LingoDrop
Spanish · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "el pie" in Spanish?
el pyeh — one syllable, with the ie gliding together, so it is not "pee-eh".
A single beat, held together by the ie diphthong. The plural "pies" is also one syllable. Note the phrase "a pie" means on foot, and "de pie" means standing, both keeping the same single beat.
Listen: el pie
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Me duele el pie derecho.
My right foot hurts.
Listen: Me duele el pie derecho.
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"Me duele el pie derecho" uses "doler", which works like "gustar" — the foot does the hurting and "me" receives it, so the verb agrees with the foot. "Duele" shows a stem change with ue in one beat, and "derecho" has a single tapped r and a ch as in "church".
Where English speakers slip
The ie gets split into two syllables, giving "PEE-eh", when it should be one glide — say the English word "yeah" with a p in front and you are close. The p then wants an English puff. And note the grammar: "me duele" is the correct structure, while "yo duelo el pie" would mean something like I ache the foot.