Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "el problema" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce el problema in Spanish?

el problema is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /el pɾoˈβle.ma/. It means “problem (masculine, despite -a).” el proh-BLEH-mah — masculine despite the -a ending, which is the whole point.

el proh-BLEH-mah — masculine despite the -a ending, which is the whole point.

el problema /el pɾoˈβle.ma/

Three syllables, pro-BLE-ma, with the weight on the second-to-last, the placement the default rule gives. The plural "problemas" keeps it and stays masculine: "los problemas". The word belongs to a family of Greek-derived nouns ending in -ma that are all masculine — tema, sistema, programa, idioma — which makes the exception worth learning as a set.

Listen: el problema

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Sound it out

el A short "eh" and a bright l, unstressed. The article is the only visible sign that this -a noun is masculine.

pro An unaspirated p joined to a single tap of the r, then a pure "oh". Keep the p and r distinct.

ble A soft b between the vowel and the l, then a bright forward l and a short "eh" carrying the stress.

ma A normal m and a wide-open "ah" — the ending that makes the word look feminine.

Hear it in a sentence

Hay un problema con el auto.

There's a problem with the car.

Listen: Hay un problema con el auto.

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"Hay un problema con el auto" uses "un", not "una", which is the practical consequence of the gender. "Auto" glides its au into one beat. And "con el" links across into ko-NEL, since Spanish never leaves a gap between a consonant and a following vowel.

Where English speakers slip

The gender is the trap, and it catches almost everyone: "una problema" is a very common beginner error, and adjectives must be masculine too — "un problema grave", never "una problema grave". Sound-wise, the pr cluster gets an English r that muffles the p, and the b gets popped when it should be soft between the vowel and the l.