Summary: Martín Ventola's 3 rules to remember about Spanish vowels: They are short sounds They are "pure" sounds They start and end differently from English vowels. Visit Martin's blog, Spanish Pronunciation 101, for a detailed description of the correct pronunciation of Spanish vowels. Vowel A : In Spanish, the "a" is similar in sound to the "a" in the English word "start." ala, casa, mala, masa, lana, sala, sana Qué bonita es la casa blanca. Vowel E: leche, cheque, sesenta, elefante En enero, tenemos mucha nieve. Vowel I: The Spanish "i" sounds like the "ee" sound in the English word "fleece" mi, si, ni, fin, Lima, policía, bicicleta Fui al cine con mis amigos. Vowel O: no, oso, ocho, chocó, coco, mono, solo Los ojos oscuros son bonitos. Vowel U: Spanish "u" equivalent to the "oo" sound in the English words, "too" and "goose." uno, humo, tubo, nunca, futuro, multa Hubo un culo en el tubo. (A little bathroom humor here. :P) Extra credit: A trabalenguas (tongue twister) in Spanish: A, E, I, O, U: El burro sabe más que tú. :) Previous podcasts in this series are: Intro to Spanish pronunciation English Consonant sounds that don't exist in Spanish Spanish Consonants
