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2torial
#0666:
Learn2
Get By In Spanish
(Continued)
 Get
by with basic Spanish grammar and pronunciation
 Some
basic grammar
- You, formal: In English, there's only
one way to say you. In Spanish, the
singular you is Usted, unless the
person is a child or friend. The plural you is
the same in English, but in Spanish it's
Ustedes.
- Negative: Spanish is close to English
in this way: Es costoso (It's expensive)
becomes No es costoso (It's not
expensive) just by adding no.
- Plurals: Like English, Spanish nouns
are pluralized by adding an s, as in
casas, caminos and clases.
- Gender: For the most part, though
certainly not entirely, masculine nouns and
adjectives end -o, and feminine end in
-a. In the lists of Steps 2 through
6, gender differences in nouns are
recognized by a slash, with the male version
coming first.
Some basic pronunciation  Spanish
is pretty easy to pronounce--most sounds are
similar to English.
- Accents vary from country to country:
While there are far too many regional
distintions to name, the c or z
sound as in gracias (thank you) or
luz (light) changes from Spain to Latin
America. In Spain you are more likely to hear
grathias or luth (what might be
considered a lisp in English), while in Latin
America the letters are pronounced the same as
in English.
- The letter 'v' is softer than in
English. It's actually pronounced in between the
English 'v' and a 'b'.
- The letter 'd' is also softer than in
English. It's pronounced more like a very soft
'th'.
- The letter 'ñ' is pronounced
with a 'ny' sound. For example,
baño (bathroom) is pronounced "BAHN yo".
- The accent stresses the syllable, as
in estación, pronounced "eh stah
see OWN".
- Roll your r's. Try trilling your r's,
and particularly your double r's. It's a little
difficult at first, but a lot of fun to
try.
Otherwise, please read the pronunciation guides
as you would in English. Remember, they should help
you recall the sound of the word, rather
than teaching you how to say the word.
 Step
2
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