Language/Spanish/Pronunciation/Accents

2017-11-16T17:42:48Z

Ivanhiggins: spanish

'''How to use the accents in Spanish?'''

'''[[File:spanish_accents3.jpg]]'''

Written accents in Spanish, á, é, í, ó, ú are very useful to know where to put the tonic accent of the word.

Each word in Spanish includes a syllable which is more accentuated than the other: it is sometimes marked by a written accent.

==Rules==
The rules for where to put the accent and why to put it there, can be difficult for non Spanish native speakers.

* If the word ends in an s or n or one of five vowels a, e, i, o, u, stress is marked on the penultimate syllable.

It does not need a written accent to mark the intonation. The majority of Spanish words fall into this category.

Examples: '''me'''-sa, za-'''pa'''-tos, '''pa'''-dre

* All other words that do not end in an s, n or a vowel and does not include written accent then carry the accent on the last syllable.

It does not need a written accent.

Examples: Co-'''mer''', pa-'''pel''', or-de-na-'''dor'''

* If the accent is marked on another syllable (for words not following the two previous rules), we then use a written accent to indicate the stressed syllable.

Examples: di-'''''fí'''''-cil, '''ár'''-bol (both words end with an l and should be part of the second category. As this is not the case, we must then place a written accent on the stressed syllable).

It is the same when the accent falls on the penultimate syllable or the last such as with compound words.

Examples: '''dí'''-me-lo (imperative and two pronouns), du-'''chán'''-do-se (gerund and reflexive pronoun), los fan-'''tás'''-tic-co.

There are exceptions to these rules for foreign words used in the Spanish language.

There are other specific cases in the use of written accents in Spanish.

The letter ñ is a letter of the Spanish alphabet but is sometimes seen as an accent.

It changes the sound of the n as in español.

==How to write the Spanish accents on your keyboard?==

Spanish accents are an important aspect of spelling words: So be sure to write them.

Here is the list of shortcuts to use a keyboard that is not Spanish.

To do this, hold down the Alt key and type the number listed:

{| class="wikitable"
|'''Á'''
|Alt + 0193
|'''á'''
|Alt + 0225

|-
|'''É'''
|Alt + 0201
|'''é'''
|Alt + 0233

|-
|'''Í'''
|Alt + 0205
|'''í'''
|Alt + 0237

|-
|'''Ó'''
|Alt + 0211
|'''ó'''
|Alt + 0243

|-
|'''Ú'''
|Alt + 0218
|'''ú'''
|Alt + 0250

|-
|'''Ñ'''
|Alt + 0209
|'''ñ'''
|Alt + 0241
|}

{{#seo:
|title=How to use the accents in Spanish
|keywords=accents, accentuation, syllabe, write, speak, type
|description=In this lesson you will learn how to use the accents in Spanish.
|og:image=http://wiki.polyglotclub.com/wiki/images/d/d0/Spanish_accents3.jpg
}}Most monosyllabic words like pan and sal do not have an accent.

[[Category: Spanish/Beginner]]

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Language/Spanish/Pronunciation/Accents