Let’s learn some Spanish rules
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- Published: Monday, 17 November 2025 14:07
Good day to all of you. Thanksgiving is here and I am preparing for company. My grandnephew and his twelve-year-old son are coming to spend Thanksgiving with me. That will be a special treat as my nephew is a champion cook when it comes to cooking on an outdoor grill. Seriously he has won many competitions all over the state of Texas. So, all I will do is buy the turkey and set the table. He will even cook the potatoes on the grill. And of course, I will need to buy an extra supply of ice cream for the younger visitor.
I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, skilled nephew. Every time he comes to visit, he finds all those little things that need doing. He is a jack of all trades and since I can't even drive a nail, he is a real blessing. He loves our tropical plants and since I have an extra supply of plants in bloom I can share with him. One of my favorite things to do is to work in the yard so there is always a plant or bush that is in full bloom to share with him.
Last publication we had a mini lesson in Spanish. Are you ready for the second lesson? Well here goes. Certain syllables in a word will receive an accent when spoken. As you divide the words into syllables, generally the second syllable receives the accent. But not always.
First of all, let's see how we divide any word into syllables. The consonant will go with the next vowel so let's divide a word into syllables … how about cerveza - that's beer in Spanish. So, to divide it is cer-ve-za. NOTE that the r and the v got divided. And that is the general rule. Except when you have a double ‘l’ in a word. A double ‘l’ will sound like a ‘y’.
So, the word for yellow in Spanish is pronounced a ma ri yo (amarillo).
If a word ends in a consonant, then the accent is on the last syllable. So, the word for heart in Spanish is corazon. Now to pronounce it is co ra zon. The strongest syllable is the last one with the accent on the zon.
Now, just to confuse us - the Spanish language has some words that will carry an accent mark, and those words don't go by the rules. One of the words that I hear mispronounced over and over is the name of one of the states in Mexico. The capital of the state has the same name. Have you guessed the name of the city? It is San Luis Potosi and many of the tours into Mexico go right through that city. The pronunciation breaks all the above rules because there is a written accent on the last syllable. So now we have San Lu is Po to si. NEVER IS IT PRONOUNCED SAN LUIS PO TO SI.
Over and over, I hear this word mispronounced with the speaker putting the accent on the second syllable. I can understand why since unless your computer or typewriter prints or speaks Spanish the rule of the second syllable getting the accent will lead you astray.
Please don't label me as a fluent Spanish speaker. I am not. I just keep trying to get better. When I was in college I would spend many hours reading and speaking Spanish out loud. Try filling the bathtub with warm water, propping your Spanish grammar book behind the water faucets and reading out loud. That's how I learned most of my Spanish. And of course, I made and still make many mistakes conversing in Spanish. Just don't give up. Our friends in Mexico are so gracious and appreciative of our attempts to speak their language that they will forgive us of our mistakes. Have fun as you learn more and more Spanish. I promise no more lessons.
Have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving. We are truly blessed.
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