If You Want to Sound Less Like a Gringo
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2022
- If you want Spanish natives to understand you when you speak Spanish, there is one important sound you need to avoid.
This sound is the most common vowel sound in English. And, this means that, unless you have practised avoiding it, this sound might sneak into your Spanish unintentionally in certain words.
In this video, you'll learn:
- All about the sound that causes most Spanish pronunciation issues
- How to avoid this sound
- Several words where this sound is likely to occur so you can practice avoiding them
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Have you noticed the schwa creeping into your own Spanish? Have you tried this equal syllable technique before for avoiding it?
Repita “a, e, i, o, u” con sonidos, (pronunciaciones) de los nativos corto y claro y vamos a tener menos problemas con ese shwaa yo creo. ❤ Yo puse una nota en mi baño pegada al espejo y repetí millas de veces. Ese me ayuda mucho. Soy gringo de
USA. Suerte amigos. Incluye ese frase entera: a, e, i, o, u… el burrito sabe más que tú… todos los vocales están incluyes y la r doble es algo que puede practicar con esa frase. ❤
Great explanation. I think the problem is that people do not listen carefully enough and also do not learn to pronounce the spanish alphabet correctly. I found many you tube videos (for children) which teach it very well.
Picture you’re speaking to a Native Spanish speaker speaking English. They say “I love cows and pigs” they would say “I love cows and peegs” You may still understand it but you know something is off. But then there’s words like “sit” and “seat” that by making that “ee” sound, it changes the meaning. Things actually change meanings in our language when you change that vowel sound, so imagine what native English speakers sound like to them! It’s very important :)
Thanks for sharing Beau! 😊 These are good examples. And, you're exactly right! When we introduce the schwa sound, it is often like the "sit" vs "seat" example, it can change the meaning of a word or create a new word that doesn't exist in Spanish.
Lmao.... they know wtf we're saying...
Imagine if we nitpicked at their accents while speaking English. We suffer through their broken English... and have to be nice about it. Phuck this.
You may possibly be the best teacher ever
Thank you for the kind words!! 😊 I really appreciate it!
It's so helpful to hear the incorrect and correct examples side by side. I can tell I've been making some mistakes. Gonna practice this technique!
Great, thanks Liam!! 😊
This is profound. Thank you so much for pointing this out. Americans put the "uh" sound in everything. We even pronounce the three "a" letters in "Panama" three different ways (with an "uh") in the middle, which must be confounding to Panamanians. We have so much to learn. This is a wonderful start.
Yes, absolutely!! Great example with "Panama". In Spanish, we need these 3 a's to sound the same. Thanks for sharing 😊
Im pretty sure they bring their native language habits to English words too.... lmao. This schit really kills me. The double standard is amazing. When you hear a Spanish speaker speaking English with all kinds of spanish inflection....tell them how confounding it is!!
@@narlywaves2371 This isn't about that. This is about our accent. The man is trying to teach us something. I'm sure some Spanish speakers, accent and all, have English teachers, too.
@@the-birdman-of-panama 🤦
You might wanna work on English comprehension too. Lmao.
I know it's about US. I decided to point out the double standard!! Everyone is hard on English speakers ...but, non native English speakers are given a pass for speaking English with their native habits ...and we must understand them and not correct it or we'll get called racist....but, in order to master a foreign language as an English we must be perfect.....why is that..? Try thinking for a change.....
@@narlywaves2371 Oh no, fellow traveler, the idea wasn't perfection. Just getting the hang of one thing we do. Just learning one thing from one lesson. You are free to abstain, of course. It's all good. 🙂
Wow ...tengo años de estudiar inglés y hasta ahora escucho un gringo que habla Español como un latino... interesante. Buen canal!
Another helpful and concise lesson.
Being Scottish, we have different vowel sounds from other English speaking countries which helps in Spanish. Similarly, the various "r/rr" sounds come a bit more naturally as does the gutteral "j" like in "loch".
It almost makes up for nobody else being able to understand us. 😂🏴
Hahaha, thanks for sharing Raymond!! My grandma was born and raised in Scotland, so I heard it a lot as a child. I think it's possibly why I was always able to roll my r's. So, you're right, Scottish has some consonant advantages but the schwa still occurs in Scottish English, so you will still careful to avoid it in your Spanish. 😊
This is a great lesson so clearly explained and spoken so that I could actually hear the difference between the incorrect English pronunciation and the correct Spanish one. It has never been clearer. I think that only a native English speaking teacher could have done this lesson. It seems like my native Spanish speaking tutor can't even make the schwa sound!
Thanks for the feedback Todd!! 😊 Yes, you're right that this video might have been hard for a Spanish native to make since the schwa doesn't exist in Spanish. I didn't think about that prior to making the video, I was just thinking about the most common pronunciation mistakes that we hear, which of course involves the schwa since it's so common in English. Thanks for sharing!! 🙏
Wow the mystery of why gringos sound like that, it’s the schwa! I always wondered. Your videos are awesome, and your pronunciation of the Spanish words was perfect. UA-cam recommended your channel (who knows why) and your videos are so high quality that here I am watching and commenting 😊.
I'm a perfectionist. Since teaching myself Spanish many, many years ago, I've always taken great care in pronouncing each syllable as correctly as possible. I've noticed since the very beginning that enunciating in Spanish is much stricter with enunciating than English is. Native English speakers have a propensity toward being lazy when it comes to pronouncing words and the sounds of words can vary greatly depending on which region we live in. However, in Spanish the pronunciation of each syllable is more correctly spoken and stressed across the board, no matter which region or which Spanish speaking country they live in, with few exceptions.
I live in San Diego, not too far from the Mexican border and I have a friend with whom I speak Spanish about 98% of the time. Her English isn't very good at all, so we stick to Spanish.
I remember about a year ago I was listening to someone else speaking Spanish (native speaker) and many times she'd get lazy on the vowels and wasn't stressing the syllables as well as she could have. I asked my Mexican friend about this and she said it could have been a simple matter of how much she was willing to stress and enunciate. I guess she wasn't that willing! LOL!
For the most part, I do agree with you, but there are exceptions.
I remember over 20 years ago I asked a native Spanish speaker what it felt like to speak English. She said it felt like she had a piece of candy in her mouth. In other words, she was addressing the fact that each syllable of every word in Spanish is spoken deliberately and with an open mouth. English is not spoken like that at all. In fact, if you think about it, English would sound a bit weird if every syllable and vowel were stressed because we have so many vowels that are pronounced differently depending on the word AND there are even some words where certain syllables are silent. For example, take the word 'Comfortable'. Most people say 'Comfterble'. A few do say every syllable in that word, but when they do, it sounds weird to me. Also, it's hard for me to understand many non-native English speakers when they take care to enunciate absolutely correctly every syllable and sound in English words. It's similar to French. Like English, French has so many letters and whole syllables that aren't pronounced. It would sound unrecognizable to speak it phonetically.
Once I conducted my own experiment with myself at home. I read a passage out loud in a book where my mouth was barely open, not putting any stress on the vowels or syllables. Incredibly, I had no problem enunciating the words. Native English speakers don't take this into account when speaking any foreign language, let alone Spanish, and will often speak in that nearly closed mouth manner. Not that open mouthed manner that exaggerates the sounds in Spanish.
Youre a phucking dope...
You really non native English speakers speak with their native accents rights! And they expect us to still hire them with their heavy accents and understand them. Lmao. Youre so naive.
There are a few words in Spanish that we, native speakers, tend to mumble speaking fast. For example, some people would mumble the word "vamos" and shorten the word "para" in the phrase : "Vamos para ...", ot would sound like "Vao pa'..."
Once I said I wanted “vodka con nar-an-huh” and the bartender said she wouldn’t give it to me until I said “nar-an-ja” (without the schwa at the end). The same happened in a hotel when I asked for a “plan-chuh”…they were so confused. Then they made me repeat “plan-cha” a bunch of times to erase my schwa from the last syllable. This was such an important video because almost no other online Spanish teachers talk about this. I would also say that the “colored R” and turning Ts to Ds confuses native speakers when listening to non-natives (like in American English when we say “waDeRRR boDDle” instead of waTer boTTle). We often make these sounds in Spanish and it is soooo Gringo-sounding lol.
When I hear native Spanish speakers speak naturally and quickly, they slur all their syllables together a bit (the same way we do). My struggle comes when trying to speak faster because I tend to fall into the schwa trap. I'll try to keep this in mind as I attempt to speed up as I learn more. Thank you.
Thanks Amy! Yes, I often hear this with Spanish students. When we try to go faster, we start to introduce the schwa sound. I recommend that students set their upper speed limit at the point that schwa's start to come into their Spanish. Then, if you want to go faster, you need to carefully notice what natives do, which is actually a little bit different to how we speed up in English. In Spanish, words do come together and sounds do get dropped but it's usually the consonants that disappear whereas in English, it's the vowels that tend to disappear.
Super helpful video! It's so easy to let those schwas creep in if you're not paying attention.
Yes, definitely Ken!! It's really common and easy to do when we're not practicing intentionally. Thanks for the comment! 😊
Very helpful-minor adjustments for big results!!!!
I have been studying a TEFL course online and when they first were talking about the schwa I was very confused. I kept asking my husband and daughter to pronounce english words for me. It's almost like it's so prevalent you don't even acknowledge it as a sound.
I'm so glad that my mother language Indonesian pronounces words as is just like Spanish. The schwa that you mentioned here does not happen at all when I try to talk in Spanish.
Excellent. I find myself using a shwa sound when I'm unsure of the correct final vowel! A very similar mistake for beginners is using the short English "i" in place of the sharp Spanish "i". One way to remember to say that "i" correctly is to remember all those parodies of Hispanic speakers in English: "I weel keel you!"
BEST tip ever! Hugely useful. Thanks so much for this. Such a tiny detail, such an enormous impact. Gracias un montón!
I watch your channel daily and I am so grateful for the work you do!
The technique you use in this tutorial is perfect for me. Love the repetition because of the WAY you do it! Great video, gracias.
Este me explotó la cabeza
I gave this one a like and have listened to it several times. The first time I listened it was hard for me to hear the difference between the correct and incorrect version of some of these examples words.
You have hit the nail on the head with pronunciation mistake that I make all the time. This is a lesson I need to listen to often and practice a lot.
Thanks for all the hard work you put into these lessons and for the knowledge you share.
Thanks for the feedback Eric! 🙏 It's a good point that this is sometimes hard to hear since in English, we can substitute vowel sounds in words (e.g. "tomato vs tomato", "data vs data" etc.). We are accustomed to swapping a schwa for other vowels sounds, so we have to really focus to hear it in isolation and then practice using the more open sounding Spanish a.
The cheat sheet I usually write up for my friends is a good one to keep in mind (might not be helpful for all though)
A as in the U in but
E as in bed
I as in in
O as in normal
U as in the O's in book
This is valid in Australia, but obviously we have our own accent for these words that might not be consistent in other English speaking countries (or even states of countries) but could be substituted with words with similar sounds as the Spanish vowels... Hope this is helpful and not confusing? 😅👍
@@Azasef gracias por la ayuda.
Had noted this in my Spanish all the time like in "minus" vs te echo de "menos". Didn't realize there was an actual name to this and it could occur across so many English vowels! Thanks for the video, very informative!
'Eso es' just begs Anglophones to schwa it. The number of times I say 'Esuh'.....
Also I find it more tempting when words closely resemble English words 'Rapido' for example. The Spanish 'i' is often replaced with a schwa sound when I say it.
Yes, absolutely!! Thanks for sharing Steven!! 🙏
In addition to being slightly longer and louder, the stressed syllable is at a slightly higher pitch (in both languages).
Perfect timing because I've recently heard myself doing this and was hoping it wasn't noticeable to my Spanish friends. I now know better---it likely is noticeable to them and I need to correct it!
Gracias!
One of the places where you hear English speakers putting a shwa instead of the "a" sound is right there -- ¡Gracias!
Give yourself a break. Phuck them. Why do WE have to speak others languages perfectly....but, ESL ppl are given so much grace and passes not speaking with a flawless English accent. It's bs they dont understand us if we're not perfect... they want to discourage us from learning by constantly making you feel like if isnt flawless you cant be understood. And you fell for it.
This video is so helpful. Thank you.
I'm glad it was helpful! 😊
Yup…that’s my problem..thank you for the detailed explanation 👍🏻
I just did an English phonics lesson about the schwa with my youngest - perfect timing! I would not have thought about that lazy sound, but I'm so sure I do schwa syllables in Spanish words, oops.
Yes, it's easy to include the schwa's when we're not being careful! 😊
Él ha hablado. Él ha habla’o. This was from my experience in el Perú.
That type of dropping of an ending D is only typical of southern Spain, the Canary Islands, and American countries with some afro influence like Cuba, D Republic, Venezuela, and Panamá. However, is atypical in formal Spanish anywhere! Try to stick to the correct pronunciation so it becomes a good habit in you!
Wow… very clear explanation!!
Excellent lesson! Gracias!
Thanks for the help!!!
Very Good video! You did your homework.
I am very proud of my high School Spanish teacher of some 55 years ago, Mr. Peter (Pedro) Stites, who emphasized correct Spanish pronunciation to the point that I believe none of us have ever fallen into the schwa trap in our Spanish. A more correct pronunciation of the Spanish "r" sound, however, came to me later, as a result of trying to imitate English RP pronunciation of words like "very" by substituting "d" for "r" when rapidly sung the lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Excelente! Muchas Gracias!
Nice take on the mispronounced vowel issue that most non native Spanish speakers have. The first (and sadly sometimes my only 😅) lesson I usually give is to basically pronounce all the vowel sounds consistently. As a foundation it feels like this is the right thing to do as the use of vowels in English especially are so inconsistent. The other important lessons are in the r and rr and the also the d sounds. English speakers tend to hold their tongue further back on their palette causing the soft sounding R or the more percussive sounding d... You've probably covered all this before, sorry if it feels like I'm correcting... I'm just just sharing my insights! Great lesson! I'm forwarding it on to my band members! 😅👍 Muchas gracias por los vídeos!
Este video es muy bueno. Mil gracias. Usted es un buen maestro.
¡Muchas gracias! 🙏
I do this so very often, when speaking spanish with my wife or her mother. It's a little ridiculous how often I forget about this. XD
Excellent video
Thank you for the feedback!! 🙏
Mind. Blown.
Interesting. I realized while watching this that I don't have this issue at all because mi familia spoke Spanish around me a lot while I was little, so I seem to pronounce things very naturally and correctly. I also pronounce words a little differently in English too as a result, I realize now; for example, I pronounce water like... Wahtur. But everyone outside my family here says wooder, because the 'schwa' crept in without them realizing. They're saying wuhter! It's the schwa! What's most curious to me is that my natural affinity for Spanish has actually made my English clearer as a result... Although when I'm really tired, I start having a Southern accent, probably because of the people I'm around most these days. The more I listened in this video the more I realized I never got these things wrong and it's very likely because of my unique background; mi padre es de Puerto Rico y mi tia era una maestra de Español por años. I've been brushing up on the language recently so I can be more fluent in both languages and found your videos. Thanks for a sudden bit of enlightenment!
Would appreciate a vid on the g of gato versus the ɣ sound of agua!
La lluvia en España mayormente caen sobre la pradera.
Funny thing is that in Portuguese the example you gave for "amar" actually sounds pretty natural. When the /a/ occurs before a stressed syllable it becomes a schwa. Interesting and great video lesson!
Thanks Eli, I don't know any Portuguese but it's really interesting to hear the schwa occurs in that language!! 😊
One if the most difficult words for me to pronounce in Spanish is “refrigerador “ and now I realize why! It’s all schwas in my world!
Recently I noticed that I pronounced ”rápido” with the “a” sounding like the “a” in “rapid.”
Great pick up Larry!! 👍 Yes, you're right, this is another sound that we need to avoid in Spanish. The "a" in "hat", "bat", "cat", "that" and "rapid" etc, doesn't usually occur in Spanish. I know of one region in Spain where it occurs, but mostly, we won't find this sound throughout the Spanish speaking world.
@@realfastspanish
Thanks.
I’ve heard Spanish teaching videos in which the the “a” in “rápido” sounds like the “a” in “rapid.” While the speaker of Spanish was fluent, I couldn’t tell if they were native speakers or not. They didn’t say. I suspect they grew up speaking both English and Spanish together. I don’t know.
¡ This was an excellent lesson ! Have you done one on how the Spanish 'e' can have a different sound depending on where it is in the word?
What!!?? I'm a native spanish speaker and I've never heard or seen any of what you're saying and I find this absolutely interesting. Could you please tell me some words where that happens?
@@GlennSV The word 'este' , for example. The first 'e' sounds different to me than the second. But you are the native speaker!
@@BobC777 Oh I see. Well, both 'e' sound equal, the only difference is their intonation. In 'este', the first 'e' sound slightly louder. Although, that happens with all vowels. There's always one vowel that sounds louder in every single word. Thanks for your reply, I was really curious.
I think we say "about" around different ways in Georgia (usa)😅
Muy interesante
¡Muchas gracias Charlie! 😊
great video
Thanks Logan! 😊
Los gringos en latinoamerica con muy queridos LMAO
¡Ay, eso es! So many students do NOT hear themselves saying the schwa because it is so hard-wired into their English speaking brain pattern.
Thanks for the comment Marilyn! Yes, when learning a new language, it can be tricky to break the wiring of our first language. But, with some good-quality practice, we absolutely can train new patterns!! 😊
In short, pronounce every letter in Spanish like a separate syllable.
Yes, if that helps you avoid the dreaded schwa!! 😊
I'm learning Spanish using English, but my native language is Russian. I wonder what Spanish natives would think of my accent? I bet it's quite confusing
The R is the hardest for them gringos
Tengo suerte porque inglés no es mi idioma nativo y por eso no tengo ese problema.
Schwaaaaaat! nice lesson
Thanks 😊
¿Notas una vibración y como un sonido metálico en tu voz en español? La verdad es que no sé cómo lo haces.
Podrían ser sonidos nasales. El Español es todo es de garganta. Analiza tu video con un hispanohablante y dime si lo nota también. Saludos.
Usually I like your presentations.
This current one could have been different.
Too academic. Not practical enough.
I wish you had pronounced each significant Spanish word 10 times in a row. Thus by the 10th time our brain would have assimilated the correct pronunciation painlessly
Car you remark this lesson?
Thank you
Put simply, the schwa just doesn't exist in Spanish 🤣😂
It's interesting how we have to speak perfect spanish.... but, nobody tells ESL people to have a perfect English accent.