Español colombiano/Colombian Spanish

Question

Yo practico español con un acento colombiano. Mi tutora me dijo pronunciar la ll y la y como el sonido inglés de j. Por ejemplo:

Medellín, calle, ayer, yo, ya, reyes, lluvia, cayó = todos se pronuncian con el sonido inglés de j. ¿Es correcto en español colombiano?

Gracias

I practice Spanish with a Colombian accent. My tutor told me to pronounce the letters ll and y as the English j sound. For example:

Medellín, calle, ayer, yo, ya, reyes, lluvia, cayó = All pronounced with the English j sound. Is this correct in Colombian Spanish?

Thanks

You now have an answer from a Spanish speaker who knows the country.Good luck - Mardle, Jun 21, 2017

I have edited shamelesspanish post to make video link clearer and added the original BBC article - Mardle, Jun 22, 2017

Answer 1

I assume the accent in Colombia varies according to the region and the lifestyle/education of the speaker. I have watched gente de bien which involves a variety of Colombian accents.

The website Spanish Obsessed is run by a Brit and his wife who is Colombian.

Here is an advanced level podcast where she speaks about Colombia

Spanish Obsessed

The important thing is to learn to speak clearly. If you want to use your Spanish in Colombia it is a good idea to use a teacher from that area.

Answer 2

There ARE different regional accents and differences in speech throughout Colombia. En Bogotá where I was staying with friends, the people sounded like the lady in Mardle's audio clip--very clear. Whereas in Calí I had a very hard time understanding the people there.

As far as "y"/"ll" goes, I've heard more of the English "j" sound in parts of Mexico than I did in Colombia. Where I come from (Rota, Spain) I never noticed a "J" sound for "ll" or "y", but then again, I came to the US at a very early age and was surrounded by California Mexicans who use the English "Y" sound for both "Y" and "ll"

Great answer. Thanks for the insight - sdanso, Jun 22, 2017

Answer 3

The truth is that there isn't such a thing as "Colombian Spanish", much less a "Colombian Accent". Every country has different dialects within its border, and Colombia in particular has so many! I have lived in Colombia for four years, I traveled to many places and it has always surprised me how different they could be. Take a look at this video:

video

and here is a link to the original article, including the video

BBC Mundo

There are many hard regional words, but you can focus on the pronunciation to see how different it is.

Regarding your question, yes, some Colombian regions pronounce the "ll" and "y" as the English "J". However, it doesn't matter what dialect you learn, everybody will understand you in most places.

I like the B B C Munro video - Mardle, Jun 21, 2017

Me too! it is quite clear about this subject. - Shamelesspanish, Jun 21, 2017

Thanks! In this case, I will continue to pronounce them the way I was taught/I prefer: pronouncing both with a J sound. - sdanso, Jun 21, 2017

May I have a link for that video please? - sdanso, Jun 22, 2017

see my comment under your post sdanso. I have made the links clearer. - Mardle, Jun 22, 2017

Ah vale, ya puedo verte ahora. Gracias - sdanso, Jun 22, 2017

Answer 4

If you pronounce Medellín as Medejin or Medeyin it's OK. Everybody will understand and these are two possibilities according to the country or region.

Answer 5

There are of course many more accents across Colombia, but there are three that I think are the most well known:

Medellin (Antioquia), Bogota and Costeña, all three are very distinct.

• Bogota is known for (supposedly) being the clearest and easiest to understand.

  Medellin for being the trademark or stereotypical accent of a Colombian.

  Costeña for being the most difficult to understand.

Answer 6

Yeísmo is common in the Americas & Spain.

It's pronounced with a phonetic /?/ as in genre.

How the LL sounds like in Castilian Spanish?