Please don’t fact check me on this…
But here’s something I suspect native speakers of all languages do:
They connect their words.
They don’t always leave a clear boundary from one word to the next.
And the speakers of the language you’re learning?
They are pros at this.
The ends of Spanish words are like the lane lines on the road in Central America: more of a suggestion than a rule.
Instead of a clear ending, one word often rolls into the next.
We do the same thing in English (“Wedo th’samething inEnglish”).
But thanks to all the vowels and S’s, plus the language’s unique rhythm, this happens much more in Spanish.
Add that to the fact that you’re still…
- learning lots of key vocabulary and grammar
- training your ear to hear the sounds of Spanish
- getting used to the choppier rhythm of your new language…
And you’ve got a recipe for frustration.
Because of this linking, you can be years into learning, trying to eavesdrop on the table of Spanish speakers next to you, and understand next to nothing.
So what can we do about that?
Robot. Spanish.
Did you know it’s possible to pronounce everything perfectly in Spanish… and still not sound natural?
Consider the Google Translate voice. It’s getting better… but there’s something unnatural about it.
So, what causes this for robots and Spanish learners alike? Frequently, it’s these word boundaries (or lack thereof).
It’s something nearly every English speaker misses, and it affects both pronunciation and comprehension.
In fact, if you ignore this, your comprehension will lag behind your reading and even speaking skills.
Here’s the oversimplified version:
Whenever possible, words connect to one another — both in formal and informal Spanish.
If you always put clear boundaries between each word, your speech will sound stilted.
And more importantly: if you don’t adapt your ear to this, your comprehension will suffer.
Let’s look at some concrete examples.
te entiendo → tendiendo
Ya lo he hecho → ya loeecho
que está haciendo → kestaciendo
Las amigas hablan español → La.samiga.sabla.nespañol
Unofficially, this happens elsewhere, too. For example:
The softness of the D means it gets de-emphasized or skipped over in fast speech. This can result in things like the following:
todo el día → to’oel día → to’el día
*Here’s an example of this in a slightly longer context. It’s a speaker from Argentina (although this can happen in nearly any accent) courtesy of forvo.com:
paso casi todo el día en casa
Here’s how I suggest practicing:
1. Listen to the examples above while reading. Do you notice how the boundaries between the words disappear?
2. Listen without reading. Can you hear the phrase clearly?
3. Record yourself reading these examples and listen back (mimic as best you can).
4. Listen to your recording and jot down what you notice about your phrases. Are they connecting? Is there a pause or stop between certain words? Does it feel strange or incorrect to speak this way?
*Focus on listening for these connections and repeating them, not worrying about anything else.
Better comprehension and smoother speech
There’s a lot more to this topic (that’s why I dedicated an entire chapter of the Confident Spanish Pronunciation course to it!)
But this is a solid foundation. If you…
- Understand how Spanish words connect
- Practice paying attention to it during your listening practice
Your comprehension will improve dramatically (and your own speech will have a more natural flow).
One of the best ways to practice this is with a video and a transcript. Listen and mark where you notice words connecting, then try to read the transcript aloud in the same way.
Inténtalo y dime cómo te va. Eso es todo por hoy, gracias por leer.
Connor
