Speak Spanish: How focusing on vowel pronunciation can help you sound more fluent

Immerse Insights

• Pronouncing Spanish vowels correctly is crucial if you want to speak fluently.
• Spanish only has 5 vowel sounds - that’s just a fraction of the number English has.
• A helpful tip for pronouncing Spanish vowels is to imagine an upside-down triangle, with different jaw positions required for different vowel sounds.

Do wish you could really sound like a native speaker when you speak Spanish? An easy way to do this is to learn to pronounce Spanish vowels like a native speaker.

Expert Immerse instructor Morgan shows you how to do just that!

Fun Fact about the vowel sounds in Spanish

Spanish only has 5 vowel sounds, one for each vowel letter: A E I O U. (As you can probably imagine, this makes spelling a lot easier in Spanish than it is in English!)

Pronouncing these sounds correctly is crucial for speaking fluently.

Pro Tip

Picture this upside down triangle.

When you say the vowels at the top, i and u, your jaw isn’t open very far

The vowel at the very bottom, a, requires you to really open your jaw - just like when the doctor tells you to say “Ah!”

The vowels closer to the top require a more closed position. Put your finger on your jaw and try saying them along with Morgan.

If you pronounce the vowels across from each other, you'll notice your jaw is in the same position for each of them, and instead your lips and tongue move to produce the sound either towards the front or back of your mouth.

Even when combined in words each vowel still makes its own sound, they just blend together the faster you speak!

Try saying these words slowly and pay attention to how your jaw opens and closes: puerta (door), pierna (leg), poeta (poet), rubia (blonde), reaccionar (to react), curioso (curious).

It’s as simple as that!

Don’t stop here!

Immerse is an award-winning virtual reality Spanish app available on Mac, PC, or Quest 2 where you can join live events, take small-group classes with expert instructors, play games, and practice with AI-powered conversation partners, all from the comfort of your own home.

Want to learn more Spanish in a live class with an expert instructor like Morgan? Sign up for a 14-day free trial and get unlimited access to everything Immerse has to offer!