pronouncing the Spanish word "hay"
I have listened to the SD translator several times, for the Spanish word "hay".
I'm a beginner Spanish student. I thought I had learned that "h" is almost always silent in Spanish words, correct?
However, to my ears, the translator seems to be saying either a "p" sound or a soft "b" sound at the beginning of this word.
In this translation, what I am hearing sounds like the English word "pie". Am I hearing this correctly?
Gracias!
7 Answers
You never say the "h." In spanish there is always an english word you can use to help you figure out how to say it. Like Mariana said: eye is the exact same way Hay sounds in spanish! Once you get the gist of it, it's a breeze. Yo estoy en la clase de espanol 2B en la esculea!
No, the "h" is never pronouced. It should sound like a short, clipped version of the English "eye."
However, to my ears, the translator seems to be saying either a "p" sound or a soft "b" sound at the beginning of this word.
I haven't heard the recording, but there should be no such sounds in this word, as you said.
It should sound like a short, clipped version of the English "eye."
I don't think it is short or clipped. The pronunciations of "hay" and "eye" are pretty close, except for the final sound for the letter "y" (which here sounds like the Spanish "i") is pronounced with the tongue slightly more advanced (front) and elevated (closed) than in English, producing a slightly higher pitch sound. In other words, the last sound is the sound of the Spanish letter I, which in English can be heard only in long vowels, like "ee" in "see".
aye aye captain!
In our dictionary the word "hay" is shown = to "there are" ??
and the audios are reversed. English person saying "hay" and Spanish person saying "there are" ??
I wonder if there are any more of these mix ups.
Here is a link to a useful sight where you can hear a couple of voice recordings by native speakers:
This might help. "Hay" means "there is". It evolved from two words "ha ahí", which literally means "there is over there... " The two words became one for the first time when they evoled into "hahí". Then it became "haí". That still looks and sounds weird, and since "ha ahí" would be used together frequently, there needed to be an easier way to say the two. Finally, "haí" became "hay". Let's notice that in the previous versions, the accent was on the "i", but now, the "i" is not even there. We strees the "a" the most in "hay", so try saying "aye" "aye" captain. Try holding the "a" just a LITTLE bit longer. "ahhh". "ahye" "ahye" captain. Hope this helps. 
