WITHOUT ACCENTA statement word?
Como can mean as/like or I eat, depending on context.
0.4Stress, Accents & Spelling
Lesson 0.4
Spanish spelling tells you where the word leans.
Most words follow two default stress rules. A written accent marks the important exceptions—and sometimes separates meanings.
Stress is structure
A word has a center of gravity.
Stress is the syllable that receives the strongest prominence in a word. Spanish spelling makes that location far more predictable than English spelling does.
If a word ends in a vowel, n, or s, the default stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. If it ends in another consonant, the default falls on the last syllable.
A written accent overrides the default or distinguishes words. The mark is part of the spelling, not an optional sign of emphasis.
Use the ending
The word is casa.
Casa ends in a vowel and has no written accent.
Which syllable receives default stress?
Two defaults and one override
Read the final character before searching for an accent.
First look for a written accent. If one is present, stress that marked vowel. If no accent is present, the ending chooses one of the two defaults.
Vowel, n, or s endings normally stress the next-to-last syllable: casa, examen, hablan. Other consonant endings normally stress the last syllable: hotel, ciudad, profesor.
These rules predict prominence, not syllable boundaries by themselves. Say the full word and let one syllable stand out without stretching every vowel around it.
VOWEL / N / S
next-to-last
CA-sa, EXA-men, HA-blan
OTHER CONSONANT
last
ho-TEL, ciu-DAD, profe-SOR
WRITTEN ACCENT
marked vowel wins
ca-FÉ, MÚ-si-ca, tam-BIÉN
The accent can carry meaning
Some tiny marks separate different words.
WITH ACCENTA question word?
Cómo with an accent introduces how in direct and indirect questions.
Do not remove accents because a keyboard makes them inconvenient. In Spanish, the written form carries information.
Let the accent lead
The word is música.
Which syllable is stressed?
Apply the spelling system
Sort words by the instruction that determines stress.
Place each word under its stress rule.
Build the question
Preserve the meaningful accent.
Build: How are you?
Build the Spanish here
Read the marks
Stress supports a natural exchange.
Listen, then use the spelling to answer.
Which word uses its final consonant to predict last-syllable stress?
Which word has a written accent on its last vowel?
Restore the mark
Type the correctly accented word.
Complete each sentence with the spelling shown in English.
Write the marks
Use three accented words in context.
Write three separate Spanish ideas using cómo, café, and música with their accent marks.
- Use cómo
- Use café
- Use música
- Write three separate ideas
Keep the algorithm
Accent first; ending second.
Look for a written accent. If none appears, use the final letter to predict next-to-last or last-syllable stress.
No accent?
next-to-lastcasa
No accent?
lasthotel
Where is the mark?
marked vowelmúsica
End of lesson
Make the evidence count.
Complete 7 more interactions before finishing.