Lesson 1 – Spanish Alphabet & Pronunciation Rules

Back to: Language Through Sports – Spanish Through Football

SECTION 1 — THE SPANISH ALPHABET (ALFABETO)

English | Spanish

English Explanation	Explicación en Español
Spanish uses the same basic alphabet as English, with a few unique sounds you must learn early.	El español usa el mismo alfabeto básico que el inglés, con algunos sonidos únicos que debes aprender desde el principio.
Mastering these sounds will help you pronounce sports terms, cities, players’ names, and stadiums correctly.	Dominar estos sonidos te ayudará a pronunciar correctamente términos deportivos, ciudades, nombres de jugadores y estadios.
Below is the Spanish alphabet with easy phonetic comparisons using English words.	Abajo está el alfabeto español con comparaciones fonéticas usando palabras en inglés.

El Abecedario — The Alphabet (Conversations Only)

Maestro:
“Hoy vamos a aprender cómo suena cada letra en español. Cuando tú lees en español, todo se pronuncia exactamente como se escribe.”

English:
“Today we’re going to learn how every Spanish letter sounds. When you read Spanish, everything is pronounced exactly as it’s written.”

Maestro:
“La letra A suena ‘ah’, como en agua.
La letra I suena como bee en inglés.
La letra J siempre suena como aire saliendo — jugar, Juan, jalapeño.
La H no suena. Nunca. Hotel, hola, hijo.”

English:
“The letter A sounds like ‘ah,’ like agua.
The letter I sounds like the double ‘ee’ in ‘bee.’
The J always sounds like air blowing — jugar, Juan, jalapeño.
The H is silent. Always. Hotel, hola, hijo.”

Student:
“Entonces… ¿si yo veo una palabra, puedo pronunciarla sin ayuda?”

Maestro:
“Exactamente. Ese es el superpoder del español.”

English:
Student: “So, if I see a word, I can pronounce it without help?”
Teacher: “Exactly. That is Spanish’s superpower.”

Mini-Assignment (Fun/No Grading)

Title: Say the Alphabet Out Loud
Instructions:
“Pronounce the alphabet in Spanish out loud one time.
If you want, share a voice message in our Discord Locker Room!”

(NO submission required)

Lesson 2: Pronunciation Rules Made Easy

Objective: Learn rules for vowels, h, j, ñ, rr, c/g variations.

🟦 Spanish Lines First

“Las vocales son la clave del español.”
“The vowels are the key to Spanish.”

“Siempre suenan igual: a, e, i, o, u.” (a-ah, e-1st e of elephant, i-double e of bee, o-1st o of oreo, u-double o of boo)
“They always sound the same.”

“La ‘h’ es muda.”
“The ‘h’ is ALWAYS silent.”

“La ‘j’ suena como una respiración fuerte.”
“‘J’ sounds like a strong exhale.” (has the english “h” sound)

“La ‘ñ’ es única — como en ‘niño’.” (ny in the word canyon)
“‘Ñ’ is unique — like in ‘niño’.”

Mini Interactive Practice (No Grading)

“Try pronouncing these pairs out loud:

casa / cosa / queso(u before e or i and after g or q is silent unless it has two dots over it)
gato / gente(g before e or i is an english “h” sound)
pero / perro(to roll the double “rr” – tip of tongue behind upper teeth, slightly closed mouth, blow air out through the center of tongue)

Share in the Locker Room if you want. Optional!”

Lesson 3: Alphabet Practice — Real Words

Objective: Identify letters by sound.

Paste dialogue examples:

“Digo ‘fútbol’ — F-U-T-B-O-L.”(Accent rules – When a word ends in a vowel, stress 2nd to the last syllable. If it ends in a consonant, except n or s, stress the last syllable. If stress doesn’t follow these rules, add an accent.)
“I say ‘fútbol’ — F-U-T-B-O-L.”
“Digo ‘equipo’ — E-Q-U-I-P-O.”
“I say ‘equipo’ — E-Q-U-I-P-O.”

Self-Check Quiz (Auto-Graded)

“¿Cómo suena la letra i?”
A) like “ee” in “bee”
B) like “ah”
C) silent
Correct answer: A
“¿La h suena?”
A) Sí
B) No
Correct: B