Practise the five pure Spanish vowels, A, E, I, O and U, and four new words: house, table, flat and grape. Then train your ear with a vowel listening drill. See today's words with pictures and subtitles: watch the Spanish video lessons by level on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/@SpanishShadowLearning/playlists 0:00 Welcome to Basics Two0:48 Quick Review1:46 A, E, I4:06 O and U6:01 Every Vowel Counts7:23 Listening Drill10:00 Practice and Recap11:48 See you tomorrow Learning faster with the videos: every lesson style in this podcast has an illustrated version on YouTube, new every day from A1 to C2, with the Spanish and English on screen. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@SpanishShadowLearningA short lesson every day on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spanishshadowlearning/ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1bwlOpCvZ3lQwaxjbFu1oG / Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6825677794 / YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpanishShadowLearning Full transcript Welcome to Basics TwoHost: Hello and welcome to Spanish Shadow Daily, the Basics show. This is Spanish from Spain, from absolute zero, nice and slow.Host: This is Basics 2 of 30: The Five Vowels.Co-host: Hi everyone! I'm the Spanish voice of the show, from Spain. Today is one of my favourite lessons.Host: Here's why it matters. Spanish has only five vowel sounds, and they never change. Learn these five today and you can read almost any Spanish word out loud.Host: English vowels slide around. Spanish vowels are short, clean and steady. That's the whole secret.Co-host: Get the vowels right and you already sound much more Spanish. Honestly, it's the fastest win there is. Quick ReviewHost: First, a quick review of Basics 1. Here's how it works today. Each word is said twice: first very slowly, then at normal speed.Host: After the second one you'll hear a tone. After the tone, say it out loud. Really say it, even if you're on a bus.Host: First, the greeting, hello. Remember, the first letter is silent.A: Hola. = Hello.B: Hola. = Hello.Host: Good. Now, thank you.A: Gracias. = Thank you.B: Gracias. = Thank you.Host: And quickly, yes and no.A: Sí. = Yes.B: Sí. = Yes.A: No. = No.B: No. = No.Host: Notice something? Those words already contained some of today's vowels. Let's meet all five. A, E, IHost: A vowel is an open sound where air flows freely, like the sounds of the lettersA: aA: eA: iA: oHost: andA: uHost: . Consonants are the others, like B or T.Host: The first vowel is the letter A. Open your mouth wide, drop your jaw, tongue low and relaxed. It's like the 'a' in 'father', but shorter.A: a = the vowel AB: a = the vowel AHost: Listen for one open sound. Not the 'ay' of the English letter name. Just open and short.Host: Our first word uses this sound twice. It means house.A: casa = houseB: casa = houseHost: Two syllables, both with the same open sound. And the last sound is said fully, not swallowed.Co-host: English speakers often say the end like 'cassuh'. In Spain we keep that last sound bright and open, exactly like the first.Host: The second vowel is the letter E. Smile slightly, jaw half open, tongue a little higher. It's like the 'e' in 'bed'.A: e = the vowel EB: e = the vowel EHost: Careful here. English likes to say 'ay', sliding into an 'ee' at the end. Spanish doesn't slide. Hold your mouth still.Host: Our next word means table. It has this sound, then the open one.A: mesa = tableB: mesa = tableHost: Not 'may-suh'. It's two clean syllables, and the second is fully said. Picture splitting the word in two halves.Host: The third vowel is the letter I. Smile wide, tongue high and forward. It's like the 'ee' in 'see', but short and crisp.A: i = the vowel IB: i = the vowel IHost: You already said it in the word for yes. Here it is again.A: sí = yesB: sí = yesHost: Short and tight. Never the 'eye' sound of the English letter name. O and UHost: The fourth vowel is the letter O. Round your lips into a circle and keep them there. It's like the 'o' in 'hot' said with rounder lips.A: o = the vowel OB: o = the vowel OHost: This is the big trap. English says 'oh-oo', lips closing at the end. In Spanish, the lips stay frozen in one round shape.Host: Listen to the word for no again. One pure round sound.A: no = noB: no = noCo-host: A trick: put a finger on your lips. If they move at the end, you're gliding. Keep them still.Host: Now a word with the vowel I and the vowel O. It means a flat, an apartment. It can also mean the floor of a building, like the third floor.A: piso = flat; floorB: piso = flat; floorHost: Short crisp first syllable, round still second syllable. No 'oh-oo' at the end.Co-host: You'll hear this word constantly in Spain. Flat hunting, rent, flatmates. It's everywhere.Host: The fifth and last vowel is the letter U. Push your lips forward, small and round, like blowing out a candle. It's like the 'oo' in 'food', but shorter.A: u = the vowel UB: u = the vowel UHost: Never 'you'. There's no 'y' sound in front. Just the round 'oo'.Host: Our last new word starts with it. It means grape.A: uva = grapeB: uva = grapeHost: Round lips first, then open wide for the end. And again, the last sound is said clearly. Every Vowel CountsHost: Rule two today: every vowel is said, even at the end of a word. Nothing is silent, nothing is mumbled.Host: Let's say all five in a row, slowly. Feel your mouth move from open, to smile, to wide smile, to round, to small round.A: a, e, i, o, u = A, E, I, O, UB: a, e, i, o, u = A, E, I, O, UHost: Five short sounds, each one steady. Now our four words, one after another. House.A: casa = houseB: casa = houseHost: Table. Remember, two clean halves.A: mesa = tableB: mesa = tableHost: Flat.A: piso = flatB: piso = flatHost: Grape.A: uva = grapeB: uva = grapeCo-host: If you only remember one thing: don't swallow the last vowel. That alone makes you easier to understand. Listening DrillHost: Now let's train your ear. First pair: two words that differ only in the first vowel, E or I.Host: The first is our word for table.A: mesa = tableHost: The second means a church service, a mass. Only the first vowel changes, to the wide smile I, inA: misaA: misa = mass (church service)Host: Which one is this?B: misa = massHost: That was the second one, with the I sound. The church service.Host: Which one is this?B: mesa = tableHost: The first one, with the E sound. Table.Host: Now a big set: five words, same shape, only the first vowel changes, A, E, I, O, U. Just listen to the vowels. For reference, paso is a step, peso is weight, poso is sediment, and puso means he put. The only one to remember is our word for flat.A: paso = stepA: peso = weightA: piso = flatA: poso = sediment, dregsA: puso = he putHost: Which one is this?B: peso = weightHost: That was the second one, with the E sound.Host: Which one is this?B: puso = he putHost: The last one, with the small round U.Host: Which one is this?B: piso = flatHost: The middle one, with the I sound. Our word for flat.Host: Which one is this?B: paso = stepHost: The first one, with the wide open A.Co-host: See? One vowel changes the whole word. That's why pure vowels matter so much. Practice and RecapHost: Practice time. I say the English, you try first, then hear it. Imagine you're touring a flat for rent. The flat.B: piso = flatHost: The table in the kitchen.B: mesa = tableHost: A bowl of grapes on it. Grape.B: uva = grapeHost: And when you leave, the whole house. House.B: casa = houseHost: And to the landlord, thank you.B: Gracias. = Thank you.Host: Recap. Spanish has five vowels: open A, smiling E, wide smile I, round O, small round U. Short, pure, and they never glide.Host: Every vowel is said, even the last one. And you learnt house, table, flat, and grape.A: a, e, i, o, u = A, E, I, O, UB: a, e, i, o, u = A, E, I, O, UCo-host: Say them in the shower, in the car, anywhere. Lips still, sounds clean. Great work today! See you tomorrowHost: That's it for today's Basics. Great work, and thank you for listening and speaking along.Host: Want more? Our YouTube channel, Spanish Shadow Learning, has illustrated Spanish lessons, listening quizzes and grammar videos for every level from A1 to C2, so you can read the words while you listen.Host: And follow us on Instagram at spanishshadowlearning for a short Spanish lesson every day.Host: See you tomorrow!A: ¡Hasta mañana! = See you tomorrow!
