Accents on letters

Question

Hi All,

Just starting to seriously learn Spanish. Just wondering what methods people use when writing Spanish to type accents on letters as the English keyboard does not have them. (Windows character map is probably not a good idea)

Some sort of virtual keyboard perhaps? - I realize when entering on these forums we have the box at the bottom that allows you to click on the letter you require, but im thinking of when not on this site.

Cheers Ian

Answer 1

One of our members, Vikingo, created his own small computer programme for making all the Spanish accented letters, inverted question marks (¿), and inverted exclamation marks (¡) and other characters. I understand the program works on desktop computers. It also works on laptop computers using Windows as an operationg system.

Here is what Vikingo had to say about his programme:

Run this ... . Vikingo's "Spanish.exe" You'll have your characters available within 10 seconds from clicking the link. It doesn't require any slideshows or instructional videos, though there is a help screen that pops up when the program starts. Type your Spanish letters by using the windows key + the letter in question (like win+e for é, or win+q for ¿), or press ctrl+space for a menu where you can choose all kinds of international characters. So ctrl+space and then x will give you ¡.

Here is the "Windows" key Vikingo refers to. On a windows keyboard, it is located to the left (and sometimes also to the right) of the spacebar. It is the key between " Ctrl" and "Alt".

I have used it for over two years. It is simple and easy and I've added it to my startup list so it is seamlessly in place every time I re-start my comouter. Pay attention to the opening prompt which asks if you want to use the shortcut keys. Read over the very brief instructions and perhaps make a note of them for your first couple of times you use them. After that it is a real "piece of cake".

If you want to use this program, remember to 'Save' it to your computer and not to just 'Run' it when the 'File Download' window is opened.

If you wish to look at alternatives, SpanishDict has a reference page with instructions for setting up your keyboard. That reference page is here ----> How to Type Spanish Characters

Answer 2

I don't have an anwer but if you type your question in the search box at the top left you will probably find one. I know this has been discussed in the past.

Answer 3

There are many posts on this topic. The answers range from adding Windows language support (Windows only), downloading and installing a free program offered by a SpanishDict member a couple of years ago, and even just learning special key-codes to enter these characters from an English keyboard.

Of course, search the Answers forum for this.