Words that English gets wrong in Spanish

1. 1
   jalapeño/xalaˈpeɲo/

   jalapeñonoun

   A thick green chili pepper that's spicy and used a lot in Mexican food.
2. 2
   tortilla/toɾˈtiʝa/

   tortillanoun

   A thin disc of dough cooked on a griddle and used to wrap food.
3. 3
   quesadilla/kesaˈdiʝa/iAlso said kesaˈdiʃa, kesaˈdiʒa or kesaˈdia.

   quesadillanoun

   A tortilla folded with cheese inside and heated until the cheese melts.
4. 4
   guacamole/ɡwakaˈmole/

   guacamolenoun

   A paste of mashed avocado with salt, lime and other things.
5. 5
   chile/ˈtʃile/

   chili peppernoun

   A fruit that's spicy and used to add flavor to food.
6. 6
   piñata/piˈɲata/

   piñatanoun

   A paper figure or pot filled with candy that gets broken with a stick at a party.
7. 7
   burro/ˈburo/

   donkeynoun

   A long-eared animal, like a small horse, used to carry things.
8. 8
   bilingüe/biˈlinɡwe/

   bilingualadjective

   Speaking two languages.
9. 9
   español/espaˈɲol/

   Spanishadjective

   Having to do with Spain or the language spoken there.
10. 10
    pronunciación/pɾonunsjaˈsjon/

    pronunciationnoun

    The way the sounds of a word are said.

The sentences

1. El jalapeño se ve chico, pero pica muchísimo, te lo juro.

   The jalapeño looks small, but it's really spicy, I swear.

2. Pide una tortilla de maíz para el guacamole, por favor.

   Ask for a corn tortilla for the guacamole, please.

3. Pide una quesadilla de queso y te la calientan rápido.

   Ask for a cheese quesadilla and they'll heat it up fast.

4. El guacamole lleva aguacate, limón y un poco de sal.

   Guacamole has avocado, lime and a bit of salt in it.

5. El chile verde pica más que el rojo, ten cuidado.

   Green chile is spicier than red, so be careful.

6. La piñata y el jalapeño llevan el mismo sonido raro.

   Piñata and jalapeño have that same tricky sound.

7. En el menú no hay burro, ese es un animal.

   There's no burro on the menu, that's an animal.

8. Mi primo es bilingüe y te puede ayudar con el menú.

   My cousin is bilingual and can help you with the menu.

9. El acento español suena distinto al de acá, lo notas rápido.

   Spanish from Spain sounds different from here, you notice it right away.

10. Tu pronunciación ya va mejor, nada más dilo más despacio.

    Your pronunciation is already better, just say it slower.

Pronunciation

• jalapeño/xalaˈpeɲo/

  The j sounds like a heavily aspirated h, not like the English j, and the stress falls on the syllable 'pe'.

• tortilla/toɾˈtiʝa/

  The ll sounds like a y: to-rti-ya, and the stress falls on 'ti'.

• quesadilla/kesaˈdiʝa/

  In qu the u isn't heard: it sounds like k. The ll sounds like a y and the stress falls on 'di'.

• guacamole/ɡwakaˈmole/

  Gua is a single syllable, gwa, not split into two; the stress falls on 'mo'.

• chile/ˈtʃile/

  The stress falls on the first syllable and the final e is pronounced: chi-le.

• piñata/piˈɲata/

  The ñ is a single sound, made with the tongue against the roof of the mouth; the stress falls on 'ña'.

• burro/ˈburo/

  The rr is trilled with several vibrations and the stress falls on the first syllable: bu-rro.

• bilingüe/biˈlinɡwe/

  The dots over the u make it sound: gwe. The stress falls on 'lin'.

• español/espaˈɲol/

  The stress falls on the last syllable, 'ñol', and the initial e is said clearly, without the i that English adds to it.

• pronunciación/pɾonunsjaˈsjon/

  The ending -ción is said 'sion', with the s and in a single syllable, and that's where the stress falls.

Questions

How do you pronounce jalapeño in Spanish?

The j sounds like a heavily aspirated h, not like the English j, and the stress falls on the syllable 'pe'.

Why don't tortilla and quesadilla sound like they look?

In both words the ll sounds like a y, so tortilla is said to-rti-ya and in quesadilla the stress falls on 'di'.

What does bilingüe mean?

It means speaking two languages, and the dots over the u make the sound 'gwe' come through.