| Syllabication (Silabación): |
1. A single consonant (including
ch, ll, rr) is pronounced with the following vowels or diphthongs:
ne-ce-si-to
mu-cha-cho |
plu-ma
mie-do |
tra-ba-jar
gue-rra |
Es-pa-ña
ciu-dad |
ca-ba-llo
de-se-o |
é-xi-to
li-te-ra-tu-ra |
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2. Combinations of two consonants
between vowels or diphthongs are usually separated:
| car-ta |
fuen-te |
rom-per |
cuar-to |
es-tá |
éx-ta-sis |
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3. If the second consonant is l
or r, the combination is, as a rule, inseparable:
| te-a-tro |
pue-blo |
re-cla-mar |
com-prar |
a-brir |
in-fluen-cia |
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4. Exceptions:
Prefixes remain together: sub-ur-bio, dis-or-den
The rr: If a prefix ending in a vowel is attached to a word beginning with r, the word is written with rr but divided with only one: pro+rumpir=prorrumpir, pro/rum/pir
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| Accents (Acentos): |
1. Words ending in a consonant
(except n or s), stress the last syllable (agudas)
| na-tu-ral |
tra-ba-jar |
se-ñor |
sa-lud |
pa-pel |
fe-liz |
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2. Words ending in a vowel or the
consonants n or s, stress the next-to-last syllable (llanas)
car-ne
ve-ra-no |
plu-ma
Es-pa-ña |
pre-ci-so
ha-blan |
se-ño-ri-ta
a-mi-gos |
se-ma-na
u-nos |
prin-ci-pio
pa-rien-tes |
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3. Words that do not conform to
the rules above bear a written accent mark over the stressed vowel:
A-mé-ri-ca
Mar-tí-nez |
mé-di-co
e-xá-me-nes |
ú-ni-co
le-ván-ta-te |
ár-bol
án-gel
|
ja-más
a-llí |
tam-bién
pen-sión
|
co-ra-zón
co-mió
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4. A diphthong bearing no written
accent mark and composed of:
* a strong (a, e, o) and a weak (i,
u) vowel, stresses the strong vowel
| cuo-ta |
mien-tras |
bien |
dia-blo |
gua-pa |
au-tor |
oi-go |
vio |
|
* two weak (iu, ui) vowels, stresses
the second vowel
| triun-fo |
viu-da |
Sui-za |
rui-do |
|
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Diphthongs (Diptongos): a, e, o are strong vowels; i, u are weak vowels
1. Two
strong vowels (a, e, o) cannot stand together in a single syllable.
| de-se-o |
i-de-a |
te-a-tro |
po-e-ma |
|
|
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2. A strong and a weak vowel,
or two weak vowels (i, u) together, form a diphthong and hold together
in one syllable:
| due-ño |
rui-do |
siem-pre |
bien |
Clo-dio |
his-to-ria |
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3. If the weak vowel bears a written
accent mark, the diphthong is broken into two distinct syllables:
| po-e-sí-a |
tí-o |
pa-ís |
Ma-rí-a |
de-cí-a |
pa-ra-í-so |
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Triphthongs (Triptongos): 3 vowels together combined weak/strong/weak
iai, iau, iei, ioi, uai (uay at the end), uau, uei (uey at the end).
Broken only when a written accent mark falls on one of the weak vowels
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