Sunday, May 24, 2020

Tip of the day: Pronouncing B and V in Spanish

It is surprising to many that the letters B and V sound the same in Spanish. The sound is somewhere in between a B and V in English. In the English B, the two lips come together and actually touch, but with the English V it is the top teeth that touch the bottom lip.

The Spanish B/V is formed by bringing the two lips together until they barely touch at or maybe don't touch at all. We can demonstrate and practice in class. But do note that before a consonant, the B does sound close to an English B:  as in abril, hombre

Since the two sounds are basically identical, it is customary when spelling a word in Spanish to use the qualifiers B-grande (big B) and B-chiquita (little B, or V). Or you can say "B de burro" or "V de vaca"

Please keep in mind there is no fatal error if you use the English "V" sound. You'll still be understood, and that's all that matters.

Here are some additional reading on this:

Spanishdict.com
Thoughtco.com

and here some videos

Butterfly Spanish "The Letters B and V in Spanish"
Pronunciation of the B and V in Spanish

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