When is the Spanish letter U silent? – Pronunciation lesson – Episode 49

When is the Spanish letter U silent? – Pronunciation lesson

Podcast episode 49 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Today we’ve got another great pronunciation question.

Today’s question comes from Patricia, one of my students. Patricia says: “I know the letter U is sometimes silent in Spanish, but I don’t know when. Are there any rules that can help me?”

See also: Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses.

Spanish letter U: intro

The beauty of the Spanish pronunciation is that there are straightforward rules for all the sounds. In this case, we’ve got 4 really simple rules.

As you may know, there are very few silent letters in Spanish. Today we’re going to learn when NOT to say the letter U.

Spanish letter U: four rules

These are the four rules:

Number 1. The letter U is silent in the cluster ‘g-u-e’. For example, in previous lessons we saw the words: la hamburguesa, the hamburger – and Miguel, Michael.

Rule number 2 says: The letter U is silent in the cluster ‘g-u-i’. Here are two examples: alguien, somebody – and la guía, the guide.

Rule number 3 says: The letter U is silent in the cluster ‘q-u-e’. Here are two words we’ve heard in previous lessons: qué, what – and el cheque, the check.

And rule number 4 says: The letter U is silent in the cluster ‘q-u-i’. Two words from previous lessons are: quiero, I want – and quinto, fifth.

So, the letter U is silent in the 4 clusters: g-u-e, g-u-i, q-u-e and q-u-i. Remember the words: Miguel, alguien, qué, quiero.

Spanish letter U: speaking practice

Let’s practice saying other words we’ve come across in previous lessons. Repeat after me:

querer, to want
Enrique, Henry
izquierda, left
quieren, they want

And here are four new words with a ‘g-u-e’ and -g-u-i’. Repeat after me:

portugués, Portuguese
la guerra, the war
Guillermo, William
la guitarra, the guitar

Notice how the letter U is silent in those eight words. Let’s say them once more:

querer
Enrique
izquierda
quieren
portugués
la guerra
Guillermo
la guitarra

Spanish letter U: tip

So, what happens when you make the mistake of pronouncing the U in those four clusters? Unfortunately, saying the U in words like ‘Enrique, guitarra, querer, guerra’ makes it very difficult for native speakers to understand you. Somehow the extra U makes those words unrecognizable. Make sure you never say the U when it should be silent.

To help you get it always right, let’s practice saying 12 words you’re now familiar with. Repeat after me:

la hamburguesa, the hamburger
portugués, Portuguese
la guerra, the war
alguien, somebody
Guillermo, William
la guitarra, the guitar
el parque, the park
querer, to want
Enrique, Henry
quinto, fifth
izquierda, left
quieren, they want

To help you master the letter G, in future lessons we’ll see the difference between g-e and g-u-e, and g-i and g-u-i.

Perhaps by now you’re wondering whether there are any exceptions to the rules we’ve seen today. Like with almost all language rules, there are a few exceptions. but just a few. And we’ll see them at some point.

To recap, the Spanish U is silent in these 4 clusters: g-u-e, g-u-i, q-u-e and q-u-i. Remember the words: Miguel, alguien, qué, quiero.

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