Spanish Grammar

ALPHABET.

A (_a_) G (_ge_) M (_eme_) Rr (_erre_)B (_be_) H (_hache_) N (_ene_) S (_ese_)C (_ce_) I (_i_) N (_ene_) T (_te_)Ch (_che_) J (_jota_) O (_o_) U (_u_)D (_de_) K (_ka_) P (_pe_) V (_ve_)E (_e_) L (_ele_) Q (_cu_) X (_equis_)F (_efe_) Ll (_elle_) R (_ere_) Y (_y griega_ or _ye_)Z (_zeta_)
K (_ka_) and W (_doble ve_) are only found in foreign wordsused in Spanish.

PRONUNCIATION OF VOWELS.

_a_ as English a in f_a_ther_e_[1] " a " f_a_te[2]_i_ " i " magaz_i_ne_o_[1] " o " n_o_te[2]_u_ " u " r_u_le

These five sounds _never_ vary, except that they are a little longerwhen they are stressed and shorter when they are not, as Yo amo (Ilove),[3] Amigo (friend), El cielo (heaven), Celeste (heavenly), Unrecibo (a receipt), Interes (interest), Yo como (I eat), Contar (tocount), Un buque (a ship), Una butaca (an armchair).

_Y_ is considered a vowel in the conjunction _y_ (and), and at the endof a word, as Rey (king), Hoy (to-day).

[Footnote 1: _E_ and _o_ are sounded a little more open when they forma diphthong with _i_ and when they precede _r_ followed by a consonantor _r_ or _l_ final, as Fernando (Ferdinand), Un tercio (a third), Eltercer ano (the third year), Porfiar (to insist), Amor (love), Espanol(Spanish).]

[Footnote 2: The _a_ and _o_ of "fate" and "note" are not _pure vowelsounds_. In English the a is distinctly pronounced a-ee and o ispronounced o-oo.

In Spanish the first part _only_ of the two sounds is permissible.]

[Footnote 3: The examples given with their English equivalents should belearnt.