Pronunciation matters! Be sure that your child hears as much native-speaker Spanish as possible by using videos, music and audio books. If you are learning with your child, do your best to master the sounds of Spanish. Here are a few things you should keep in mind:
1. The vowels in Spanish always have the same sound.
A as in father
E as in get
I as in machine
O as in owe
U as in boot
2. The h in Spanish is always silent. Hola is pronounced ola.
3. There is no z sound in Spanish. In Latin America the z has the sound of an s. Cabeza is pronounced cabesa. Brazo is pronounced braso.
You can listen to the vowel sounds here: letters in Spanish. Correct pronuncation takes practice, but it is important. Enjoy the beautiful sounds of the Spanish language!
