Ll pronunciation?

Question

Hello, I'm curious about the pronunciation of LL in Spanish. My understanding is that it can be said like a y, j, or sh in English, and it varies by region. However in Chicago we have a large Mexican population, and if I were to speak to them, which pronunciation should I use? Would it make a difference and would it cause any misunderstanding? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Personally, unless altered by a grammar rule, I believe that it is correct to say it as a "Y" sound. Yes, it can cause confusion if you use it incorrectshy, just like if shu took out all the Ys and stubbornshy persisted in incorrectshy using them

typos: "incorrectly" "you" and "stubbornly"... :) - rac1, Oct 3, 2014

I think there was method in this madness. - Jubilado, Oct 3, 2014

Thanks Rac, but that was intentional. I was just giving an example of what it can sound like if you mispronounce the double LLs! - 00ffada9, Oct 4, 2014

Jejeje...got it. :) - rac1, Oct 4, 2014

Answer 2

Very slowly and carefully say "ya" and "ja". You'll notice that the position of the tongue moves very little as you shift from the "y" sound to the "j" sound in English. I would advise you to use the Y sound for LL and the J sound if you happen to encounter a Y especially at the beginning of a Spanish word (for example I have a friend named Yila and it's pronounced like "Jeela" would be in English). Consistently using the Y sound, you will be understood perfectly by Mexican speakers.

I don't think I've ever heard LL pronounced like "sh" in Mexican Spanish (that occurs in some Mexican place names with an X - from native American languages).

As you become more comfortable and fluent in speaking Spanish you will be able to pick up on and repeat when to use the J sound for LL.