"A" with an Accent
The letter a with a tilde is used for many different purposes in Spanish, such as marking word stress, distinguishing between otherwise identical words, differentiating between tenses, and showing whether something is a question or a statement.
Á and Word Stress
It is common for learners of Spanish—especially beginners—to ignore accent marks, disregarding the small marks as insignificant. The truth is that accents are essential in helping us know which syllable to pronounce with the most emphasis.
Accents are used as an aid in pronunciation. If you see the Spanish letter a with a tilde, it’s important to pronounce it with greater emphasis. In the word árbol(tree), the tilde over the a is necessary so that we know which syllable to stress.
In some cases, tildes are necessary to differentiate between words that are otherwise spelled alike. For example, esta(this) vs. está(he/she/it is).
In other situations, á is not really used for pronunciation, but rather to differentiate words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example, más(more) vs. mas(but).
Here are the four main categories of words that use an a with a tilde:
Á and Tenses
Adding a tilde over the a also helps us distinguish between various tenses in Spanish. One tilde changes a verb from the third person singular form of the present indicative to the vos affirmative command form.
Let's take a closer look!
| Tense/mood | With or without a tilde? | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| present indicative | without a tilde | Ella mira la luna. | She looks at the moon. |
| vos affirmative command | with a tilde | Mirá la luna. | Look at the moon. |
The written accent over the a also helps us distinguish between the imperfect subjunctive and the future indicative.
Let's check out some examples!
Á and Sentence Types
A little tilde can be used for marking the difference between asking questions and making a statement.
For example:
| examples |
|---|
Remember to use tildes on the a for question words like cuándo, cuál, and cuánto!
Writing/Typing an Accent Over the A
Adding an accent over the letter a is easy on paper. It is written from the top right to the bottom left. To type á on your keyboard, you can copy and paste á, use the character code Alt + 0225, or learn the keyboard shortcuts on your Mac or PC.
Take a look at how to type á on your Mac or PC!
On a PC
There are several keyboard shortcuts you can use for Spanish letters and punctuation on your PC. Please note that these shortcuts sometimes only work on newer computers, and may only work in Microsoft Office.
If you’re using Office for Windows, use the following shortcut:
- For an á, press Ctrl + ', then the a.
On a Mac
To get the á on a Mac, hold down the Option/Alt key (⌥), and press the e key. Then, release both keys and press the a.
If you write in Spanish often, we recommend going into your settings and adding the US International keyboard. This keyboard layout supports all major Western European languages, and it uses the right Alt key as a modifier for special characters.
Looking for more articles about grammar? Check out these articles!
