How do you say diphthong words like aire in Spanish?

In aire the a and the i stay joined in one syllable, ai-re, with the stress on the first syllable.

What's the difference between a diphthong and a hiatus in these words?

In a diphthong like suave the vowels stay together in one syllable; in a hiatus like país or río they separate into different syllables.

País is a territory with its own government and its own laws.

You read a list out loud and for each word you have to decide whether the two vowels go together in one syllable or split apart.

Abre la ventana, que aquí no entra aire.

Open the window, no air is coming in here.

10 words10 sentences

aire/ˈajɾe/
airnoun
Mixture of gases you breathe that is everywhere.
ciudad/sjuˈdad/
citynoun
A large population with many streets, buildings and people.
suave/ˈswabe/
softadjective
Smooth and pleasant to the touch.
huevo/ˈwebo/
eggnoun
An oval object with a shell that hens lay and that is eaten cooked.
viejo/ˈbjexo/
oldadjective
That has already lived many years.
río/ˈrio/
rivernoun
A stream of water that runs across the land toward the sea or another stream.
país/paˈis/
countrynoun
A territory with its own government and its own laws.
reír/reˈiɾ/
to laughverb
To make noise and faces when something makes you laugh.
leer/leˈeɾ/
to readverb
To run your eyes over letters to understand what they say.
ahí/aˈi/
thereadverb
In that place, far from the speaker but close to the listener.

Spell it1 of 3

Abre la ventana, que aquí no entra aire.
Open the window, no air is coming in here.
En esta ciudad todo queda lejos sin carro.
In this city everything is far away without a car.
Toca la toalla, se siente muy suave.
Feel the towel, it's so soft.
¿Te preparo un huevo con frijoles para el desayuno?
Should I make you an egg with beans for breakfast?
Ese carro está viejo pero todavía sirve muy bien.
That car is old but it still runs really well.
Desde el puente se ve el río muy tranquilo.
From the bridge you can see the river, so calm.
Es la primera vez que salgo del país solo.
It's the first time I'm leaving the country alone.
No me hagas reír, que me duele el estómago.
Don't make me laugh, my stomach hurts.
Me gusta leer un rato antes de dormir.
I like to read for a while before bed.
Déjalo ahí en la mesa, luego lo guardo.
Leave it there on the table, I'll put it away later.

aire/ˈajɾe/
The a and the i are joined: ai-re, two syllables, stressed on the first.
ciudad/sjuˈdad/
The c sounds like an s. The i and the u go together: ciu-dad, and the stress falls on dad.
suave/ˈswabe/
The u and the a don't separate, and the v sounds just like a b.
huevo/ˈwebo/
The h is silent and hue- is said like 'we', all in one syllable. The v sounds just like a b.
viejo/ˈbjexo/
The v sounds like a b and the j comes from the throat; ie is one syllable and the stress is on vie.
río/ˈrio/
The r at the start rolls strongly, and the í and the o are said separately: rí-o.
país/paˈis/
The a and the i don't join: pa-ís, with all the stress on the í.
reír/reˈiɾ/
It's said in two parts, re-ír, and the stress falls on the í.
leer/leˈeɾ/
The two e's sound separately: le-er, with the stress on the second.
ahí/aˈi/
The h is silent and the vowels stay loose: a-í, with the stress on the í.

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How do you say diphthong words like aire in Spanish?: In aire the a and the i stay joined in one syllable, ai-re, with the stress on the first syllable.
What's the difference between a diphthong and a hiatus in these words?: In a diphthong like suave the vowels stay together in one syllable; in a hiatus like país or río they separate into different syllables.
What does país mean?: País is a territory with its own government and its own laws.

10 wordsabout 6 min