What is a "hiato"?

Question

I know that two weak vowels or a weak and a strong vowel form a dipthong. What do two strong vowels form? Is this a "hiato"? What do a strong vowel and a weak vowel with an accent mark on top of the weak vowel form? Is this called a "quiebradiptongo"? Is a "quiebradiptongo" a "hiato" also? Thank you for your attention.

Answer 1

Two strong vowels form two syllables (or the vowels for two syllables). I don't know if that's called a hiatus (hiato). When a weak vowel carries a tilde (accent) it becomes a strong vowel, so a strong vowel and an accented weak vowel become the vowels for two separate syllables. I can't answer the rest of your question with any assurance of being correct, but the "quiebradiptongo" looks like "broken dipthong" which makes sense in this context.

Thank you for your answer. I am aware of what you wrote. When I learned this in high school, my teacher taught them as quiebradiptongos if the weak vowel had the tilde. However, since now the vowel do separate, does it turn into a hiato also or does a - Palacio, FEB 15, 2010

Answer 2

"Diptongos":

• ai
• ei
• oi
• au
• eu
• ou
• ia
• ie
• io
• ua
• ue
• uo

"Hiatos":

• ae
• ao
• ea
• eo
• oa
• oe
• ía
• íe
• ío
• úa
• úe
• úo
• aí
• eí
• oí
• aú
• eú
• oú
• ií
• uú

Answer 3

I found in my text book that they are vowels that are next to each other that are in separate syllables.

[mi-o] [te-a-tro] [ka-er]

Answer 4

This whole discussion is over my head. Trying to learn Spanish has revealed to me that even though I speak and write English at a professional level, I don't know enough about grammar.

Answer 5

Diptongo - a weak vowel and a strong vowel together in the same sylllable
Hiato - in one word when two vowels are together (Two strong, one weak with a tilde and a string, or two weak both having a tilde) in separate syllables

Not quiteª It should be a stressed weak vowel and a strong one. - lazarus1907, NOV 29, 2010

Answer 6

a hiato have to be composed of two strong vowels?

No. It can be any vowel, provided that one of them is stressed. - lazarus1907, NOV 29, 2010