The Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
Welcome to Spanish at Ritmo del Río
¡Bienvenido a tu aventura de aprendizaje del español! At Ritmo del Río, you will not only study Spanish but also experience it in real-life situations. This chapter will introduce the basics of the Spanish language, focusing on pronunciation, greetings, numbers, and essential phrases to help you start communicating from day one.
1.1 The Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
Spanish uses the same 26 letters as English, plus the letter ñ (e.g., año – year). The pronunciation of some letters differs from English:
The Spanish Alphabet with Vocabulary and Phonetics
Letter
Word
English Meaning
Phonetic Description
A
árbol
tree
AHR-bol
B
barco
boat
BAR-ko
C
casa
house
KAH-sah
CH
chico
boy
CHEE-ko
D
delfín
dolphin
del-FEEN
E
estrella
star
es-TREH-yah
F
flor
flower
FLOR
G
gato
cat
GAH-toh
H
hora
hour
OH-rah
I
isla
island
EES-lah
J
jugo
juice
HOO-go
K
kilómetro
kilometer
kee-LO-meh-tro
L
luna
moon
LOO-nah
LL
lluvia
rain
YOO-bya / ZHOO-bya
M
montaña
mountain
mon-TAHN-yah
N
noche
night
NOH-cheh
Ñ
niño
boy
NEEN-yoh
O
oso
bear
OH-soh
P
pescado
fish
pes-KAH-doh
Q
queso
cheese
KEH-soh
R
río
river
REE-oh
S
sol
sun
SOL
T
tigre
tiger
TEE-greh
U
uva
grape
OO-vah
V
vaca
cow
BAH-kah
W
wafle
waffle
WAH-fleh
X
xilófono
xylophone
see-LO-fo-no
Y
yogur
yogurt
yo-GOOR
Z
zapato
shoe
sah-PAH-toh
Regional Pronunciations in Colombia (Antioquia Accent)
In Antioquia, and particularly in Medellín, the pronunciation of certain sounds varies from other regions of the Spanish-speaking world:
'LL' and 'Y' Sounds: In Medellín and much of Antioquia, the "ll" in Medellín and the "y" in yo are pronounced with a soft "zh" or "sh" sound (like the "s" in "measure"). This differs from other parts of Latin America where it is pronounced as a "y" sound like in "yes."
Example: Medellín is often pronounced as meh-deh-ZHEEN rather than meh-deh-YEEN.
Example: Yo (I) may sound like ZHO instead of YO.
Syllable-Final 'S' Softening: Many speakers in Medellín pronounce the "s" at the end of a syllable softly or aspirate it (similar to an "h" sound). For example:
Las casas → lah KAH-sahs instead of las KAH-sahs.
D Intervocalic Softening: In casual speech, the "d" in between vowels is often softened or omitted:
Pescado (fish) → pes-KAH-oh instead of pes-KAH-doh.
Activity: Listen to native speakers at Ritmo del Río and try repeating words after them.
1.2 Greetings and Introductions
Spanish greetings vary depending on the time of day:
Buenos días – Good morning
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenas noches – Good evening/night
Hola – Hello (used anytime)
Common introductions:
¿Cómo te llamas? – What is your name?
Me llamo Ana. – My name is Ana.
¿De dónde eres? – Where are you from?
Soy de Canadá. – I am from Canada.
Mucho gusto. – Nice to meet you.
El gusto es mío. – The pleasure is mine.
Activity: Role-play introducing yourself to a staff member at Ritmo del Río.
Chapter 1 – Spanish Exercises
1) Alphabet Vocabulary Exercise
📌 Instructions:
Write down one Spanish word for each letter of the alphabet (except for rare letters like K and W, where you can use borrowed words).
Next to each word, write its meaning in English.
Try to write the pronunciation phonetically using your own understanding.
Example:
Letter
Spanish Word
Meaning
Pronunciation (Phonetic)
A
Árbol
Tree
AHR-bol
B
Barco
Boat
BAR-ko
C
Casa
House
KAH-sa
D
Dedo
Finger
DEH-do
✅ Tip: Pay special attention to letters with unique sounds in Spanish, like J (Jirafa – HEE-rah-fah) or Ñ (Ñu – NYOO).
2) Listening & Writing Exercise
📌 Instructions:
Listen to a recording of a simple Spanish conversation (or ask a partner to read one aloud).
Write down what you hear in Spanish.
Compare your version with the original text and correct any mistakes.
✅ Tip: If no audio is available, you can use a dictation tool or record yourself reading a Spanish dialogue.
3) Final Activity: Real-World Application
Challenge: Spend a full day at Ritmo del Río using only Spanish! Greet the staff, introduce yourself to another guest, ask for directions, and practice numbers when ordering food.
Next Chapter: We will dive into basic sentence structure and forming simple Spanish sentences!
