Learn to distinguish voiceless stops vs voiced stops
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| Pata bata |
| Taza daza |
| Boga, boca |
| Do they sound the same to you? No worries! |
| By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Horacio, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| In Lesson 5, we've learned p, t, k, |
| and in Lesson 6, we've looked at b, d, g. |
| Do you remember the key difference between the two groups of sounds? |
| Listen carefully |
| p, t, k |
| [1 sec pause] |
| b, d, g (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p, t, k |
| [1 sec pause] |
| b, d, g (enunciated) |
| The difference lies in voicing. |
| P, t, k are voiceless, meaning the vocal cords do not vibrate during articulation. |
| B, d, g are voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during articulation. |
| We'll go through some examples to make it clearer. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| pata/bata |
| "paw"/"robe" |
| (space for repetition) |
| pata/bata |
| "paw"/"robe" |
| viento/viendo |
| "wind"/"seeing" |
| (space for repetition) |
| viento/viendo |
| "wind"/"seeing" |
| casa/gasa |
| "house"/"gauze" |
| (space for repetition) |
| casa/gasa |
| "house"/"gauze" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| paso/vaso |
| "step"/"cup, glass" |
| (1) |
| paso/vaso |
| "step"/"cup, glass" |
| (1) |
| todo/dodo |
| "all"/"a bird" |
| (1) |
| todo/dodo |
| "all"/"a bird" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| corra/gorra |
| "run"/"cap" |
| (1) |
| corra/gorra |
| "run"/"cap" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| De acuerdo con la receta, el siguiente paso es añadir un vaso de vino. |
| "According to the recipe, the next step is adding a cup of wine." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| paso, vaso |
| Mi bata tiene una mancha con forma de pata de gato. |
| "My robe has a stain shaped like a cat's paw." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| bata, pata |
| Estamos viendo como el viento mueve las ramas. |
| "We are watching how the wind makes the branches sway." |
| viendo, viento |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focussing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| Todo el mundo sabe que el dodo es un ave extinta. |
| "Everybody knows the dodo is an extinct bird." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| todo, dobo |
| Cuando estés en tu casa, coloca una gasa limpia sobre la herida. |
| "Once you're home, put a clean gauze over the wound." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| casa, gasa |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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| 30+ Spanish PDF Cheat Sheets… |
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| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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