1. ¡Aprendamos las vocales!

A vowel, in any language, receives this name because its sound is made by the vocal cords. The vowel sound comes from the lungs, through the vocal cords and depends on the position of the lips, tongue, and mouth opening, with nothing blocking the air for clear pronunciation. Spanish is emphatic, so you need to emphasize the positions of the lips and the mouth when you make the sound of the vowels. Something important to keep in mind is that the vowels in Spanish always have the same sound; they never change as in English. In the following pictures you can see the position of the lips and the mouth when you make the sound of each vowel. The position of the mouth remains the same throughout the pronunciation of the vowel and each vowel has only one sound.

Letra A	Letra E	Letra I	Letra O	Letra U
Sounds like …
a in father	e in elephant	i in machine	o in oak	u in rule

¡Practiquemos las vocales!

It is very important that you practice repeating the sounds as much as possible. In the beginning it can be a little strange and you may feel uncomfortable, which is common. With practice you will have better control of the sounds. Don’t worry about your accent! Be a “caradura” (stubborn and persistent) as you learn. You will even sing in Spanish and can start with singing “las vocales”. For now, we have selected videos developed for kids. In our experience, it is the best way to approach a new language; have fun and make it simple. Later, we will have the opportunity to study the Spanish sounds with the techniques of a Spanish linguistics professor. For now, it is crucial that you listen and repeat the video until you feel comfortable with your pronunciation.

“La canción de las vocales A E I O U” is going to help you understand what we are studying. It is important that you remember to repeat the sound of each vowel until you are satisfied with your pronunciation. In the video, you will find two Spanish words for each vowel; these words are: