Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "el paraguas" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce el paraguas in Spanish?

el paraguas is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /el paˈɾa.ɣwas/. It means “umbrella.” el pah-RAH-gwahs, three beats — and the s is part of the singular, not a plural.

el pah-RAH-gwahs, three beats — and the s is part of the singular, not a plural.

el paraguas /el paˈɾa.ɣwas/

Three syllables, pa-RA-guas, beat on the second-to-last, following the default rule. The word is a compound — para plus aguas, literally for waters — and it is identical in the singular and the plural: "el paraguas" and "los paraguas". Only the article tells you how many umbrellas there are.

Listen: el paraguas

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Sound it out

pa An unaspirated p and a wide-open "ah", unstressed but at full value.

ra A single tap of the tongue tip — this r sits between vowels, so no trill — plus a second wide "ah" carrying the stress.

guas A softened g, then the u gliding into the a as a w, closed by a hissing s. One beat, "gwahs".

Hear it in a sentence

Lleva el paraguas, va a llover.

Take the umbrella, it's going to rain.

Listen: Lleva el paraguas, va a llover.

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"Lleva el paraguas, va a llover" uses two double l's — "lleva" and "llover" — both pronounced as y sounds. "Va a llover" pushes two identical a vowels together, which speakers merge into one longer sound. The whole sentence is a good drill for the ll.

Where English speakers slip

Learners strip the s off in the singular, producing "paragua", on the assumption that it must be a plural marker. It is not — the word ends in s in both the singular and the plural. Then the ua gets split into two syllables, and the g gets hardened when it should be soft between vowels. Three habits, all fixable once you know the word is a compound.