Use of the Written Accent
Spanish is a highly consistent written language. Every word that is written correctly in Spanish can be pronounced correctly, even without knowledge of its meaning, based on orthographic rules. However, it is important to remember that language is spoken first and then written. You must know how a word is pronounced in order to use or omit an accent correctly in Spanish writing. In reading, however, you merely follow the rules. Any exception to the rules will carry a written accent mark. There are no random accent marks in Spanish. The use of any and every accent mark has a justification based on the rules.
Word Pronunciation Categories
Words fall into three categories according to the way they are pronounced: agudas, graves, esdrújulas..
1. Words that are stressed on the last syllable are called agudas. If an aguda ends in a consonant other than n or s it is written without an accent mark. If an aguda ends in a vowel, or n or s it carries a written accent mark.
Unaccented agudas Accented agudas
tapiz almacén
ciudad aquí
profesor canción
papel detrás
reloj está
2. Words that are stressed on the next to the last syllable are called "graves" (or llanas in some countries). If a grave ends in a vowel or n or s it does not carry a written accent. If a grave ends in a consonant other than n or s it carries a written accent mark.
Unaccented graves Accented graves
payaso ángel
orden débil
largo huésped
clase lápiz
3. Words that are stressed on the third to the last syllable are called "esdrújulas". All esdrújula words carry a written accent. All esdrújula words carry a written accent.
aéreo esdrújula
artículo estómago
católico magnífico
Diphthongs and Breaking a Diphthong
4. A second use of the accent is to break a diphthong. Diphthongs are formed by combining a strong vowel (a, e, o) with a weak vowel (i, u) or two weak vowels in a single syllable.
Examples:
- seis
- hacia
- junio
- miedo
- ciudad
If a strong and weak vowel appear together but do not form a syllable, the weak vowel carries a written accent to break the diphthong.
Examples:
- maíz
- día
- había
- Raúl
- río
Accents to Distinguish Functions of Homonyms
5. There is a special accent mark called the acento desinencial that is used to distinguish the function of words. It is used in cases of homonyms to distinguish the meaning, or where a pronoun has changed functions. The accent in these cases is placed over the strong vowel of the stressed syllable. Generally in the case of homonyms, the less frequently used meaning will carry the written accent.
Unaccented Word Function (Eng) Accented Word Function (Eng) aun even (conjunction) aún yet (adverb) de of (preposition) dé subj. form of dar el the (article) él he (pronoun) si if (conjunction) sí yes (interjection) te you (pronoun) té tea (noun) tu your (possessive pronoun) tú you (personal pronoun) mi my (possessive pronoun) mí me (direct object) mas but más more (adverb)
Change of Function of Pronouns
1. este libro (adjective) meaning "this"
éste (demonstrative pronoun) meaning "this one"
2. que (relative pronoun) as in "el libro que veo en la mesa" meaning "that"
¿qué? (interrogative pronoun) meaning "what"
3. como (relative pronoun) meaning "as" Ex. "tan grande como un elefante"
¿cómo? (interrogative pronoun) meaning "how" ¿Cómo está usted?
As a rule all interrogative pronouns carry a written accent.
The Phonetic Function of the Written Accent
The examples below show the important phonetic function of the written accent in Spanish. These words are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. Without the written accent mark they could be misread within a text.
Two syllable words:
Palabras Graves Palabras Aguda
sello selló
ésta está
ira irá
baile bailé
mudo mudó
cerro cerró
caso casó
cortes cortés
trago tragó
lavo lavó
Three and four syllable words:
Palabras Esdrújulas Palabras Graves Palabras Agudas
ánimo animo animó
público publico publicó
círculo circulo circuló
cántara cantara cantará
cálculo calculo calculó
célebre celebre celebré
práctico practico practicó
término termino terminó
límite limite limité
depósito deposito depositó
partícipe participe participé
Word Inflection and Accent Marks
Changing a word from singular to plural or from masculine to feminine adds a syllable to the word. This may cause the word to lose or add an accent mark.
Singular Plural
lección lecciones
corazón corazones
compás compases
razón razones
portugués portugueses
joven jóvenes
orden órdenes
interés intereses
examen exámenes
galán galanes
Masculine Feminine
francés francesa
inglés inglesa
catalán catalana
PRACTICE
Pronounce the following words and categorize them as aguda, grave or esdrújula. Add any accents according to rules 1-4 above. Be prepared to explain the reasons you wrote or did not write an accent on each word. Use a dictionary to check your answers.
abierto bateria despues miercoles platano tambien adios buzon diablo nariz policia tenedor alguien caida dificil oracion rascacielos todavia almacen champu ingles pais razon unico arbol concierto lastima perdon recamara viaje rancho sandia semaforo septimo reservacion
Popular Phrase: construir conjugation preterite | Free Online Spanish Lessons | Conjugated Verb: eludir - to evade, to avoid [ click for full conjugation ]