Little kids when learning English know that “when two vowels
go walking, the first one does the talking.” This is not the case in Spanish.
When two vowels are placed together in a word, linguists call this a diphthong.
Sounds sort of kinky you say? Well in Spanish it does make both vowels sort of
freak out and do something completely different. Here are the most common
combinations:
|
Combination |
Sounds Like |
|
ai, ay |
like the i in wide |
|
au |
like the ou in pound |
|
ei, ey |
like the ey in payday |
|
eu |
like the vowel sounds in “hey- |
|
oi, oy |
like the oy in toy |