Use of Written Accent Marks in Spanish

Use of Written Accent Marks in Spanish

AP Spanish LanguageAccents – StudyVasconcelos - Webb

Use of written accent marks in Spanish

Accent marks are in Spanish for two different purposes:

to indicate where the stress or emphasis falls on a word when it is pronounced,

and to help differentiate between identically spelled words. They are only used over vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú), and are written as a short diagonal line, from upper right to lower left.

A word that is stressed on the last syllable is called AGUDA

A word stressed on the next-to-last syllable is called LLANA

A word stressed on the third-to-last syllable is called ESDRÚJULA

A word stressed on the fourth-to-last syllable is called SOBRESDRÚJULA

  1. The following rules regarding written accents assume you know on which syllable of a word the stress occurs. An accent mark is normally NOT required if:
  2. The word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or n or s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last (or penultimate) syllable. Examples:

camino[ca-MI-no, road, ends in a vowel, and the stress falls on the next-to-the last syllable]

hablan[HA-blan, they speak, ends in an n and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]

muchachas[mu-CHA-chas, girls, ends in an s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]

  1. The word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress falls on the last syllable. Examples:

querer[que-RER, to want, ends in an r and the stress falls on the last syllable]

ciudad[ciu-DAD, city, ends in a d and the stress falls on the last syllable]

  1. A written accent mark IS required if the situation is not as given in the above two rules, that is, when:
  2. The word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or n or s and the stress falls on the last syllable. Examples:

caminó[ca-mi-NÓ, he/she walked ends in a vowel, and the stress falls on the last syllable]

canción[can-CIÓN, song, ends in an n and the stress falls on the last syllable]

verás[ve-RÁS, you will see, ends in an n and the stress falls on the last syllable]

  1. The word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. Examples:

mártir [MÁR-tir, martyr, ends in an r and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]

cárcel[CÁR-cel, jail, ends in an l and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]

  1. The stress falls on any vowel more than two syllables from the end of the word. Examples:

propósito[pro-PÓ-si-to, purpose, is stressed on the third-from-the-last syllable]

dándomelo[DÁN-do-me-lo, giving it to me, is stressed on the fourth-from-the last syllable]

  1. The stress falls on a weak vowel (i or u) which comes immediately before or after a strong vowel (a, e, o). Examples:

día[DÍ-a, day; the stress falls on an i which is immediately followed by an a]

actúo[ac-TÚ-o, I act; the stress falls on a u which is immediately followed by an o]

  1. Note: Unless accented, the letters i and u become semi-consonants when the come in contact with other vowels. Thus, without written accents, the above words would be pronounced dya (one syllable) and AC-tuo (two syllables).

To sum up the above rules:
Does the word end in a, e, i, o, u, n, or s?
  • If the answer is “yes” and it is not stressed on the next-to-the-last syllable, a written accent is required.
  • If the answer is “no” and it is not stressed on the last syllable, a written accent is required.

  1. Accent marks are required on some words to differentiate them from otherwise identically spelled ones. There are three groups of these word pairs; in all cases the more emphatic word of the pair carries the written accent mark
  2. Exclamation and question words are written with a written accent mark; the corresponding relative pronouns or connecting words are not:

¿adónde?(to) where?adonde(to) where

¿cómo?how?comoas, like, because

¿cuál? which?cualwhich, as

¿cuándo?when?cuandowhen

¿cuánto(s)? how much, how many?cuanto(s) as much, as many

¿dónde?where?dondewhere

¿qué?what, how?quewhich, that

¿quién(es)?who, whom?quienwho, whom

Examples:

¿Adónde vas?Where are you going?

¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost?

¡Qué interesante!How interesting!

No sé cómo se llama.I don't know what his/her name is. (indirect question)

Cuando vengan, iremos al parque.When they come, we'll go to the park.

Digo que no es verdad.I say that it isn't true.

La mujer de quien hablas es la jefa. The woman you're talking about is the boss.

  1. Several pairs of monosyllabic (one-syllable) words are similarly distinguished by the presence or absence of accent marks. The word that is more emphatic receives the written accent.

dégive (subjunctive of dar)deof, from

élhe, himelthe

másmore, mostmasbut

mímemimy

séI know (saber), be (ser)sehimself, herself, etc.

síyes, indeedsiif, whether

téteateyou, yourself

túyoutuyour

  1. The demonstrative pronouns (éste, ése, and aquél, this one, that one) generally carry a written accent mark, while the demonstrative adjectives (este, ese, and aquel, this, that) never do. Note also that the neuter pronouns esto, eso, and aquello (this thing, this matter, this business) never take an accent mark since there is no corresponding adjective form.

éste ésta éstos éstasthis one, these

ése ésa ésos ésasthat one, those

aquél aquélla aquéllos aquéllasthat one, those

este esta estos estas this, these

ese esa esos esas that, those

aquel aquella aquellos aquellasthat, those

Examples:

No me gusta esta blusa; prefiero ésa.I don't like this blouse; I prefer that one.

Eso es estraño.That's strange.

  1. Special cases.
  2. When an adverb is formed by adding -mente to the feminine form of an adjective, the accent mark is retained, if the adjective form has one. Examples:

fácil easyfácilmenteeasily

rápidoquickrápidamentequickly

  1. Sólo vs. solo:

Sólo (with an accent)=solamente, only (an adverb)

solo (without an accent mark)=alone (an adjective).

  1. Por qué vs. porque:

Por qué (two words, with an accent mark)=why (question word)

porque (one word, no accent mark)=because

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KNOW YOUR VOWELS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON WORD PRONUNCIATION:

Weak vowelsStrong vowels

u, ia, e, o

Dipthong: a series of two vowels together (either two weak vowels, or a weak vowel and a hard vowel) that together are pronounced as one syllable.

cuan-dotie-nees-cue-laes-tu-dian-te

pi-dió - note that when the strong vowel carries a written accent mark, it is a dipthong

so-lu-ción- note that when the strong vowel carries a written accent mark, it is a dipthong

Hiato (hiatus in English): a series of two vowels (two strong vowels or an accented weak vowel with either a strong vowel or another weak vowel) pronounced as two separate syllables.

dí-aa-e-ro-puer-to

note that a written accent mark on a weak vowel breaks the syllable and forms a hiato

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soft VowelsHard Vowels

e, ia, o, u

ce or ci = sound of “s”ca, co, cu = sound of “k”

cebolla, ceramicaépoca, significado

cielo, conscienciaeconomía, loco

escucha, cuchillo

ge or gi = “h”ga, go, gu = sound of “g” as in “go,” “game,” “gutter”

genteapagar

gigantegordo

imaginalaguna

Practice using accent marks.

Read the following paragraphs and write in the appropriate accent marks.

When you are through, reread the paragraphs to understand these “notas culturales”. After we discuss this in class, keep these notas culturales in your Spanish notebooks. Cultural questions will appear on quizzes and tests! 

Los frijoles, alimento basico de la dieta mexicana, es la misma planta que cultivaron los indios precolombinos de Mexico. Los frijoles se comen en muchos platos en todos los paises hispanoamericanos. En España se llaman judias o alubias. La papa (la patata en España), indigena de America, fue llevada a España y Europa por los conquistadores en el siglo XVI. La palabra es de origen quechua, el idioma hablado por los incas del Peru.

Santiago, capital de Chile, queda a las orillas del rio Mapocho. Tiene hermosos jardines publicos y se puede ver los picos de los Andes desde la ciudad. Fundada por Pedro de Valdivia en 1541, Santiago tiene una universidad del Estado, una universidad Catolica y numerosas instituciones culturales, cientificas y artisticas ademas de una pintoresca zona antigua.

El peso es la moneda de Chile. El peso chileno esta a 435 al dolar americano. Los otros paises latinoamericanos que tienen el peso como moneda son Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia, la Republica Dominicana y Cuba.