More strings on a guitar than vowel sounds in Spanish.
What is so helpful about Spanish vowel sounds?
Did you know that Spanish has only 5 of them?
Compare that with the 12 vowel sounds in English (think of the short and long vowel sounds in these words: hat, heart, head, heard, heat, hit, hook, who, hall etc.).
So there are many fewer vowels in Spanish to learn how to pronounce. You realise that having just 5 is incredibly helpful if you’re learning the language – a real bonus!
What are the Spanish vowel sounds?
Here they are, each with an English word that has an approximate sound:
a – cat
e – head
i – cheese
o – hot
u – rule
What differences are there between Spanish and English vowel sounds?
In normal speaking, Spanish vowel sounds are generally more compact – taking less time to say than English ones, which tend to be stretched out a bit more.
Where can I hear some?
Have a listen to some sample spoken tracks – in the grey section part way down the page – and you’ll get the idea of vowels in Spanish generally being shorter. (In songs, sounds get stretched to match the music, just as in English.)
More from the Baby Listen blog:
Songs we love: Twinkle twinkle little star
Is this the most famous nursery song in English? What’s the history of Twinkle Twinkle? And how do you sing it in Spanish with Baby Listen?
When do babies start listening to language?
When do babies first tune in the sounds of speech? A few years ago, many people would have answered that it was at birth – or even when they began to say their first words.
Over recent decades, however, there’s been a lot of interest and research into the way babies develop language, so we now know much better.
Parents: 3 reasons why singing together is good for your baby and for you
Here at Baby Listen we are great believers in the power of music and singing. People the world over sing to their babies – it seems to feel natural for most parents. But what are the benefits?
The fun way into
Spanish for your
baby - and you
Enter your email here and then check your inbox for your offer code - sign up now:
