CRASH COURSE IN SPANISH:
If you're going to Magalluf - or anywhere in Majorca - you're not going to need to have a knowledge of detailed Spanish. But it's always worth picking up a few words, just in case you get stranded in the middle of nowhere, like we did one night. So here's our very brief guide to the Spanish language, with a few words to get you started.
The Spanish alphabet is by no means a difficult one to understand, because most of the letters are pronouned the same in both English and Spanish. (If you want a challenge, try Greek!) However, the vowels might take you a while to get used to because, like us, they use double vowels to make new sounds, or diphthongs. So firstly, here's our guide to pronouncing Spanish letters.
A - A is usually pronounced like the A in Armour. But when it is followed by a consonant in the same syllable, it is pronounced like the short A in Bat. When AI or AY are together it is pronounced like the I in Ride, and when AU are written together, it sounds like OW.
B - B is the same as in English
C - C is usually pronounced as in Cat, except for: CE and CI, when you pronounced it as a harsh TH (as in Thin).
CH - As in English
D - Is pronounced the same as in English if it starts a word, or if written as LD or ND. Any other time it is pronounced as a soft TH (as in There).
E - If it's in the middle of a word (a closed syllable) then it's pronounced as in Pet, otherwise you say it like the E in They. An EI or EY together are spoken as in Grey.
F - The same
G - As in English except if it's written as GE or GI, then it's pronounced like the CH in a Scottish Loch.
H - The easiest one... H is ALWAYS silent.
I - Always spoken like EE as in Been
J - Again, like the CH in Loch
K - The same
L - The same
LL - (This is a seperate letter in Spanish). Spoken as 'li' (as in Million).
M - The same
N - The same
Ñ - Pronounced as 'ni' (like in Onion)
O - In the middle of a word, it's spoken as in Hot. Otherwise it's pronounced as in Daddio. OI or OY are spoken as in Toy.
P - The same
Q - The same as K
R - The same, but stick a thrill in if you can.
S - Normally the same as in English, but if it's written as SB, SD, SG, SL, SM or SN it's spoken like a Z.
T - The same
U - As in Oo. It's usually silent after Q or G.
V - Merge a B and a V together for this one.
X - The same
Y - The same as in Yes
Z - Like the Th in Thin.
So, now we've got you started on a few letters, here's some words to test yourselves:
Please
Por Favor Por Fav-Orr
Thanks
Gracias
Grass-E-ass
Morning
Mañana
Man-E-ana
Do you speak English?
No hablar inglés
What Time Is It?
Que hora es
K o-Ra eS
One, Two, Three
Un, Dos, Tres
Four, Five, Six
Cuatro, Cinco, Seis
Seven, Eight, Nine
Siete, Ocho, Neuve
Ten, Hundred, Thousand Diez, Cien, Mil
How Much
?Quando?
Kwand-O
And remember, when writing questions, start the sentence with an upside question mark. Use explanation marks in the same way.