FIRST, it is important to understand how to divide a word into SYLLABLES because you will have to identify which syllable is stressed in a word.
- A vowel or diphthong (two vowels pronounced as one sound) is the basis for a syllable: ha-bla, ha-blan, ha-blar, co-li-brí, fá-cil, ca-mión, ló-gi-co.
- A syllable starts with the consonant preceding its vowel, if there is one.
- Except for “ll” and “rr,” and except for any consonant followed by “l” and “r”, two consonants are divided: au-to-rre-pre-sen-ta-ción.
- Strong vowels (a, e, o) can stand alone as a syllable, while weak vowels (i, u) cannot. Consequently:
- A word like leo, with two strong vowels, is two syllables, stressed on the next-to-last syllable: leo.
- When a weak vowel is next to a strong one, that forms a diphthong and therefore one syllable because the weak “melts into” the strong: viene, reino, Mario, guapo, jaula, caigo.
- The two weak vowels together make a diphthong: viudo, cuidado.
Take a quick quiz on syllables.
Now, let’s learn the TWO BASIC RULES. A word without an accent is pronounced with “natural” stress according to these two rules:
- The next-to-last syllable if the word ends in a vowel, n, or s: hablo, hablas, habla, hablan.
- The last syllable if the word ends in a consonant other than n or s: hablar, cicatriz, natural.
Take a quick quiz on the naturally stressed syllable.
WHEN DO YOU NEED A WRITTEN ACCENT MARK?
A word needs a written accent if its pronunciation departs from the above rules. For example: colibrí, fácil, camión, lógico, lápiz.
If the word departs from the two rules above, and the new stress falls on a diphthong, the written accent is on the strong vowel: camión, Jáuregui.
Take a quick quiz: accent or not?
A weak vowel can stand alone as a syllable if it has an accent (í, ú): Mario vs. María, rió vs. río, caigo vs. caída, reunir vs. reúne.
Take a quick quiz on weak vowels (i, u) and accents.
ACCENTS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WORDS. Some short words carry a written accent even though they are not an exception to the two rules. This is to distinguish two meanings of the same word:
- si (if), sí (yes)
- el (the), él (he)
- se (reflexive pronoun), sé (I know)
- te (object pronoun), té (tea)
- mi (my), mí (me, after a preposition–a mí, de mí)
- este (this, adjective form), éste (this one, pronoun)
- de (of, from), dé (subjunctive of verb dar)
- mas (less-used form of “but”), más (more)
Interrogative words carry an accent (¿quién?, ¿qué?, ¿por qué?, ¿cuándo?, ¿dónde?, ¿cuánto?). This is true even when they are imbedded in an indirect question:
- ¿Quién es ese señor? No sé quién es ese señor.
- ¿Qué quieres? Tienes que decirme qué quieres.
- ¿Dónde vive su tío? Voy a averiguar dónde vive su tío.
Now, using all the points covered here, decide which words in this text need accents. The stressed syllables are in bold:
No se si se puede decir que aspecto de la educacion es la mas importante. Para mi es la oportunidad de conocer nuevas culturas, nuevas ideas y nuevos idiomas. Pero, mi padre dice que para el es el desarrollo de una perspectiva critica. Aunque estudies como preparacion profesional, tu te debes abrir los ojos a lo desconocido. Las diferencias (entre religiones, entre etnicidades, entre nacionalidades) no amenazan los valores de uno, sino que hacen que uno piense mas en que significan las propias creencias. Cuando yo estudiaba, habia muchas personas de otros paises, y conoci, y mi compañera de cuarto tambien conocio, a varios extranjeros.