When to write accent marks. Stress rules, word types and meaning-changing accents.
ha-bla-mos, co-men, li-bro, ca-sas, e-xa-men
ha-blar, co-mer, ciu-dad, es-pa-ñol, a-mor
ca-fé — ends in vowel but stress is on LAST syllable → needs accent
á-rbol — ends in consonant (L) but stress is on FIRST syllable → needs accent
te-lé-fo-no — stress on third-to-last → always needs accent
mé-di-co — stress on third-to-last → always needs accent
| Type | Stress on | Accent? | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguda | last syllable | if ends in vowel/N/S | café, canción, inglés |
| Llana/Grave | 2nd to last | if ends in consonant (not N/S) | árbol, lápiz, fácil |
| Esdrújula | 3rd to last | always | teléfono, médico, música |
| Without accent | With accent |
|---|---|
| el (the) | él (he) |
| tu (your) | tú (you) |
| mi (my) | mí (me) |
| si (if) | sí (yes) |
| se (reflexive) | sé (I know / be!) |
| mas (but) | más (more) |
| de (of) | dé (give - subjunctive) |
qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, cómo, cuál, cuánto, por qué
Only when used as questions or exclamations, not as connectors:
¿Qué quieres? vs Dijo que venía.
1. Where is the stress in "hablar"?
2. "Café" needs an accent because...
3. "Árbol" needs an accent because...
4. "Teléfono" is what type of word?
5. "El" vs "Él" — which means "he"?
6. "Tu" vs "Tú" — which means "you"?
7. Does "examen" need an accent?
8. "Canción" needs an accent because...
9. Question words _____ carry accents.
10. "Sí" with accent means _____.
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