Familiar words, Spanish sound
In Spanish the h is never pronounced: el hotel sounds like "o-TEL", el hospital like "os-pi-TAL". And the stress is often on a different syllable than in English: el teléfono, la música, el fútbol. The accent shows you which syllable is stressed.
Typical endings
Many words follow a pattern. Once you know it, you recognise them faster – even new ones:
-tion / -sion becomes -ción / -sión: la información, la estación, la televisión.
-ty becomes -dad: la universidad, la ciudad (city), la nacionalidad.
-ist becomes -ista: el turista, el taxista, el dentista.
Careful: false friends
Some words look familiar but mean something else. You already know la carta as a letter and a menu – not a card. So always check whether the meaning fits the context.
Listening tip
When you listen, international words are like islands: even if you don't understand the rest, hotel, restaurante or concierto quickly show you what it is about.
Examples
- el hotel – el hospital – el teléfono
- la información – la universidad – el turista
- Esta noche hay un concierto en el teatro.