Practice the fricatives
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| This is the f sound, and this is the s sound. 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. |
| First is f. This is the f sound in familia "family," fuego "fire," flor "flower," and other words. |
| S is the s sound in sol "sun," seis "six," sí "yes," and other words. |
| These two are known as fricatives, consonant sounds made by forcing air through a narrow gap between two parts of the mouth. |
| To make the f sound: place your upper teeth gently against your lower lip. Then, exhale air forcefully through the narrow gap between them. This is similar to the f sound in the English word "fish." |
| f |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f |
| f |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f |
| To make the s sound: raise the tip of your tongue towards the ridge behind your upper front teeth, creating a narrow passage. Then, force air through this narrow gap, producing a hissing sound. |
| s |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s |
| s |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s |
| The difference is quite self-evident |
| f is pronounced with the lower lip and upper teeth. |
| S is pronounced with the tongue near the alveolar ridge. |
| F and s are voiceless fricatives, so try to pronounce them without vibrating your vocal cords. |
| f, s |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f, s (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| f, s |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| falsa/salsa |
| "false"/"sauce" |
| (space for repetition) |
| falsa/salsa |
| "false"/"sauce" |
| fiesta/siesta |
| "party"/"a nap" |
| (space for repetition) |
| fiesta/siesta |
| "party"/"a nap" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| fama/sama |
| "fame"/"a type of fish" |
| (1) |
| fama/sama |
| "fame"/"a type of fish" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| fuerte/suerte |
| "strong"/"luck" |
| (1) |
| fuerte/suerte |
| "strong"/"luck" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| ¡Falsa alarma! Todavía tenemos salsa. |
| "False alarm! We still have salsa left." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| falsa, salsa |
| Necesito tomar una siesta antes de ir a la fiesta. |
| "I need to take a nap before going to the party." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| siesta, fiesta |
| La mala suerte en la vida te hace ser fuerte. |
| "Bad luck in life makes you strong." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| suerte, fuerte |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| Ponerle salsa a todo genera una falsa sensación de estar comiendo comida mexicana. |
| "Dressing everything with sauce generates a false sense of having Mexican food." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| salsa, falsa |
| No necesito un abrigo fino, sino uno grueso. |
| "I don't need a thin coat, but a thick one." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| fino, sino |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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