Spanish for British Speakers
Your personalised pronunciation map based on the British English accent. 8% of coached Spanish sounds transfer directly from your accent.
1
Direct Transfer
Sounds you already make
9
Small Adjustment
Close — needs a tweak
3
New Sounds
Focus practice here
Your accent gives you a 8% head start — 1 sounds you already make
Sounds That Transfer Directly (1)
You already make these Spanish sounds in your British accent. Recognition, not learning.
Sounds That Need Adjustment (9)
Close to sounds in your accent — small modifications will get you there.
Spanish ñ
RP advantage from 'news' (nyooz). Same palatal quality as Spanish ñ....
5 pure vowels
RP vowels are less diphthongised than American, which helps. The main adjustment: clip any remaining diphthong glides on...
b/v merger
Merge b and v. Spanish has no v sound. Use b everywhere — softened to β between vowels....
Intervocalic d /ð/
Your 'th' in 'this' is the Spanish intervocalic d. Use it between vowels....
Spanish ll/y
Strengthen your 'y'. More palatal friction. RP 'y' in 'you' is already fairly firm — push it slightly further....
No vowel reduction
RP reduces unstressed vowels extensively. Spanish requires full vowel quality everywhere. Every syllable matters....
Dental t and d
Move tongue forward to the teeth. RP t/d are alveolar — Spanish needs dental. Also drop aspiration....
Syllable-timed rhythm
Switch from stress-timed to syllable-timed. RP is particularly strongly stress-timed — this requires conscious effort....
Spanish clear l
Keep light l in all positions....
Genuinely New Sounds (3)
No equivalent in British English. These deserve your focused practice time.
Trilled rr
RP has no tap or trill — this is built from scratch. Place your tongue tip lightly against the ridge behind your upper t...
Tapped r (single)
RP doesn't use a tap, so this needs building. Touch your tongue tip very quickly to the ridge behind your upper teeth an...
Spanish j/g (jota)
Intensify your 'h' by narrowing the passage at the back of your mouth. The result is the jota — like German/Scottish 'ch...
Your British Advantages
th sounds transfer perfectly
Relatively pure vowels (less diphthong correction)
Clear consonants
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is Spanish for British English speakers?▾
What Spanish sounds do British speakers already make?▾
What are the hardest Spanish sounds for British speakers?▾
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