Lesson 2
First Sentences from Familiar Words
Core concept: English has ~3,000 Latin words we can convert to Spanish. Spanish is basically modern Latin.
Rule 1: English words ending -al → same in Spanish, stress the last syllable.
Spanish vowels — always consistent, always as written:
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a = /ah/ (as in "father")
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e = /eh/ (as in "elephant")
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i = /ee/ (as in "ink")
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o = /oh/ (as in "go")
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u = /oo/ (as in "boot")
New vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| es | is / he is / she is / it is / you (formal) are |
| no | no / not / don't |
| diente | tooth (related to "dental") |
| verbo | verb |
Convertible -al words practiced
normal, metal, legal, ilegal, liberal, natural, ideal, fatal, natal, colonial, cultural, anual, dental, festival, personal, total, verbal
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Es normal. | It's normal. |
| Es legal. | It's legal. |
| Es ilegal. | It's illegal. |
| Es liberal. | He is liberal. |
| Es natural. | It's natural. |
| No es. | It is not. |
| No es normal. | It's not normal. |
| Es ideal. | It's ideal. |
| No es ideal. | It's not ideal. |
Key notes
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Pronounce vowels exactly as written. Spanish does not use the vague English "uh" sounds.
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S in Spanish stays /s/, not the /z/ sound English speakers often slip into.
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Cultural stays exactly as written; do not insert an extra English-style sound.
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Anual drops the English glide in annual.
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Dental points you toward diente (tooth), and verbal points you toward verbo.