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Accents are used over the vowels :
a, e, i, o, u
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Accents are used in Spanish for two different purposes :
1) To help differentiate between identically spelled words.
2) To indicate where the stress or emphasis fall on a word when pronouced.
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An accent mark is normally NOT required if :
1 )The word ends in a vowel ( a, e, i, o, u ) or n or s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last (penultimate ) syllable.
Examples :
[ Ca-MI-no ], road, end in a vowel, and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. ]
[ HA-blan], they speak, ends in a n and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. ]
[ mu-CHA-chas ], girls, ends in an s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable ]
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2 ) The word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress falls on the last syllable.
- Examples :
- quere [ que-RER , to want, ends in a r and the stress falls on the last syllable ]
ciudad [ciu-DAD, city, ends in a d and the stress falls on the last syllable.
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A written accent mark IS required if the situation is not given in the above two rules, that is, when :
1 ) The word ends in a vowel ( a, e, i, o, u ) or n or s and the stress falls on the last syllable. Examples :
caminó [ca-mi-NÓ, he/she walked, ends in a vowel, and the stress falls on the last syllable.
canción [can-CIÓN, song, ends in a n and the stress falls on the last syllable ]
verás [ve-RÁS, you will see, ends in a s and the stress falls on the last syllable.
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2 ) The word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.
- Examples :
- mártir [MÁR-tir, martyr, ends in a r and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. ]
cárcel [CÁR-cel, jail, ends in a L and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.
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