselves often have a hard time distinguishing the two sounds and may write b as v and vice versa. One way they distinguish the two is to talk about b grande (big b) and v pequeño (little v). You may also hear the pronunciations beh for "b" and uve (oo-veh) for "v".

2. The letter ñ

The ñ sound is pronounced a little bit like an n with a hum. Think of it as an “ny” sound, like “canyon.” Practice with these words.

Señor

Sir / Mr.

Señora

Ma'am / Mrs (a married woman)

Niño

Boy

3. The letter rr

The double-R sound can be incredibly difficult for English speakers. Yet it is a very important sound in the Spanish language, because some words can completely change their meaning depending on whether or not the r sound is trilled (caro—expensive versus carro—car, pero—but versus perro—dog).

To pronounce the double-R sound properly, you need to learn to trill your r’s. Try making a purring sound like a cat. Feel your tongue vibrate. Practice rolling your r’s with the following words.

Correr

Run

Guitarra

Guitar

Aburrido

Boring

Now, practice the difference between a rolled and unrolled r with the following words.

Caro

Expensive

Carro

Car / Cart

4. The letter ll

The double-L sound in Spanish is pronounced in a variety of ways across the Spanish-speaking world. In many parts of South America, it is pronounced like a j. In much of Spain, it’s pronounced like a y. In still other regions, it is pronounced just like a regular l.

Practice a South American pronunciation of ll with the following words.

Ella

She

Pantalla

Screen

Caballo

Horse

Can’t get enough of Spanish? Here are some more free Spanish lessons to boost your Spanish:

Click here for the lesson on the Spanish Accents.
It’s time to learn numbers in Spanish!
Learn the song and the different ways to say Happy Birthday in Spanish with this lesson.

See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!

Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish

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