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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the Spanish alphabet with 27 letters, including vowels, consonants, special characters like Ñ, accented vowels, and the dieresis. Discover pronunciation rules such as silent H, the pronunciation of LL as "y," and examples like "Árbol," "Casa," and "Perro." Practice common introductory phrases and understand key differences between English and Spanish alphabets.
  1. There are 27 letters in the alphabet.
  2. There are 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 22 consonants.
  3. Accents (á, é, í, ó, ú).
  4. Diaeresis (ü).
A: Árbol (Tree)J: Jugar (Play)R: Ratón (Mouse)
B: Barco (Boat)K: Kiwi (Kiwi)S: Sol (Sun)
C: Casa (House)L: Luna  (Moon )T: Tigre (Tiger)
D: Dado (Dice)M: Manzana (Apple)U: Uva (Grape)
E: Elefante (Elephant)N: Nube (Cloud)V: Vaca (Cow)
F: Flor (Flower)Ñ: Mañana (Tomorrow)W: Wi-fi (Wi-fi)
G: Gato (Cat)O: Oso (Bear)X: Xilófono (Xylophone)
H: Helado (Ice cream)P: Perro (Dog)Y: Yate (Yacht)
I: Isla (Island)Q: Queso (Cheese)Z: Zapato (Shoe)

Exceptions!

  1. The "Ñ" is a unique letter in the Spanish alphabet and is pronounced as "ny". Example: "niño" is pronounced "ninyo".
  2. The "h" is silent in most cases. Example: "hola" is pronounced "ola".
  3. The LL is pronounced like a y. Example: llama is pronounced yama.

Exercise 1: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ¿Cómo te ______?

(What is your ______?)

2. Me ______ Marta.

(My ______ is Marta.)

3. Mi nombre ______ Carlos.

(My name ______ Carlos.)

4. Mucho gusto, ______ Luis.

(Nice to meet you, ______ Luis.)

5. El ______ López es mi profesor.

(Mr. ______ López is my teacher.)

6. Ella se ______ Ana.

(Her name is ______ Ana.)

The Spanish Alphabet: An Introduction

This lesson covers the essentials of the Spanish alphabet, also known as "El alfabeto." It consists of 27 letters, including 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 22 consonants. You'll learn how to pronounce each letter using common example words like Árbol, Casa, and Perro.

Special Characters and Pronunciations

Spanish includes special characters such as accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú) and the dieresis (ü) that affect pronunciation. One unique letter is Ñ, pronounced "ny," as in niño (child), pronounced "ninyo." The letter H is usually silent, so hola sounds like "ola." Additionally, the digraph LL is pronounced like the English "y," for example llama sounds like "yama."

Practical Usage

Mastering the alphabet helps you spell words and introduce yourself confidently. Common phrases you'll practice include ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?), Me llamo Marta (My name is Marta), and Mucho gusto, soy Luis (Nice to meet you, I'm Luis). Understanding these basics is foundational for effective communication in Spanish.

Comparing English and Spanish Alphabets

While English has 26 letters, Spanish adds Ñ and treats some letter pairs like LL as unique sounds. Unlike English, where the letter H is always pronounced, Spanish H is silent in most cases. The use of accents in Spanish marks stressed syllables, changing word meaning and pronunciation—an important difference from English. For example, papa means "potato," while papá means "dad." Paying attention to these subtleties will enhance your learning and speaking skills.

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