Listen and compare · 8
CEFR A2
Review the contrast after listening
los ojos
[loˈso.xos]
the eyes; link s to the next vowel
los osos
[loˈso.sos]
the bears; the same linking process
What tells the two sounds apart
- C.VWithin a fluent group, a final consonant can start the syllable of the following vowel. The dots here show syllable boundaries, not pauses.
- hWritten h in hotel is silent. Link the l of el directly to the o sound.
Why it is hard
The pair illustrates the same linking process in two phrases, not a minimal contrast in linking. Written spaces do not require a spoken break: los ojos has the syllable sequence lo-so-jos. Practise the s carefully without inserting a vowel after it. This Spain model retains final s; aspiration or weakening of s is legitimate in several regional varieties. Task: Listen to the first six utterances with the written model and IPA closed. Repeat each phrase, mark a consonant-to-vowel link that you actually heard and say whether there was a break at that word boundary. Then open the support and compare. Create a sentence using el hotel and another using un amigo; compare their linking with the models.
Los osos abren los ojos.
To practise
- un amigo[u.naˈmi.ɣ̞o]a friend
- el hotel[e.loˈtel]the hotel
- mis abuelos[mi.saˈβ̞we.los]my grandparents
- las islas[laˈsis.las]the islands