RULES FOR THE USE OF THE WRITTEN ACCENT IN SPANISH
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RULES FOR THE USE OF THE WRITTEN ACCENT IN SPANISH The Beauty of Spanish Orthography Spanish is a highly consistent written language. Every word that is written correctly in Spanish can be pronounced correctly, even without knowledge of its meaning, based on orthographic rules. However, it is important to remember that language is spoken first and then written. You must know how a word is pronounced in order to use or omit an accent correctly in Spanish writing. In reading, however, you merely follow the rules. Any exception to the rules will carry a written accent mark. There are no random accent marks in Spanish. The use of any and every accent mark has a justification based on the rules. For more about Spanish orthography click here: Word Study in Biliteracy Classrooms Word Pronunciation Categories Words fall into three categories according to the way they are pronounced: agudas, graves, esdrújulas.. 1. Words that are stressed on the last syllable are called agudas. If an aguda ends in a consonant other than n or s it is written without an accent mark. If an aguda ends in a vowel, or n or s it carries a written accent mark. Unaccented agudas Accented agudas Tapiz almacén Ciudad aquí Professor canción Papel detrás Reloj Está 2. Words that are stressed on the next to the last syllable are called graves (or llanas in some countries). If a grave ends in a vowel or n or s it does not carry a written accent. If a grave ends in a consonant other than n or s it carries a written accent mark. Unaccented graves Accented graves Payaso Angel Orden Débil Largo huésped Clase Lapis 3. Words that are stressed on the third to the last syllable are called esdrújulas. All esdrújula words carry a written accent. All esdrújula words carry a written accent. aéreo artículo católico esdrújula estómago magnífico Diphthongs and Breaking a Diphthong 4. A second use of the accent is to break a diphthong. Diphthongs are formed by combining a strong vowel (a, e, o) with a weak vowel (i, u) or two weak vowels in a single syllable. Examples: seis hacia junio miedo ciudad If a strong and weak vowel appear together but do not form a syllable, the weak vowel carries a written accent to break the diphthong. Examples: maíz día había Raúl río Accents to Distinguish Functions of Homonyms 5. There is a special accent mark called the acento desinencial that is used to distinguish the function of words. It is used in cases of homonyms to distinguish the meaning, or where a pronoun has changed functions. The accent in these cases is placed over the strong vowel of the stressed syllable. Generally in the case of homonyms, the less frequently used meaning will carry the written accent. Unaccented Function (Eng) Word aun even (conjunction) Accented Word aún de dé of (preposition) Function (Eng) yet (adverb) subjunctive form of dar- to give el the (article) él he (pronoun) si if (conjunction) sí yes (interjection) te you (pronoun) té tea (noun) tu your (possessive pronoun) tú you (personal pronoun) mi my (possessive pronoun) but (conjunction used in old Spanish) mí me (direct object) más more (adverb) mas Change of Function of Pronouns 1. este libro (adjective) meaning "this" éste (demonstrative pronoun) meaning "this one" 2. que (relative pronoun) as in "el libro que veo en la mesa" meaning "that" ¿qué? (interrogative pronoun) meaning "what" 3. como (relative pronoun) meaning "as" Ex. "tan grande como un elefante" ¿cómo? (interrogative pronoun) meaning "how" ¿Cómo está usted? As a rule all interrogative pronouns carry a written accent. The Phonetic Function of the Written Accent The examples below show the important phonetic function of the written accent in Spanish. These words are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. Without the written accent mark they could be misread within a text. Two syllable words: Palabras Graves Palabras Aguda sello esta ira baile mudo cerro caso cortes trago lavo selló está irá bailé mudó cerró casó cortés tragó lavó Three and four syllable words: Palabras Esdrújulas ánimo público círculo cántara cálculo célebre práctico término límite depósito partícipe Palabras Graves animo publico circulo cantara calculo celebre practico termino limite deposito participe Palabras Agudas animó publicó circuló cantará calculó celebré practicó terminó limité depositó participé Word Inflection and Accent Marks Changing a word from singular to plural or from masculine to feminine adds a syllable to the word. This may cause the word to lose or add an accent mark. Singular Plural lección lecciones corazón compás razón portugués joven Orden interés examen galán corazones compases razones portugueses jóvenes órdenes intereses exámenes galanes Masculine Feminine francés inglés catalán francesa inglesa catalana PRACTICE Pronounce the following words and categorize them as aguda, grave or esdrújula. Add any accents according to rules 1-4 above. Be prepared to explain the reasons you wrote or did not write an accent on each word. Use a dictionary to check your answers or click here for correct responses. abierto adios alguien almacen arbol bateria buzon caida champu concierto despues diablo dificil ingles lastima miercoles nariz oracion pais perdon platano policia rascacielos razon recamara reservacion rancho sandia semaforo septimo tambien tenedor todavia unico viaje
