Module 1: Introduction to Spanish

Welcome to Vida Antigua’s: Introduction to Spanish, the foundation of your Spanish language journey. In this module, you’ll start building essential skills by learning the Spanish alphabet, basic pronunciation rules, and numbers from 1 to 20. These building blocks are crucial for understanding and speaking Spanish with clarity and confidence.

By the end of this module, you will:

Master the Spanish alphabet and pronunciation, giving you the tools to read and spell words correctly.
Learn numbers from 1 to 20, enabling you to count, discuss quantities, and understand basic numerical concepts.
Build a solid base for progressing to more complex vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills.

This module is ideal for beginners and anyone looking to strengthen their fundamental knowledge of Spanish. Are you ready to start your Spanish language journey? Vamos!

Lesson 1: The Basics of Spanish

The Spanish Alphabet

The Spanish alphabet is similar to the English alphabet, with just a few additional letters. Learning the correct pronunciation of each letter is essential for proper speaking and understanding. Here’s the Spanish alphabet with pronunciation tips:

A (ah)

B (beh)

C (seh)

D (deh)

E (eh)

F (efe)

G (heh)

H (ah-cheh)

I (ee)

J (ho-tah)

K (kah)

L (eleh)

M (emeh)

N (eneh)

Ñ (enyeh)

O (oh)

P (peh)

Q (koo)

R (ereh)

S (eseh)

T (teh)

U (oo)

V (veh)

W (doble-veh)

X (eh-kees)

Y (yee)

Z (seh-tah)

Pronunciation Guide

Spanish pronunciation is generally consistent compared to English. Some key rules to remember:

Vowels:

A: pronounced like “ah” (as in “father”)
E: pronounced like “eh” (as in “bet”)
I: pronounced like “ee” (as in “see”)
O: pronounced like “oh” (as in “go”)
U: pronounced like “oo” (as in “food”)

Here are some Spanish words that have several vowels to help you practice their correct pronunciation:

Cafetería (kah-feh-teh-REE-ah) – cafeteria
Educación (eh-doo-kah-SEE-on) – education
Cooperativa (koh-oh-peh-rah-TEE-vah) – cooperative
Autorizar (ah-toh-ree-SAH-r) – to authorize
Vocalizar (boh-kah-LEE-sahr) – to vocalize
Prioritario (pee-oh-ree-toh-RAH-ree-oh) – priority
Universo (oo-nee-VEHR-soh) – universe
Harmonía (ahhr-moh-NEE-ah) – harmony
Melodía (meh-LOH-dee-ah) – melody
Audiencia (ah-DEE-ehn-see-ah) – audience
Elegancia (eh-leh-GAHN-see-ah) – elegance
Energía (eh-NEHR-hee-ah) – energy
Experiencia (eh-speh-REE-ehn-see-ah) – experience
Cooperación (koh-oh-peh-rah-SEE-on) – cooperation
Investigación (ees-tee-vees-tah-SEE-on) – investigation
Alternativa (ahl-tehr-NAH-tee-vah) – alternative

Consonants:

C before “e” or “i” sounds like “th” (in Spain) or “s” (in Latin America), but before other vowels, it’s like “k.”
G before “e” or “i” sounds like a soft “h,” while before other vowels, it’s a hard “g.”
H used in word in silent. For example, Hola.
J used in a word is pronounced like a hard “H” for example Jefe.
LL used in a word is pronounced like a “Y”, for example Tortilla.
Ñ used in a word is pronounced like the “ny” sound in the English word “canyon”. For example, Español.
Q used in a word is pronounced like a “K”, for example, Que.
RR used in word is pronounced using a strong, rolled, or trilled R. For example, Perro.
V used in a word is pronounced like a “B”. For example, Vaso.

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter “H”,

Haber (AH-behr) – to have (the auxiliary verb to form compound tenses)
Hacer (AH-sehr) – to do or to make
Hasta (HAH-stah) – until / up to
Hombre (OH-m-breh) – man
Hermano (ehr-MAH-noh) -brother

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter “J”,

Jabón (hah-BON) – soap
Jardín (hahr-DEEN) – garden
Joven (hoh-BEHN) – young
Jugar (hoo-GAH-r) – to play
Justicia (hoo-STEE-see-ah) – justice

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter “LL”,

Llamar (yah-MAHR) – to call
LLave (yah-VAY) – key
LLenar (yeh-nahr) – to fill
Llorar (yoh-RAHR) – to cry
Caballero (kah-bah-YEH-roh) – gentleman

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter “Ñ”,

Niño (NEE-nyoh) – boy
Mañana (mah-NYAH-nah) – tomorrow
Piña (PEE-nyah) – pineapple
Año (AH-nyoh) – year
Baño (BAH-nyoh) – bathroom

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter “Q”,

Querer (KAY-rehr)
Quiero (KEY-eh-roh)
Quedar (KAY-dahr)
Quemar (KAY-mahr)
Quetzal (KAY-tzal)

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter RR”,

Carro (KAH-rroh) – car
Torre (TOH-reh) -tower
Correr (koh-REHR) – to run
Carrera (kah-REH-rah) – career
Carril (kah-REEL) – track

Note: The rolled “r” sound is a distinctive feature of Spanish pronunciation. The key to pronouncing the “rr” sound is to roll your tongue quickly, keeping it close to the gum.

Here are some additional examples for words using the letter V”,

Valor (bah-LOOR) – courage, value, honor
Volver (bohl-BEHR) – to return
Vacación (bah-kah-SEE-on) – vacation
Verdad (bayr-DAH) – truth
Voz (bohs) – voice

Expanding on the letters C and G

As we mentioned above, the letter C before “e” or “i” sounds like the letter “S’ and uses the Cecilia rule. Some examples of this would be:

Ciudad (see-oo-DAH-d) – City
Cine (SEE-neh) – Cinema
Celebración (seh-leh-brah-SEE-on) – Celebration

However, if the letter C comes before other vowels, then it would be pronounced like a “K”. Here are some examples:

Casa (KAH-sah) – house
Comida (koh-MEE-dah) – food
Coche (KOH-cheh) – car
Caminar (kah-mee-NAHR) – to walk
Corazón (koh-rah-THOHN) – heart
Computadora (kohm-poo-tah-DOH-rah) – computer
Colección (koh-lehk-SEE-on) – collection
Conversación (kohn-vehr-sah-SEE-on) – conversation
Canción (kahn-SEE-on) – song
Clima (KLEE-mah) – climate
Cómodo (KOH-moh-thoh) – comfortable
Cuidado (kwee-DAH-thoh) – care
Cultura (kool-TOO-rah) – culture
Comunicación (koh-moo-nee-kah-SEE-on) – communication
Conocer (koh-noh-SEHR) – to know
Crear (KREH-ahr) – to believe
Calidad (kah-lee-DAH-d) – quality

For the letter G, before the letters ¨e¨ or “i”, it’s pronounced like a soft “H”. Here are some examples:

Gente (HEHN-teh) – people
Generoso (heh-neh-ROH-soh) – generous
Gigante (hee-GAHN-teh) – giant
Género (HEH-neh-roh) – gender
Genial (heh-NEE-ahl) – great, excellent, wonderful

However, G before other vowels, it’s pronounced like a hard “G”. Here are some examples:

Gato (GAH-toh) – cat
Gobierno (BEE-ehr-noh) – government
Golpe (GOHL-peh) – blow or shock
Gordo (GOHR-thoh) – fat
Granja (GRAHN-hah) – farm
Gracias (GRAH-see-ahs) – thank you
Grande (GRAHN-deh) – big
Gregario (GREH-gah-ree-oh) – gregarious
Guapo (GWAh-poh) – handsome
Guerra (GWHEH-rah) – war
Glaciar (GLAH-see-ahr) – glacier
Globo (GLOH-boh) – globe
Gabinete (GAH-bee-NEH-teh) – cabinet
Galaxia (GAH-lah-HEE-ah) – galaxy

Lesson 2: Numbers

Here is the pronunciation for the numbers 1-10 in Spanish:

1 – Uno (oo-noh)
2 – Dos (dohs)
3 – Tres (tres)
4 – Cuatro (kwah-troh)
5 – Cinco (seen-koh)
6 – Seis (says)
7 – Siete (syeh-teh)
8 – Ocho (oh-choh)
9 – Nueve (noo-eh-veh)
10 – Diez (dyehs)

Here is the pronunciation for the numbers 11-20 in Spanish:

11 – Once (ohn-seh)
12 – Doce (doh-seh)
13 – Trece (treh-seh)
14 – Catorce (kah-tohr-seh)
15 – Quince (keen-seh)
16 – Dieciséis (dyeh-see-says)
17 – Diecisiete (dyeh-see-syeh-teh)
18 – Dieciocho (dyeh-see-oh-choh)
19 – Diecinueve (dyeh-see-noo-eh-veh)
20 – Veinte (beyn-teh)

Lesson 3: Time

Telling Time in Spanish

¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Es la una. – It’s 1:00. (Used for 1:00 only)
Son las dos. – It’s 2:00. (Used for all other hours)
To ask about minutes: ¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Es la una y media. – It’s 1:30.
Son las tres y cuarto. – It’s 3:15. (Quarter past)
Son las cinco menos cuarto. – It’s 4:45. (Quarter to)

Days of the Week

Lunes – Monday
Martes – Tuesday
Miércoles – Wednesday
Jueves – Thursday
Viernes – Friday
Sábado – Saturday
Domingo – Sunday

Months of the Year

Enero – January
Febrero – February
Marzo – March
Abril – April
Mayo – May
Junio – June
Julio – July
Agosto – August
Septiembre – September
Octubre – October
Noviembre – November
Diciembre – December

The 4 Seasons

Primavera – Spring
Verano – Summer
Otoño – Autumn/Fall
Invierno – Winter

End of Module 1: Review

Mastered the basic Spanish alphabet and pronunciation rules
Learned essential greetings and polite expressions
Gained foundational knowledge of numbers 1-2o, time, days, months, and seasons