Spanish Consonants

1. b and v
2. ñ
3. rr
4. 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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