Practice the voiced stops
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| This is the b sound, this is the d sound, and this is the g sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Horacio, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is b. This is the b sound in bueno "good," beso "kiss," bien "well," and other words. |
| D is the d sound in dedo "finger," día "day," dar "to give," and other words. |
| G is the g sound in gato "cat," grande "big," guante “glove,” and other words. |
| These are called voiced stops, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during articulation. |
| To make the b sound: start by bringing both lips together to block the airflow, creating a build-up of pressure behind them. As you release the lips, add voicing for a smooth, voiced bilabial stop. This is similar to the English b sound in "bat." |
| b |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b |
| b |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b |
| To make the d sound: position the tongue against the upper teeth, blocking the airflow and creating pressure behind the tongue. Then, release the tongue while adding voicing, resulting in a voiced dental stop. In English, d is an alveolar stop, meaning the tongue touches the ridge behind the teeth, but in Spanish, the tongue contacts the teeth directly. |
| d |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d |
| d |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d |
| To make the g sound: raise the back of the tongue to the soft palate, blocking the airflow to build pressure. Release the tongue with voicing to create a voiced velar stop, similar to the English g sound in "go." The sound is generally clear and voiced, without aspiration or extra breathy release. |
| B, d, and g are voiced stops. Unlike /p/, /t/, and /k/, they are pronounced with the vocal cords vibrating during articulation. |
| b, d, g |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b, d, g (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| b, d, g |
| Try to pronounce each sound by adding some vibration to your vocal cords. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| buque/duque |
| "ship"/"duke" |
| (space for repetition) |
| buque/duque |
| "ship"/"duke" |
| barra/garra |
| "bar"/"claw" |
| (space for repetition) |
| barra/garra |
| "bar"/"claw" |
| dama/gama |
| "lady"/"range" |
| (space for repetition) |
| dama/gama |
| "lady"/"range" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| sorbo/sordo |
| "sip, swig"/"deaf" |
| (1) |
| sorbo/sordo |
| "sip, swig"/"deaf" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| bota/gota |
| "boot"/"drop" |
| (1) |
| bota/gota |
| "boot"/"drop" |
| (1) |
| día/guía |
| "day"/"guide" |
| (1) |
| día/guía |
| "day"/"guide" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| El duque de Wellington llegó a bordo de un buque de guerra. |
| "The Duke of Wellington arrived aboard a warship." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| duque, buque |
| No uses más de una gota de aceite en cada bota. |
| "Don't use more than a drop of oil on each boot." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| gota, bota |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| Te pedí un sorbo de agua, ¿acaso estás sordo? |
| "I asked you for a gulp of water, are you deaf?" |
| (3 sec pause) |
| sorbo, sordo |
| En esta tienda se vende una amplia gama de ropa para dama. |
| "In this store, a wide variety of ladies' clothes are sold." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| gama, dama |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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