Putting Accents on Spanish Words
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This is a short, practical guide to putting accents on Spanish words. It may not cover every accented word in the Spanish language - there are good grammar books which discuss all of the peculiarities and exotic incidences - but rather will help you put accents on the words as you do your normal writing, whether it be for school, business or your private life. Here are the basics, which can be summed up in three rules and one concept:
Important Basic Concept
The basis for the written accent is where the SPOKEN accent falls.
First Rule
If the word ends in a vowel, an 'n' or an 's', and the spoken accent falls on the next to last syllable, then the word does NOT have a written accent. This applies to the vast majority of Spanish words. Examples
libro - libros / patata - patatas / hablo - hablas - hablamos - hablan
Second Rule
If the word does NOT end in a vowel, an 'n' or an 's', and the spoken accent falls on the last syllable, the word does NOT have a written accent. Examples:
All Infinitives: hablar, comer, vivir, esperar, comprar, pedir, etc. azul, intensidad, mayor, universidad, farol, cristal, robot, convoy, pared, amor
Third Rule
Everything that doesn't fit into the two rules above gets a written accent where the spoken accent falls. Examples:
1. Ends in a vowel, 'n' or 's' and the spoken accent does NOT fall on the next to last syllable:
habló, hablarás, hablarán, mirón, catalán, Canadá, dígamelo, química, nación, estación, órdenes
2. Does not end in a vowel, 'n' or 's' and the spoken accent does NOT fall on the last syllable:
fácil, álbum, difícil, síntesis, fútbol, lápiz, cáncer, inútil, azúcar
One Other Situation
What is described above is related to pronunciation and writing. Once you become familiar with these concepts, you can actually put accents on Spanish words as you write, just as you dot your i's or cross your t's when you write English. But there is one other situation where the words get a written accent in Spanish: two words written the having the same letters but with different meanings. Here's a list of the most common ones:
| de = of / from | dé = from verb 'dar' | ||
| el = the | él = he | ||
| que = that | ¿qué? = what? (all interrogatives have accents) | ||
| mas = but | más = more | ||
| se = reflexive pronoun | sé = I know | ||
| si = if | sí = yes | ||
| solo = alone | sólo = only | ||
| te = to you | té = tea | ||
| tu = your | tú = you |
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