Spanish for South African Speakers
Your personalised pronunciation map based on the South African English accent. 6% of coached Spanish sounds transfer directly from your accent.
1
Direct Transfer
Sounds you already make
12
Small Adjustment
Close — needs a tweak
3
New Sounds
Focus practice here
Your accent gives you a 6% head start — 1 sounds you already make
Sounds That Transfer Directly (1)
You already make these Spanish sounds in your South African accent. Recognition, not learning.
Sounds That Need Adjustment (12)
Close to sounds in your accent — small modifications will get you there.
Spanish ñ
Spanish ñ /ɲ/ is like 'ny' in 'canyon' as one sound. Press tongue against hard palate, nasal airflow. Words: año, España...
5 pure vowels
South African vowels share some features with RP and Australian. Clip any diphthong glides — Spanish vowels must be pure...
b/v merger
Merge b and v. No v sound in Spanish. If you know Afrikaans, Afrikaans w is closer to [v], but Spanish is the opposite —...
Intervocalic d /ð/
Your 'th' in 'this' is the Spanish intervocalic d. Use it between vowels. Nada = na-tha....
Spanish ll/y
Firm up your y with more palatal friction....
No vowel reduction
Same challenge as RP — SA English reduces unstressed vowels. Spanish requires full quality everywhere. Conscious effort ...
Dental t and d
Move tongue to the teeth. Drop aspiration on t. Same adjustment as other non-dental English accents....
Syllable-timed rhythm
Switch from stress-timed to syllable-timed. Even rhythm, every syllable equal....
Spanish clear l
Spanish L is always clear — tongue tip behind upper teeth, body forward. No dark L. Use the light L from word-initial po...
Intervocalic g /ɣ/
Hard g after pauses and nasals, soft /ɣ/ between vowels. Afrikaans has velar fricatives (the 'g' in 'goed'), which gives...
Rising diphthongs (ie, ue)
Rising diphthongs: start with a quick y/w glide and open into the main vowel, all in one syllable. 'Bien' = y→e, 'bueno'...
Silent h
Spanish h is always silent — drop it completely in every word. 'Hola' = 'ola', 'hacer' = 'acer', 'huevo' = 'uevo'. No ex...
Genuinely New Sounds (3)
No equivalent in South African English. These deserve your focused practice time.
Trilled rr
Like RP, South African English doesn't use taps or trills. Build from scratch. Tongue tip lightly against the alveolar r...
Tapped r (single)
Some South African speakers flap the t in 'butter' — if you do, that's the Spanish tapped r. If not, build it: touch you...
Spanish j/g (jota)
Strengthen your 'h' with friction at the back of the mouth. If you know Afrikaans, the Afrikaans 'g' in some words is th...
Your South African Advantages
th sounds transfer
Afrikaans exposure may help with some sounds
Some vowel similarities
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is Spanish for South African English speakers?▾
What Spanish sounds do South African speakers already make?▾
What are the hardest Spanish sounds for South African speakers?▾
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