How to speak Spanish fluently – Easy drill to become fluent – Episode 38

How to speak Spanish fluently – Easy drill to become fluent

Podcast episode 38 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Today we’ve got another great pronunciation question.

Hi, welcome back to Speak Spanish with Maria Fernandez. I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish teacher.

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

Today’s question comes from Philip, one of my Facebook followers. Philip says: “Spanish speakers seem to run words together in a way that they sound like a very long word. I’d like to practice running words together, to sound more like a native”.

How to speak Spanish fluently: intro

It’s true that native speakers tend to leave no gaps between certain groups of words. In Spanish, like in other languages, you rarely say each and every word in a sentence as a separate unit. Instead, you join them up. This often makes it difficult for language learners to understand what people are saying. Knowing when native speakers are likely to run words together will help you develop your listening skills fast.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

In this lesson, we’re going to see when words are most likely to be run together. We’re going to see 4 cases. The examples in this episode are all words you’ve heard throughout this podcast.

How to speak Spanish fluently: tip 1

Number 1. Running together a consonant and a vowel. Often, when a word ends in a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel, those two words are said as one single word. For example: el abuelo, [that’s el – abuelo] el abuelo – el aceite, [that’s el – aceite] el aceite

Notice that when the second word starts with the letter H, you can also run the consonant and the vowel together, because the initial H is silent. For example: el hermano, [that’s el – hermano] el hermano – el hijo, [that’s el – hijo] el hijo.

How to speak Spanish fluently: tip 2

Number 2. Running together two identical vowels. When a word ends in a vowel, and the next word starts with that same vowel, those two vowels can be said as if they were just one. For instance: la abuela, [that’s la – abuela] la abuela – siete elefantes, [that’s siete – elefantes] siete elefantes.

Notice that when the second word starts with the letter H, you can also run the two identical vowels together. For example: la habitación, [that’s la – habitación] la habitación, ocho horas, [that’s ocho – horas] ocho horas

How to speak Spanish fluently: tip 3

Number 3. Running together two identical consonants. When a word ends in a consonant, and the next word starts with the same consonant, those two consonants can be said as if they were one. For instance: son nueve, [that’s son – nueve] son nueve – las sociedades, [that’s las – sociedades] las sociedades.

How to speak Spanish fluently: tip 4

And Number 4. Running together non stressed words. When words are NOT stressed within a group of words, they’re often said without gaps between them, and tend to sound like one long word. For example: la camisa de mi hermano, [that’s la – camisa – de – mi – hermano] la camisa de mi hermano – Pedro Almodóvar [that’s Pedro – Almodóvar] Pedro Almodóvar.

Spanish words are more often than not run together. If you get used to saying them that way, you’ll sound much more natural. And your listening skills will also improve, because you know what to expect.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

How to speak Spanish fluently: easy drill

To help you speak like a native, let’s practice saying this whole sentence:

El hotel y el hospital están en Holanda.
(The hotel and the hospital are in Holland.)

Repeat after me:

El hotel y el hospital / están en Holanda.

Notice how I run together these two groups of words:

el hotel y el hospital [el – hotel – y – el – hospital]

están en Holanda [están – en – Holanda]

Let’s say the whole sentence again:

El hotel y el hospital / están en Holanda

You can practice running words together with most of the lessons in this podcast. Go back to previous episodes and practice saying words and sentences with me.

How to speak Spanish fluently: let’s recap

To recap, let’s go through the four points we’ve seen in this lesson.

Number 1. Running together a consonant and a vowel.
Number 2. Running together two identical vowels.
Number 3. Running together two identical consonants.
Number 4. Running together non stressed words.

Thanks a lot for listening to my Spanish lessons. If you like them, please leave a review. That’ll help other people find these lessons more easily. It takes less than a minute. Gracias.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

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