{"id":159,"date":"2025-03-14T15:58:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/?p=159"},"modified":"2025-03-14T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T16:08:26","slug":"5-steps-to-sound-like-a-native-spanish-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/spanish-blog\/5-steps-to-sound-like-a-native-spanish-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to sound like a native Spanish speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"159\" class=\"elementor elementor-159\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bbd4a03 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"bbd4a03\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25c7d86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"25c7d86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Every language has its own prosody \u2013 the patterns of stress and intonation\u2013. That\u2019s why when we are in a foreign country we can recognise our compatriots by hearing them speaking even if we don\u2019t hear what they say.<\/p><p>In this post you will learn:<\/p><ul><li>The intonation in Spanish<\/li><li>Five tips to improve your pronunciation and intonation in Spanish, including techniques to practice active listening and suggestions to do passive listening, filler words in Spanish and how to nurture your inner voice in Spanish.<\/li><li>Rules of intonation in Spanish<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d1a9099 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d1a9099\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"519\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-161\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2.png 519w, https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-18x8.png 18w, https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-517x225.png 517w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-919f288 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"919f288\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Intonation in Spanish\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e800211 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e800211\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Spanish has its own music, its own cadence. In Spanish we speak \u201c<b>llano<\/b>\u201d .\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Hablar llano<\/b>\u00a0means \u2018to speak straight\u2019. which is true. But not only are we direct and straightforward, also our intonation is \u201cllana\u201d, that is, the words are stressed in the penultimate syllable.<\/p><p>Almost 80% of all the words in Spanish are stressed in the penultimate syllable and that creates a distinct rhythm. And then, almost the 20% remaining is stressed at the end. There is a miserable 2% of words that are stressed in the antepenultimate syllable (the third from last).<\/p><p>So this gives you an idea of where to put stress in the words no matter what unless stated otherwise. * I\u2019ll get to this in a minute (in point 5, to be precise).<\/p><p><b>And why there are so many \u201cllanas\u201d words in comparison with other romance languages like French or Italian?<\/b><br \/><br \/>We don\u2019t know why but we know that in the process from Latin to Spanish, all the vowels that were not stressed, disappeared.<\/p><p>It\u2019s also known that when a language disappears, for whatever reason, it leaves its trace in the prosody of the favoured language, so when Latin-Spanish was chosen over the native languages, those must have left the intonation.<\/p><p>In connection to the underlying native languages of the people, you know the intonation and rhythm of Spanish have so many variants between Spain and Latin America and also between the different regions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-faed6cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"faed6cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to improve my pronunciation and intonation in Spanish<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ce5fcda elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ce5fcda\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>1. Listen<\/h4><p><b>First and foremost, listen.<\/b><\/p><p>Intersperse moments of passive listening with active listening in Spanish. There is no need to spend hours of active listening, although if you have the energy for it, by no means.<\/p><p>What works best is being constant in your practise.<\/p><p><b>\u00b7 Passive listening<\/b><\/p><p>Listen to conversations, to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/spanish-blog\/learning-spanish-with-tv-shows-tips-and-ideas\/\">TV-shows<\/a>, radio, songs\u2026 anything you can find. Listen while driving, on the way to work, while working-out, cooking\u2026 Any time!<\/p><p>As a teacher, though, I can tell you that not all listening is effective in equal manner. Passive listening is helpful, but it won\u2019t make you fluent. That being said, passive listening will help you to learn Spanish native-sounding expressions, like \u201cvenga, vamos\u201d (come on) or \u201cvoy yendo\u201d (I\u2019m going)\u2026 It will also help you to get used to the rhythm and intonation. So, it is useful, of course!<\/p><p><b>\u00b7 Active listening<\/b><\/p><p>But do not forget active listening. Choose something you like and are interested in in order to feel motivated.<\/p><p>I have a couple of active listening techniques for you:\u00a0<\/p><ul><li>Dictations: Write what you hear. You\u2019ll need the written version as well (subtitles or transcripts).<br \/><br \/><\/li><li>Shadowing: You repeat what the speaker says. If there are parts that you don\u2019t understand, listen again and again until you do. If you still can\u2019t understand, have a quick look at the subtitles or transcription. The shadowing technique is explained\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AnNf_z4LQ7A\">here<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><h4>2. Nurture your Spanish inner voice<\/h4><p><b>Think in Spanish.<\/b><\/p><p>We all have an inner voice in our mother language and we also have an inner voice in every language we learn.<\/p><p>The problem is that very often we learn in a way that focuses in responding verbally before we even have anything to say. We don\u2019t give ourselves enough thinking time and we are trained to respond quickly.\u00a0Hello\u00a0educational bias towards extroverts!\u00a0<\/p><p>In the same way that when you read out loud, you don\u2019t normally understand or\u00a0 get as much information than when you do it silently. It\u2019s not useful to engage in quick immediate conversation\u00a0<i>all<\/i>\u00a0the time.<\/p><p>When you haven\u2019t developed an inner voice in the target language, Spanish if you are reading this, there is a missing element in the whole internalising and expressing the language.<\/p><p><b>Think before you speak!<\/b><\/p><p>Take a breath and allow your brain to take in the information (verbal or written) and produce it first by your inner voice.<\/p><p>It\u2019s also useful to think in Spanish. Dedicate a few minutes every day to thinking in Spanish and listening to yourself.\u00a0<b>Get to know your Spanish inner self!<\/b><\/p><h4>3. Use filler words<\/h4><p>These are little words we use that don\u2019t have a real meaning; the sentence keeps the meaning without them, but they make you sound like a native. For example, in English, you have \u201cwell,\u201d \u201cuhm,\u201d or \u201cright.\u201d We have the equivalent in Spanish.<\/p><p>Besides being the key to sounding like a native Spanish speaker, they also buy you time to think. Remember, the inner voice I mentioned before?<\/p><p>My favourite filler word is \u201cpues,\u201dd by \u201cvale.\u201d If you are learning Spanish with me, you will hear me say closely followe \u201cvale\u201d a bazillion times.<\/p><p><b>Pues<\/b><\/p><p>It\u2019s used to answer a question you were not expecting.<\/p><ul><li><i><\/i><i>\u00bfTe vienes al cine?<\/i><\/li><li><i><\/i><i>Pues\u2026. Venga, vamos<\/i><\/li><\/ul><p><b>Vale<\/b><\/p><p>To agree without a lot of enthusiasm.<\/p><ul><li><i><\/i><i>\u00bfTe vienes al cine?<\/i><\/li><li><i><\/i><i>Vale.<\/i><\/li><\/ul><p><b>Oye<\/b><\/p><p>It is used to attract someone\u2019s attention.<\/p><ul><li><i><\/i><i>Me apetece tomar un caf\u00e9.<\/i><\/li><li><i><\/i><i>Oye, \u00bfporqu\u00e9 no vamos a esta nueva cafeter\u00eda que han abierto?<\/i><\/li><\/ul><p><b>Eh<\/b><\/p><p>I used to think, like, \u201cUm\u201d.<\/p><ul><li><i><\/i><i>El amigo de Juan me pareci\u00f3 un chico muy interesante. \u00bfLo ver\u00e9 en la fiesta?<\/i><\/li><li><i><\/i><i>Eh\u2026 no creo que venga.<\/i><\/li><\/ul><h4>4. Look for Spanish rhymes<\/h4><p>A way to develop your inner voice in Spanish while increasing your vocabulary is to search for rhymes in Spanish. How to do that?<\/p><p><b>Step 1:<\/b><\/p><p>Pick a word you know, and you know how to pronounce.<\/p><p><i>Camino<\/i><\/p><p><b>Step 2:<\/b><\/p><p>Go to a Spanish rhyming website and type \u201ccamino\u201d. You can search for a consonant rhyme (the entire ending) or assonant rhyme (only the vowels). Once you click search, you will be presented with a list divided into 2-syllable words, 3-syllable words\u2026 and so on.<\/p><p><i>Pino Sino<\/i><br \/><i>Domino Ping\u00fcino<\/i><br \/><i>Coordino parisino\u2026<\/i><\/p><p><b><br \/><\/b><b>Step 3:<\/b><\/p><p>Choose some words that you are attracted to because they look nice, you are curious about them, or you feel they could be helpful in your speech.<\/p><p><b>Step 4:<\/b><\/p><p>Read your list of words in your mind. Let the visual input tell your inner voice who they sound. Listen to your inner voice several times.<\/p><p>5. Identify Spanish rhythm and cadence<\/p><p>Spanish is a syllable-timed language; that is, unlike English, which is stressed-timed, every syllable has the same length. This, in conjunction with some rolling \u201cr\u201d sounds, is why Spanish sounds like a machine gun.<\/p><p>\u2014 Audio<\/p><ol><li>separate the syllables and pronounce them separately.<\/li><\/ol><p>es\u00b7tu\u00b7diar<\/p><p>Mark the syllables that are stressed (if there is an accent mark, that\u2019s where the stress goes; if there isn\u2019t, you need to remember what we said before about \u201cpalabras llanas\u201d with the stress in the penultimate syllable .<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e6d144f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e6d144f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Rules of intonation in Spanish<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ea2da6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4ea2da6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>\u2022 If the word ends in -s, -n or a vowel, the stress goes in the penultimate syllable.<\/li><\/ul><p>li\u00b7bros<\/p><ul><li>If the word ends in any other consonant (except -s and -n), the stress is in the last syllable.<\/li><\/ul><p>se\u00b7\u00f1or<\/p><ul><li>If the word has an accent mark, the stress goes there.<\/li><\/ul><p>can\u00b7ci\u00f3n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00e1r\u00b7bol<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every language has its own prosody \u2013 the patterns of stress and intonation\u2013. That\u2019s why when we are in a foreign country we can recognise our compatriots by hearing them [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14,15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-159","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spanish-blog","8":"category-education","9":"category-learning-spanish","10":"czr-hentry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions\/164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaortegagarcia.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}