Is the Spanish letter E ever silent? – Spanish pronunciation lesson
Podcast episode 30 – SEE ALL EPISODES
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Today we’ve got an interesting pronunciation question. Our question comes from Nigel, one of my students. A couple of weeks ago Nigel asked me whether the letter E at the end of words is ever silent in Spanish.
And the answer is a resounding NO.
See also: Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses.
In fact, this is a pronunciation mistake that even the most advanced students make. Specially when saying words that look similar in English and Spanish.
Spanish letter E: silent?
Dropping the E at the end of words, makes it very difficult for native speakers to understand what you’re saying.
In this episode we’re going to practice saying 20 very common words that end in E. They’re all masculine nouns. Notice how I say that last E clearly in all of them.
These are the 20 nouns I’ve got for you. Repeat after me:
el aceite, the oil
el billete, the ticket
el cheque, the cheque
el chocolate, the chocolate
el cine, the cinema
el coche, the car
el deporte, the sport
el diente, the tooth
el elefante, the elephant
el equipaje, the luggage
el escaparate, the shop window
el filete, the steak
el mensaje, the message
el nombre, the name
el padre, the father
el paquete, the parcel
el parque, the park
el pasaporte, the passport
el sobre, the envelope
el viaje, the trip – the journey
Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses
Let’s say them again. Repeat after me.
Spanish letter E: speaking drill
Now, let’s do a speaking drill. Can you tell these words in Spanish? Remember NOT to drop that last E:
the parcel
el paquete
the cheque
el cheque
the park
el parque
the ticket
el billete
the passport
el pasaporte
the trip, the journey
el viaje
the chocolate
el chocolate
the oil
el aceite
the shop window
el escaparate
the cinema
el cine
the tooth
el diente
the car
el coche
the elephant
el elefante
the name
el nombre
the father
el padre
the luggage
el equipaje
the envelope
el sobre
the message
el mensaje
the steak
el filete
the sport
el deporte
Spanish letter E: sentences
To finish, we’re going to practice saying 3 sentences with several words ending in E. Repeat after me:
Mi padre tiene un coche verde – my father has a green car
Tiene aceite, chocolate y un filete – she has oil, chocolate and one steak
El pasaporte y el billete están en el sobre – the passport and the ticket are in the envelope
Make sure you’re not dropping any of those E’s. Let’s say each sentence one last time:
Mi padre tiene un coche verde
Tiene aceite, chocolate y un filete
El pasaporte y el billete están en el sobre
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