Listen and compare · 10
CEFR B1
Review the contrast after listening
un vaso
[um ˈbaso]
a glass; lips prepare for b
un gato
[uŋ ˈɡato]
a cat; the tongue prepares for g
What tells the two sounds apart
- [m]Before b, close the lips for the nasal and keep that closure ready for b.
- [ŋ]Before g or k, raise the back of the tongue for the nasal. Do not add a separate g after it.
- [ɱ]Before f, the nasal can use the lower lip and upper teeth, preparing for f.
Why it is hard
The written n of un often takes the place of articulation of the following consonant. These are contextual realizations of a nasal, not changes of word meaning or spelling. The brackets show selected phonetic detail in connected, careful Spain speech; assimilation also occurs widely in the Americas, while final nasals have regional realizations. Task: Listen to the first six utterances with the words, IPA and articulation labels closed. Repeat each group and note how your nasal closure joins the following consonant, distinguishing lip closure from tongue contact and noting what you cannot reliably hear. Then open the support and compare; do not claim a point of articulation from a label alone. Add each of the four practice groups to a new short sentence, without an extra syllable, and explain the contextual change.
Tengo un vaso, un gato y un mapa.
To practise
- un tema[un̪ ˈt̪ema]a topic
- un foco[uɱ ˈfoko]a spotlight
- un café[uŋ kaˈfe]a coffee
- un mapa[um ˈmapa]a map