01A/a/
casa
houseOpen your mouth comfortably. Keep the tongue relaxed and central.
Watch for: Do not turn it into the moving vowel in English day.
Audio transcript: a. casa. a. casa.
Phase 1 · Lesson 02 · A0
Spanish Vowels: Sounds and Pronunciation
Spanish gives you five dependable vowel targets. Learn where to place your mouth, hear each sound in a real word, and keep it steady from start to finish.
Your one clear goal
Pronounce five vowels clearly in five simple words.
At the finish, you will say casa, mesa, vino, foto, andluna with a recognizable Spanish vowel in each target position.
TodaySingle vowel sounds and mouth position.LaterConsonants, written stress, diphthongs, and accent marks.
Interactive check
Retrieve the vowel letters
Use what you remember from lesson 1. This quick check prepares your eyes and mouth for the new sounds.
Show answer key
- A · E · I · O · U — Exactly. Spanish uses the five vowel letters A, E, I, O, and U.
- Your mouth and tongue position — Yes. Each vowel has its own stable mouth and tongue position.
The five sound targets
Let the spelling tell you where your mouth should go.
The symbols in slashes are optional pronunciation labels. More important: copy the mouth cue, listen twice, and repeat the vowel plus its example word twice. English comparisons are only rough starting points, never exact replacements.
02E/e/
mesa
tableBring the tongue slightly forward. The jaw is less open than for A.
Watch for: Stop before the extra y-like movement in English say.
Audio transcript: e. mesa. e. mesa.
03I/i/
vino
wineRaise the front of the tongue and spread the lips gently.
Watch for: Use one clean sound, similar to machine, without adding y afterward.
Audio transcript: i. vino. i. vino.
04O/o/
foto
photoRound the lips and keep the tongue toward the back of the mouth.
Watch for: Do not slide toward oo as many English speakers do in go.
Audio transcript: o. foto. o. foto.
05U/u/
luna
moonRound the lips more and raise the back of the tongue.
Watch for: Begin directly with the vowel; do not add the y sound in English you.
Audio transcript: u. luna. u. luna.
The high-value habit
Hold one sound instead of gliding into another.
In many varieties of English, a vowel such as the one in say orgo moves while you pronounce it. For this beginner target, keep each Spanish vowel clear and comparatively uniform. Your jaw and tongue arrive, hold briefly, and stop there.
Spanish targetE
One position: mesa
Habit to noticeE → Y
An extra destination after E
Activity 3 · Controlled practice
Keep M still. Change only the vowel.
The consonant stays the same, so your attention can stay on the five vowel positions. Listen, repeat the row, then say it once without the audio.
mamemimomu
Audio transcript: ma, me, mi, mo, mu.
- 01Repeat slowly and keep every vowel equally clear.
- 02Repeat backward: mu, mo, mi, me, ma.
- 03Cover the row and produce all five from memory.
Activity 4 · Listening discrimination
Which vowel completes the syllable?
Each clip contains M plus one vowel. Listen before looking at the choices.
Audio 1
Audio transcript: me.
Audio 2
Audio transcript: mi.
Audio 3
Audio transcript: mu.
Interactive check
Identify E, I, and U by ear
Replay a clip whenever you need it. Immediate feedback explains the sound target.
Show answer key
- E — me — You heard me. The middle vowel is the clear Spanish E.
- I — mi — You heard mi. Keep I high and forward in the mouth.
- U — mu — You heard mu. U uses the most rounded lips in this set.
Common English-speaker slips
Notice the movement before you try to remove it.
- 01
Adding a second sound
Keep E and O steady. If the tongue travels at the end, reset and make the vowel shorter.
- 02
Beginning U with Y
Spanish U starts with rounded lips. Say u, not English “you.”
- 03
Weakening an unstressed vowel
Do not replace a quiet vowel with an English “uh.” Keep both vowels audible in mesa and luna.
- 04
Chasing a perfect accent
A stable, recognizable target matters more today than tiny regional or phonetic differences.
Activity 5 · Final performance
Say five words with five intentional vowels.
Play the model once. Then pause, say the five words from the cards, and play it again to compare. Focus on the first vowel shown in red; the other vowels should stay clear too.
Audio transcript: casa, mesa, vino, foto, luna.
casamesavinofotoluna
Three things to keep
Your Spanish vowel summary
- Spanish beginner pronunciation uses five core vowel targets: A, E, I, O, and U.
- Each target stays comparatively uniform instead of gliding toward another sound.
- I and E are forward; O and U are back and rounded; A is the most open.
Review tomorrow: say ma, me, mi, mo, mu, then the five model words without audio.
Sources used for this lesson
- Instituto Cervantes: A1–A2 pronunciation inventory — the five vowel qualities, articulatory positions, and clear, non-diphthongized beginner targets.
- Instituto Cervantes: A1–A2 spelling inventory — correspondence between A, E, I, O, U and the five vowel phonemes.
- RAE and ASALE: vowel sequences in Spanish — distinction between single-vowel syllables and later topics such as diphthongs and hiatuses.