Accents (Tildes) in Spanish
In Spanish, accents or tildes play a crucial role in pronunciation and meaning. The tilde indicates where the stress falls on a word and is used to differentiate between words that otherwise appear the same. Understanding how to use tildes correctly is essential for clear communication in Spanish.
1. Types of Words Based on Stress:
- Agudas (Oxytone Words):
- Stress: On the last syllable.
- Tilde: If the word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), n, or s.
- Examples:
- café (kah-FEH) – coffee
- camión (kah-MYON) – truck
- Perú (peh-ROO) – Peru
- Graves/Llanas (Paroxytone Words):
- Stress: On the second-to-last syllable.
- Tilde: If the word ends in a consonant other than n or s.
- Examples:
- lápiz (LAH-pees) – pencil
- árbol (AHR-bohl) – tree
- difícil (dee-FEE-seel) – difficult
- Esdrújulas (Proparoxytone Words):
- Stress: On the third-to-last syllable.
- Tilde: Always has a tilde.
- Examples:
- pájaro (PAH-ha-roh) – bird
- sábado (SAH-bah-doh) – Saturday
- teléfono (teh-LEH-foh-noh) – telephone
- Sobresdrújulas (Superproparoxytone Words):
- Stress: Before the third-to-last syllable.
- Tilde: Always has a tilde.
- Examples:
- explícamelo (eks-PLEE-kah-meh-loh) – explain it to me
- devuélveselo (deh-VWEHL-veh-seh-loh) – return it to him/her
- rápidamente (RAH-pee-dah-mehn-teh) – quickly
2. Special Cases:
- Diphthongs: When two vowels combine, forming a diphthong, the tilde may break it to indicate stress.
- Examples:
- Raíz (rah-EES) – root
- María (mah-REE-ah) – Maria
- Examples:
- Adverbs with -mente: If the adjective carries a tilde, the adverb retains it.
- Examples:
- fácilmente (FAH-seel-mehn-teh) – easily
- rápidamente (RAH-pee-dah-mehn-teh) – quickly
- Examples:
3. Tips for English Speakers:
- Practice by identifying the stressed syllable in words. Use the tilde to guide your pronunciation.
- Remember: Not every word with stress has a tilde; it follows specific rules.
- Common Mistakes: Forgetting the tilde can change the meaning of a word entirely (e.g., sí [yes] vs. si [if]).