Why is the í in "caído" stressed?

Question

why is the í in "caído" stressed when the ruies of stress suggest it is not needed?

Good question, that´s a tricky one, but Mike and Mariana have contributed 1 great example and explanation each. I remember struggling with that a lot at first. Good luck. - rogspax, Apr 5, 2013

Answer 1

Neil,

This accent mark is used to separate the vowel sounds and prevent the formation of a diphthong.

When a strong and a weak vowel or two weak vowels combine to form a single syllable, they form what is known as a diphthong. An example of a diphthong is the ai combination in baile. The ai combination here sounds much like the English word "eye." Another example is the ui combination in fui, which to the English speaker sounds much like "fwee."

In some words, a strong and weak vowel or two weak vowels don't merge together but instead form separate syllables. In those cases, a written accent is used to show the distinction. A common example is the name María. Without the accent mark, the name would be pronounced much like MAHR-yah. In effect, the accent mark turns the i into a strong vowel. Other words where an accent mark is used to keep a weak vowel from becoming part of a diphthong include río, heroína, dúo and país.

If there is an accent over the strong vowel, it doesn't destroy the diphthong. For example, in adiós, the accent merely indicates where the spoken stress goes but doesn't affect how the vowels work together.When a strong and a weak vowel or two weak vowels combine to form a single syllable, they form what is known as a diphthong. An example of a diphthong is the ai combination in baile. The ai combination here sounds much like the English word "eye." Another example is the ui combination in fui, which to the English speaker sounds much like "fwee."

Great explanation. Even I could understand that. Gracias. - kirk1, Apr 5, 2013

Mariana, ahora entiendo, thanks for taking the trouble to explain it so fully. neil - Neilcaine2000, Apr 6, 2013

Answer 2

Without the accent it would be pronounced (in English) "k-eye-doe" with accent it is "ka-ee-do"

Thanks Big Mike - Neilcaine2000, Apr 6, 2013