Stress mark rules
Many students think that they must memorize when a word needs a stress mark (acento/tilde), but there are a few simple rules that if followed, will allow you to determine if a word needs a stress mark, and if so, on which vowel. There are, of course, exceptions, but these rules will be very useful anyway.
Words are divided into syllables, for instance, the word carro (car) has two syllables: ca and rro, and the phonetic emphasis is on the second to the last (from right to left) syllable ca. This word is what we refer to as palabra (word) grave; and for all words that are grave, these are the rules:
- 1) if the word ends in n, s or a vowel, we do not put a stress mark on any vowel. Example: carro. Another example is alberca (swimming pool) - this word has three syllables: al, ber and ca; the phonetic emphasis is on the second to the last syllable ber, making this a palabra grave; and since the word ends in a vowel, according to our rule, we do not write a stress mark on any of its syllables.
If the phonetic emphasis is on the last syllable, we refer to the word as palabra aguda ; and for every word that is aguda, these are the rules:
- 1) if the word ends in n, s or a vowel, we put a stress mark on the last vowel (the vowel in the last syllable). Example: jabón (soap) - this word has two syllables: ja and bón, and the phonetic emphasis is on the last syllable bon; therefore, according to our rule, the o gets a stress mark (jabón). NOTE: In one syllable words (palabras monosílabas) such as pan(bread), we don'twrite a stress mark, but there are exceptions, such as when the word is one that has different meanings; example: whether we write a stress mark on the word "el" depends on its meaning: if it means "he," we write a stress mark as in "él se acaba de ir" (he just left) but if it means "the" (used for male nouns), we do not write a stress mark like in "el carro" (the car).
- 2) if the word ends in a letter other than n, s or a vowel, we do not put a stress mark on any vowel. For example: tamal - this word has two syllables: ta and mal, and the phonetic emphasis is on the last syllable (mal); therefore, according to our rule, the word tamal does not need a stress mark. Please note that the word tamal (the food) does not have an "e" at the end, even if you might have seen it spelled that way in U.S restaurants.
If the phonetic emphasis is on the third to the last (or higher) syllable, we refer to the word as palabra esdrújula ; and for every word that is esdrújula, this is the rule:
- - We always write a stress mark on the third to the last (or higher) syllable of all the words which are esdrújula. Example: cámara - this word has three syllables: ca, ma and ra, and the phonetic emphasis is on the third to the last syllable ca; therefore, according to our rule, we write a stress mark to get cámara. Another example: the word esdrújula has 4 syllables: es, dru, ju and la, and the phonetic emphasis is on the third to the last syllable dru; therefore, according to our rule, we write a stress mark on dru to get esdrújula.
Diéresis
Diéresis are two dots that we place on the vowel u to give a different sound to a syllable. For example, the word güero (blonde male) has a diéresis on the u to change the sound of the syllable gue. Recall that the letter g sounds the same way as the letter j in Spanish when it is followed by the vowels e or i, and that to modify the sound in these situations, we insert the u after the g. But doing this only makes the g have the same sound as in the word "gato" and the u is silent. To make the u sound count, we put the diéresis on the u as in the word güero.
y/e (and) usage
In Spanish, to say and, we use the word y but there is one exception: when the word that follows the "and" begins with an i, we do not use y but e to say and. Example: Octavio es lento e inepto. (Octavio is slow and inept).
o/u (or) usage
In Spanish, to say or, we use the word o but there is one exception: when the word that follows the "or" begins with an o, we do not use o to mean or and instead use u. Example: Me gustaría estudiar Medicina u Odontología. (I would like to study Medicine or Odontology). Another example: Llévate uno u otro. (Take one or the other).