The accent that changes the meaning in Spanish

1. 1
   papá/paˈpa/

   dadnoun

   A person's father, said affectionately.
2. 2
   papa/ˈpapa/

   potatonoun

   A round vegetable that grows underground and is eaten boiled or fried.
3. 3
   revólver/reˈbolbeɾ/

   revolvernoun

   A gun with a rotating cylinder that holds the bullets.
4. 4
   revolver/rebolˈbeɾ/

   to stirverb

   To move something with a spoon or your hand so it mixes.
5. 5
   sábana/ˈsabana/

   bedsheetnoun

   A large piece of cloth you put over the mattress to sleep on.
6. 6
   sabana/saˈbana/

   savannanoun

   A very large plain with grass and almost no trees.
7. 7
   ejército/eˈxeɾsito/

   armynoun

   A group of soldiers who defend a country.
8. 8
   cortés/koɾˈtes/

   politeadjective

   Treating others with good manners.
9. 9
   solo/ˈsolo/

   onlyadverb

   Nothing more than that, with nothing added.
10. 10
    más/mas/

    moreadverb

    Indicates a greater amount or degree when comparing two things.

The sentences

1. Esa palabra es papá, con acento en la última sílaba.

   That word is papá, stressed on the last syllable.

2. Pásame la papa cocida, todavía está caliente.

   Pass me the boiled potato, it's still hot.

3. En la lista viene revólver, el arma que dispara balas.

   On the list there's revólver, the gun that fires bullets.

4. Hay que revolver la sopa para que no se pegue.

   You have to stir the soup so it doesn't stick.

5. La sábana blanca ya está sobre el colchón.

   The white sheet is already on the mattress.

6. En la sabana africana casi no hay árboles.

   In the African savanna there are almost no trees.

7. Mi tío estuvo en el ejército muchos años.

   My uncle was in the army for many years.

8. Tu hermano siempre es muy cortés con todos.

   Your brother is always very polite with everyone.

9. Solo quiero un café, nada más, gracias.

   I just want a coffee, nothing else, thanks.

10. Necesito más tiempo para leer toda la lista.

    I need more time to read the whole list.

Pronunciation

• papá/paˈpa/

  The stress falls on the last syllable: pa-PÁ.

• papa/ˈpapa/

  Here the stress falls on the first syllable: PA-pa.

• revólver/reˈbolbeɾ/

  The v sounds just like a b, and the stress falls on the middle syllable: re-BOL-ber.

• revolver/rebolˈbeɾ/

  The initial r is trilled and the stress falls on the last syllable: re-bol-BER.

• sábana/ˈsabana/

  Stress on the first syllable: SÁ-ba-na.

• sabana/saˈbana/

  Stress on the middle syllable: sa-BA-na.

• ejército/eˈxeɾsito/

  The j is a scraped, throaty sound and the c sounds like s: e-JÉR-si-to.

• cortés/koɾˈtes/

  The stress falls at the end and the s is fully pronounced: cor-TÉS.

Questions

What's the difference between papá and papa?

Papá is stressed on the last syllable and means dad; papa is stressed on the first syllable and is the vegetable eaten boiled or fried.

What does cortés mean?

It means someone treats others with good manners, as in "Tu hermano siempre es muy cortés con todos."

What's the difference between revólver and revolver?

Revólver, stressed on the middle syllable, is the gun; revolver, stressed on the last syllable, is the verb meaning to stir something.