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Spanish Introduction to Spanish Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering Introduction to Spanish as it is examined in Spanish. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Introduction to Spanish deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What are the ordinal numbers 'first' through 'third' in Spanish (masculine form)?
primero (1st), segundo (2nd), tercero (3rd). 'Primero' and 'tercero' drop the -o to 'primer'/'tercer' before a masculine singular noun.
How many vowel sounds does Spanish have, and what are they?
Spanish has exactly 5 pure vowel sounds, one per vowel: a, e, i, o, u.
How is the Spanish vowel 'a' pronounced?
As an open 'ah' sound, like the 'a' in the English 'father' (e.g., 'casa').
How is the Spanish vowel 'e' pronounced?
As a short 'eh' sound, like the 'e' in 'bet' or 'they' without the glide (e.g., 'mesa').
How is the Spanish vowel 'i' pronounced?
As 'ee', like the 'i' in 'machine' (e.g., 'sí').
How are the Spanish vowels 'o' and 'u' pronounced?
'o' is like the 'o' in 'more' (e.g., 'sol'), and 'u' is like 'oo' in 'moon' (e.g., 'luna').
Why are Spanish vowels described as 'pure' compared to English vowels?
Each Spanish vowel keeps a single, consistent sound and does not glide into a diphthong, unlike many English vowels that shift within the same sound.
What is a diphthong in Spanish, and how is it formed?
A diphthong is two vowels pronounced in a single syllable, formed by combining a weak vowel (i, u) with a strong vowel (a, e, o), or two weak vowels (e.g., 'aire', 'ciudad').
Which vowels are classified as 'strong' (fuertes) and 'weak' (débiles) in Spanish?
Strong vowels are a, e, o; weak vowels are i and u. This distinction determines how diphthongs and hiatus form.
What is a hiatus (hiato) in Spanish vowel pronunciation?
A hiatus is when two adjacent vowels are pronounced in separate syllables, typically two strong vowels (e.g., 'le-er') or a stressed weak vowel with an accent (e.g., 'dí-a').
How is the Spanish 'r' pronounced at the start of a word or as 'rr'?
As a strong trilled (rolled) 'r', with multiple vibrations of the tongue (e.g., 'perro', 'rojo').
How is a single 'r' between vowels pronounced in Spanish?
As a single tap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, similar to the 'tt' in American English 'butter' (e.g., 'pero').
What sound does the Spanish 'll' (elle) typically make?
It is usually pronounced like the English 'y' in 'yes' (e.g., 'llave'); this pronunciation of 'll' and 'y' as the same sound is called 'yeísmo'.
How is the Spanish letter 'c' pronounced before 'e' or 'i' versus before 'a', 'o', 'u'?
Before e/i it is soft: 's' in Latin America, 'th' in most of Spain (e.g., 'cielo'). Before a/o/u it is a hard 'k' (e.g., 'casa').
How is the Spanish letter 'g' pronounced before 'e' or 'i' versus before 'a', 'o', 'u'?
Before e/i it is a guttural sound like the 'j' (e.g., 'gente'). Before a/o/u it is a hard 'g' as in 'go' (e.g., 'gato').
How is the Spanish letter 'z' pronounced?
As 's' in Latin American Spanish (seseo) and as the 'th' in 'think' in most of Spain (e.g., 'zapato').
How are the letters 'b' and 'v' pronounced in Spanish?
Identically. Both make a 'b' sound: a hard [b] at the start of a word or after m/n, and a soft [β] between vowels (e.g., 'vaca' and 'boca' start the same).
How is the Spanish digraph 'ch' pronounced?
Like the English 'ch' in 'church' (e.g., 'coche').
What are the three categories of Spanish words by stress position, and where does each place its stress?
Agudas (stress on the last syllable), llanas/graves (stress on the second-to-last syllable), and esdrújulas (stress on the third-to-last syllable).
What is the accentuation rule for 'palabras agudas' (words stressed on the last syllable)?
They carry a written accent (tilde) only when they end in a vowel, 'n', or 's' (e.g., 'café', 'canción', 'comás').
What is the accentuation rule for 'palabras llanas/graves' (stressed on the second-to-last syllable)?
They carry a written accent only when they do NOT end in a vowel, 'n', or 's' (e.g., 'árbol', 'lápiz').
What is the accentuation rule for 'palabras esdrújulas' (stressed on the third-to-last syllable)?
They always carry a written accent, without exception (e.g., 'médico', 'pájaro', 'rápido').
What is a 'tilde diacrítica' (diacritical accent), and give an example pair.
An accent used to distinguish two words spelled the same but with different meanings/functions, e.g., 'tú' (you) vs 'tu' (your), or 'sí' (yes) vs 'si' (if).
How does a written accent affect a weak vowel next to a strong vowel regarding diphthongs?
An accent on the weak vowel (i or u) breaks the diphthong and creates a hiatus, forcing separate syllables and stress on that vowel (e.g., 'día', 'río').
What this deck covers
The Introduction to Spanish deck follows the Spanish Introduction to Spanish syllabus — 2 chapters and 6 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 25.0 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 117 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.
Introduction to Spanish flashcards FAQ
How many Introduction to Spanish flashcards are in this Spanish deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Spanish flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Introduction to Spanish cards cover?
They follow the Spanish Introduction to Spanish syllabus — 2 chapters and 6 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.