How to use the accent mark correctly?

Question

Respected Teacher,

I have just started leaning Spanish. I have completed some basics but the problem that has become a night mare to me is the use of accent mark correctly. For which I am not feeling confident when ever I am trying to write some lines through my ever loving language. How to over come this? I will be great full to you if you could please give your valuable advise on it.

Thanking you Yours faithfully Sun

Answer 1

Welcome to SD.

The use of accent marks is mostly about putting stress on one of the syllables and sometimes to indicate a different meaning to the word. The reference section has info about stress and accent marks. See if that helps. stress

accents

Answer 2

It simply takes practice, good memory, and a good ear for the sounds of Spanish. When you first learn a new word with an accent, memorize the placement of that accent. For example: lápiz, meaning pencil. Try to remember that the accent is on the a (pronounced with a sharp "ah"). What can also help is if you say the word aloud and and stomp or clap when you say the accented vowel.

I've personally found that this is a helpful method for learning where accents (stresses) are. Eventually, you'll come to the point where you can easily know where an accent mark goes and if a word even has one.

Answer 3

First of all, all words called esdrújulas or sobresdújulas if they wear the stress in the last but two syllable or before respec. wear tilde in this syllable. For example: véndemelo or sílaba. Words called llanas (if wear the stress in the last but one syllable) wear tilde in the stressed syllable if they dont finish in vowel, "n" or "s". For example árbol, fácil, cárcel. And words called agudas (except monosyllables) which wear the stress in the last syllable, wear tilde if they finish in vowel, "n" or "s". For example inglés, marcó, andén...But there are a lot of exceptions and more rules that i cant give you, logically... I give you a link to a website with rules. Sorry about my english if i have made some mistakes. Saludos desde Madrid...link text

Answer 4

Hi Sun, Welcome to the forum!

First you need to be able to put the accent marks on the right letters. You can use the letters in this box down bellow á é í ó ú ñ ¿ ¡ as you type, or you can change your keyboard. At first you may just want to use the box, but the directions for changing the keyboard are in the reference section here.How to type accents

When you start doing it all the time, you will get used to it and you will start to become confident with it.

Good luck with your Spanish studies!

Answer 5

Most of the time, words have accents when the pronunciation of the word differs from the regular pronunciation rules. (I suggest you memorize these)

Additionally, a word can have an accent to distinguish it from another word spelled the same way.

1. de = of
2. dé = give (in the present subjunctive tense)

Accents seem confusing at first, but after you get a hang of how words are pronounced it becomes pretty easy, so don't worry about it.