How is vaya pronounced?
I understand that "va" is pronounced like the English "vah". When the "ya" is added to the end of the word, I am tempted to pronounce "vaya" as the English "vah yah." Is this correct?
Normally I would listen to the word, but I am currently in a quiet classroom environment where headphones are not available nor appropriate.
5 Answers
I understand that "va" is pronounced like the English "vah".
Based on this statement, it seem that you might be under a bit of a misconception. The Spanish letters "b" and "v" (and sometimes "w") are pronounced identically. In most cases, these letters are formed by bringing the lips very close together, as if trying to make the /b/ sound, but without actually letting the lips touch completely. At other times, when one of these letters follows a nasal consonant ("n" or "m") or occurs after a pause, the sound that is made is more like the English /b/.
When the "ya" is added to the end of the word, I am tempted to pronounce "vaya" as the English "vah yah."
There are several dialectic variations to the way in which the letter "y" is pronounced. The following video notes some of these variations: Cinco de Mayo
You might also be interested in the following link: Phonetics
I am tempted to pronounce "vaya" as the English "vah yah." Is this correct?
No it's not correct!.
A better approximation would be to take the colloquial phrase "See ya." and substitute "Bye" for "See".
Note 1: Do not draw out the vowel sound of "bye" (as one does when the word is said in isolation). Keep it short and running into the "ya".
Note 2: there is no 'v' sound in Spanish.
Addendum: An alternative (if you're familiar with the way people from Brooklyn speak), imagine a Coney island hot-dog vendor saying "Buy ya' red hots hea'!" (strictly speaking, they're more likely to say "Get ya' red hots hea'!" but ...).
At the beginning of a sentence, after a pause, N or L, /'ba?a/.
In all other cases /'?a?a/.
In some countries in the South Cone, /?/ (and even /?/) are used instead of /?/.
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you click on the little icon next to the word you will hear the pronunciation.
I am tempted to pronounce "vaya" as the English "vah yah." Is this correct?
Your temtation is correct.
And accent on the first sylable.
