How To Improve Your Spanish Pronunciation With a Simple Technique

Today, I have a story to tell you that will teach you a technique on how to improve your Spanish pronunciation. Last week I made a couple of new friends herein Medellin, Colombia, who are learning English. I have been helping them out with their English, especially their pronunciation.

One common mistake that I have heard them make is to pronounce the English word "Spanish" so that it sounds more like "Espanish."

After hearing them make the mistake of saying "Espanish" several times, I gave them a exercise to do at home which I guaranteed them will stop them from saying "Espanish."

I told them to go home, look in the mirror and say "Spanish" while paying attention to their mouth. If they notice that at the very beginning of the word "Spanish" they are making a smile then they are mispronouncing the word.

I told them, that if they begin the word "Spanish" while Smiling at the very beginning of the word they are going to inevitably make the Spanish vowel "e" sound and the word is going to sound more like "Espanish" than "Spanish."

Where did I learn this technique since I have never taught English and have never studied English phonetics?

I learned it when studying how to speak and pronounce Spanish without sounding like a Gringo.

Basically, I told my Spanish-speaking friends that when speaking English do NOT do what I learned to do when speaking Spanish.

Let me explain...

There was a time when I would pronounce the Spanish word "el" so that it sounded exactly like the English letter "L."

That may work fine in a tourist area of Latin America where people are accustomed to Spanish speaking gringos.

But in some parts of Latin America where the "gente" (people) have not been exposed to native English-speakers who speak (or try to speak) Spanish, the "gente" may not understand you if you pronounce the Spanish word "el" like the English letter "L."

This is a technique, that I learned from not only listening but also watching native Spanish speakers.

When they pronounce the Spanish vowel "e" their face makes a slight smile.

So every day I used to practice saying the Spanish vowel "e" and the Spanish word "el" in the mirror while making sure that I slightly smiled when pronouncing the Spanish "e" sound. I would do this every day for 2 or 3 minutes in the mirror.

After doing this a couple of weeks, I noticed that my pronunciation of the Spanish vowel "e" had improved to the point where it sounded just like a native Spanish speaker.

But there was something about the way that I said the word "el" that just didn't sound like a native Spanish speaker saying "el." There was something very gringo-like with my pronunciation of the Spanish word "el."

And I wasn't only having that problem with the word "el," but I was also having the same problem with the Spanish word "mil" (thousand) and also with "al."

So I spent some more time observing native Spanish speakers' mouths when they pronounced words such as "el," "mil,"and "al."

At one point, a Spanish-speaking friend asked me "Patrick, what do you think you're a dentist now?"

But I still could NOT pronounce the words like a native Spanish speaker.

And then it suddenly hit me!

I had been spending so much time looking at the outside of the mouths of native Spanish speakers that I overlooked the fact that there may be something going on in the inside of their mouths that I was not aware of.

With a little research and experimentation I realized that the tip of the tongue of a native Spanish speaker touches the roof of the mouth when pronouncing the Spanish "L" sound.

So with that in mind, I practiced two or three minutes a day in the mirror saying "mil," "el," and "al." And within a couple of weeks I was pronouncing those words like a native speaker.

So if you want to improve your Spanish pronunciation, watch the mistakes that Spanish-speakers make when pronouncing English words and use their "mistakes" to learn proper Spanish pronunciation.

Pat Jackson is the Founder of Learning Spanish Like Crazy - the only learning Spanish method that teaches real authentic everyday conversational Latin American Spanish. If you would like to get FREE Instant access to the first 2 lessons of Learning Spanish Like Crazy or sign up for our FREE online interactive weekly Spanish classes, then go here now: Learn Spanish That's http://www.LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com/.