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What the most difficult word to pronunce for you in Spanish?

What the most difficult word to pronunce for you in Spanish?

15
votes

What's the most diffcult word to pronunce for you in the language you're learning (Spanish or English). Mine: turn, arms, advantage, challenge, society, throat, marriage...

And the words you like the most? : sweetheart, baby, open-minded...

Why are you learning Spanish/English? and What was the reason what you started to learn ir? Because I've always loved English, I like how it sounds, and It's one of the most beautiful languages of the world smile

25216 views
updated Apr 27, 2017
posted by NeNuN
A good one:) - Brynleigh, Aug 26, 2010

26 Answers

6
votes

I have trouble saying "huevos revueltos"...I sound like an American tourist with horrendous Spanish pronunciation!

The word I like the most is "desafortunadamente."

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by --Mariana--
desafortunadamente!!! a long word!! - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
I have trobuble spelling that one, that I always use Por desgracia. - BellaMargarita, Aug 26, 2010
"Desafortunadamente" is not even in the DRAE. In the past we only used to say "por desgracia" instead. - lazarus1907, Aug 27, 2010
5
votes

My problem word can be retrasado, depending on what it follows in a sentence.

Van a estar retrasados makes my tongue give up on the last R sometimes.

One of my favorite words is bienaventurado

1¡Cuán bienaventurado es el hombre que no anda en el consejo de los impíos, ni se detiene en el camino de los pecadores, ni se sienta en la silla de los escarnecedores,

2sino que en la ley del SEÑOR está su deleite, y en su ley medita de día y de noche!

3Será como árbol firmemente plantado junto a corrientes de agua, que da su fruto a su tiempo, y su hoja no se marchita; en todo lo que hace, prospera..

Salma 1:1-3

updated Apr 27, 2017
posted by Goyo
mmm interesting ;) - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
Hi,how are you? I like your profile and i will like to be your friend, please try to reach me through my email. (azitamohammedi@gmail.com) i am not always on line here. - Mohammed221, Apr 27, 2017
5
votes

Some of the words that have frustrated me:

  1. Euro. This is easy to say in English: YUR-o, but in Spanish it is more like aye-UR-o. Because it is written the same, it tripped me up. Plus, with that extra syllable and what seemed like too many vowel sounds, it was hard for me. I'd stand there terrified, wondering which vowel sound to start with. I've got it now.
  2. IKEA. Same deal. eye-KEY-ah in English. ee-KAY-ah in Spanish. If you ask someone in Madrid where the nearest eye-KEY-ah is, they will look at you with a blank stare. Every living soul in the city knows where the ee-KAY-ah is, though.
  3. Kilometro. ki-LO-me-tro. It was just too close and too far away from the English kilometer. Moving that r messed me up bad for a long time. I've got it now.
  4. Fácil. I know, I know...this is an easy one, but not for me. Every single time I say it in Spanish class, I get the accent wrong and my teacher corrects me. It's been about a thousand times. Now I'm starting to catch it. This is apparently a common mistake with English speakers. Facil: not so easy. The joke is on us!
  5. Arroz. I frustrated my mother-law-to no end with my pronunciation of this beloved food, pronouncing it something like a-rose. Lucky for her, she passed away, so my pronunciation can no longer torture her (unless she can hear me in heaven -- but then it wouldn't be heaven).
  6. While we are on the double r, perro and pero were tough for me. My last teacher helped me with my blockage, though, because she always exaggerated first syllable in the "pero" in her stories as she dragged out the vowel sound in the first syllable when she said PEEEEA-ro. I'm not writing it like it sounds, but I've got this one, too, now.

There are more. That's enough for now.

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by JoyceM
That first you wrote trips me up too. - BellaMargarita, Aug 26, 2010
Kilómetro. - Eddy, Aug 26, 2010
Clearly I have a tilde/accent issue. - JoyceM, Aug 27, 2010
Funny enough, the original pronunciation of the Swedish company IKEA is like in Spanish, not in English. - lazarus1907, Aug 27, 2010
some ¨Spanish old people say eruo instead of euro, it's difficult jeje - NeNuN, Aug 28, 2010
Is it really said ee-KAY-ah? I would have guessed ee-KEH-ah. - MacFadden, Aug 28, 2010
4
votes

Películas and veterinaria are nightmares for me.

My favourite word is "ñoñerías".

I don't know why I started to study Spanish, but I'm glad I did!

updated Sep 25, 2010
edited by --Jen--
posted by --Jen--
Remember VETERINARIA hasn't accent, with accent it sounds different. Ñoñerias is a funny word :) - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
Thanks jeje, I should have remembered that, I learned veterinaria wrong to start with, and I get it wrong everytime now :(. - --Jen--, Aug 26, 2010
Hi Jen! - sanlee, Sep 19, 2010
4
votes

Difficult to pronounce: Place names taken from Nahuatl, such as Popocatepetl

One of my favorite words: cacahuate. Just say it. You might giggle.

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by wenc3
Yes, that is a giggle, jeje :) - Brynleigh, Aug 26, 2010
4
votes

My accent is really bad, so all Spanish words are hard for me. The funniest misunderstanding so far was when I ordered patacones con queso and the waitress thought I said maricones con queso. Based on my experience so far, mande is the most common word in the Spanish language.

updated Aug 26, 2010
posted by lorenzo9
amusing. we all been there :) - Silvia, Aug 26, 2010
3
votes

Just in case anyone can't think of words they have trouble pronouncing, see some Spanish Tongue Twisters

Here's some more, with English translations included: Trabalenguas - Tongue twisters in Spanish

updated Sep 16, 2010
edited by pesta
posted by pesta
oh yes, but I don't have problems with Spanish, because I'm Spaniard :) - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
3
votes

Hola NeNuN

Una de mis palabras favoritas es tatuaje. Veo que es una favorita de tu perfil también.

La palabra que me daba la más dificultad fue "otorrinolaringólogo".

updated Aug 29, 2010
posted by Eddy
Oh what a beautiful dog! I have one like this but in black!Yes, I love tatuajes :) Corrections: La palabra que más dificultad me daba OR la palabra que me daba más dificultad :) - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
Otorrinolaringólogo is dificult for Spanish speakers too jejeje - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
3
votes

I don't know.. since I started to speak in Spanish, it's everytime harder to remind and pronounce those soft English R's... cheese I get confused all the time!

updated Aug 26, 2010
posted by swing
hahaha very funny! - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
2
votes

caducado I screwed that up today for some reason, maybe the vowel sounds.

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by lagartijaverde
really??mmm - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
Cacadado - perhaps. :) - ian-hill, Aug 28, 2010
2
votes

For me llorar is difficult to pronounce.

My favorite word is sacapuntas (pencil sharpener) - it is amusing to hear.

I think Spanish is one of the most beautiful languages. I like how it sounds and the spelling and grammer are for the most part refreshing.

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by wansell
really?sacapuntas?? surprising... - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
tjat "ll" sound not easy! - Silvia, Aug 26, 2010
2
votes

For me te most difficult thing was saying Creo que quiero.... but now, while speaking I totally forget about the letter j ... I pronunciate it as if it were h in english unless i pay attention.. grin for example ... por ejemplo ....

In english if I try to speak british english, everything is difficult! grin

Neither english nor spanish is my mother tongue but I do love them! I'm going to be a translater between spanish-english although I am Turkish grin

updated Aug 26, 2010
posted by culé
Sure you will - NeNuN, Aug 26, 2010
1
vote

Hola todas,

At the moment, my favourite word is : mantequilla de cacahuete (peanut butter) I think it sounds lively.

One that I find most difficult to pronounce is: yerbabuena (peppermint) I think it may be the the b sounds that are tripping me up.

An easy one to pronounce is el muffin. Spanish Speaking Muffin Pictures, Images and Photos

updated Aug 21, 2012
posted by Brynleigh
That's funny, I love to say "yerbabuena." However, in Spain where I live they call it "menta." - JoyceM, Aug 27, 2010
Menta - that is beautiful and so much easier for me to say. I wonder if I could use menta elsewhere. - Brynleigh, Aug 27, 2010
menta y yerbabuena doesn't mean the same - NeNuN, Aug 28, 2010
hahaha i'm sorry, all of you are wrong. in spanish hiervabuena means hiervabuena, menta is different and peppermint in spanish is "pimienta", I'm a native speaker so if you have some questions, ask me, and please if I make any mistake in english please - Vicco2232, Aug 21, 2012
please let me know it ^_^ - Vicco2232, Aug 21, 2012
I'm learning english. lol ^_^ - Vicco2232, Aug 21, 2012
1
vote

Refrigeradora. It's just so hard to say smoothly...so many tricky sounds in one word.

updated Aug 28, 2010
edited by TheSilentHero
posted by TheSilentHero
I don't think "refrigeradora" is the most correct word for the thing. In Spain they call it a nevera. Maybe that will help you. - JoyceM, Aug 27, 2010
yes this word hardly ever use - NeNuN, Aug 28, 2010
Great news :) - TheSilentHero, Aug 28, 2010
1
vote

Unos restaurantes, tienes razón, muchos regalos

Cuando hay una "s" al final de una palabra y la siguiente empieza con "r". Totalmente imposible.

Empecé a aprender español porque me gusta mucho Penélope Cruz asi que cuando la conozca, podré hablarla en su lengua materna. ¡Sencillo! LOL

updated Aug 28, 2010
posted by patch