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Spanish Language Pronunciation and Foundations Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Pronunciation and Foundations as it is examined in Spanish Language. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Pronunciation and Foundations deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
Distinguish 'el' vs 'él' and 'te' vs 'té' using diacritical accents.
'el' = the (article) vs 'él' = he (pronoun). 'te' = you (object pronoun)/reflexive vs 'té' = tea (noun).
Distinguish 'se' vs 'sé' and 'de' vs 'dé' using diacritical accents.
'se' = reflexive/impersonal pronoun vs 'sé' = I know / be (imperative). 'de' = of/from (preposition) vs 'dé' = give (subjunctive/imperative of dar).
How do interrogative/exclamative words like qué, cómo, dónde, cuándo differ from their non-accented forms?
They carry a written accent when used in questions or exclamations (direct or indirect). Without the accent (que, como, donde, cuando) they act as relative pronouns or conjunctions. Example: '¿Qué quieres?' vs 'Sé que vienes'.
What punctuation feature is unique to Spanish questions and exclamations?
Spanish uses inverted opening marks: '¿' at the start of a question and '¡' at the start of an exclamation, in addition to the closing '?' and '!'. Example: '¿Cómo estás?' and '¡Qué bien!'.
Do the inverted marks always appear at the very beginning of the sentence?
No. They are placed at the start of the actual question or exclamation, which may be mid-sentence. Example: 'Si vienes, ¿me avisas?' and 'Juan, ¡ven aquí!'.
How does intonation typically differ between a statement and a yes/no question in Spanish?
A statement usually falls in pitch at the end, while a yes/no question rises in pitch at the end. Since word order can be identical, intonation often distinguishes 'Tienes hambre.' from '¿Tienes hambre?'.
What is sinalefa (linking) in spoken Spanish?
Sinalefa is the merging of a vowel at the end of one word with a vowel at the start of the next into a single syllable, producing smooth connected speech. Example: 'la escuela' pronounced 'laescuela'.
Give an example of consonant-to-vowel linking in connected Spanish speech.
A final consonant links to a following initial vowel, as in 'los amigos' pronounced 'lo-sa-mi-gos', making speech flow continuously.
Name two notable features of Caribbean/coastal Spanish accents.
Aspiration or dropping of the 's' at the end of syllables (e.g., 'estás' → 'ehtá') and weakening/dropping of final consonants. Common in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and coastal areas.
What is 'seseo' and where is it the norm?
Seseo is pronouncing 'z' and soft 'c' (before e/i) as 's'. It is the norm throughout Latin America and parts of southern Spain and the Canary Islands.
What is 'yeísmo'?
Yeísmo is pronouncing 'll' the same as 'y', so that 'll' and 'y' merge into one sound. It is the majority pronunciation across the Spanish-speaking world today.
What is distinctive about the pronunciation of 'll' and 'y' in Rioplatense (Argentine/Uruguayan) Spanish?
They are pronounced with a 'sh' or 'zh' sound (žeísmo/sheísmo), so 'calle' sounds like 'cashe' and 'yo' like 'sho'.
What are the Spanish cardinal numbers from 1 to 10?
uno (1), dos (2), tres (3), cuatro (4), cinco (5), seis (6), siete (7), ocho (8), nueve (9), diez (10).
How are the cardinal numbers 16-19 formed in Spanish?
They are contractions of 'diez y' + unit: dieciséis (16), diecisiete (17), dieciocho (18), diecinueve (19). Note diecinueve, but 16 written as one word 'dieciséis' with accent.
What are the Spanish words for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100?
veinte (20), treinta (30), cuarenta (40), cincuenta (50), sesenta (60), setenta (70), ochenta (80), noventa (90), cien/ciento (100).
When do you use 'cien' versus 'ciento' for 100?
Use 'cien' for exactly 100 and before nouns/mil/millones (cien libros, cien mil). Use 'ciento' in compound numbers 101-199 (ciento uno, ciento cincuenta).
What are the Spanish ordinal numbers from 1st to 5th?
primero (1st), segundo (2nd), tercero (3rd), cuarto (4th), quinto (5th). 'Primero' and 'tercero' shorten to 'primer' and 'tercer' before a masculine singular noun.
What are the Spanish ordinal numbers from 6th to 10th?
sexto (6th), séptimo (7th), octavo (8th), noveno (9th), décimo (10th).
What are the seven days of the week in Spanish, and are they capitalized?
lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, domingo. They are NOT capitalized in Spanish. The week traditionally begins on Monday (lunes).
List the twelve months of the year in Spanish.
enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre. They are not capitalized.
What are the four seasons in Spanish?
la primavera (spring), el verano (summer), el otoño (autumn/fall), el invierno (winter).
How do you ask and express the time in Spanish (on the hour)?
Ask: '¿Qué hora es?'. Answer with 'Es la una' for 1:00 (singular) and 'Son las...' for other hours, e.g., 'Son las tres' (3:00), 'Son las diez' (10:00).
How do you express minutes past and before the hour in Spanish, including quarter and half?
Use 'y' for minutes past ('Son las dos y diez' = 2:10) and 'menos' for minutes before ('Son las tres menos cuarto' = 2:45). 'y cuarto' = quarter past, 'y media' = half past, 'menos cuarto' = quarter to.
How are calendar dates expressed in Spanish, and how is the first of the month said?
Format is: día + de + mes (+ de + año), e.g., 'el 15 de mayo de 2026'. Cardinal numbers are used for days, except the first, which is often 'el primero de...' (or 'el uno de...').
What this deck covers
The Pronunciation and Foundations deck follows the Spanish Language Pronunciation and Foundations syllabus — 4 chapters and 17 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.8 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 153 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Pronunciation and Foundations flashcards FAQ
How many Pronunciation and Foundations flashcards are in this Spanish Language deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Spanish Language flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Pronunciation and Foundations cards cover?
They follow the Spanish Language Pronunciation and Foundations syllabus — 4 chapters and 17 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.