Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "el árbol" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce el árbol in Spanish?

el árbol is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /el ˈaɾ.βol/. It means “tree.” e-LAR-bohl — the accent holds the stress on the first syllable against the l ending.

e-LAR-bohl — the accent holds the stress on the first syllable against the l ending.

el árbol /el ˈaɾ.βol/

Two syllables, ÁR-bol, and the accent is essential. The word ends in l, so the default rule would put the beat on the final syllable and give "ar-BOL". The mark overrides that. The plural "árboles" keeps the accent, since the beat now sits three syllables from the end.

Listen: el árbol

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

el A short "eh" and a bright l, linking straight into the noun's opening vowel.

ár A wide-open "ah" carrying the accent, closed by a single tap of the r. The vowel must not be swallowed by the r.

bol A soft b, since a vowel-plus-r precedes it, then a pure "oh" and a bright forward l. Keep that final l light rather than darkening it.

Hear it in a sentence

El árbol tiene muchas hojas.

The tree has a lot of leaves.

Listen: El árbol tiene muchas hojas.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"El árbol tiene muchas hojas" uses "tener" where English says has. "Hojas" has a silent h at the front and a throaty j in the middle — O-has — which makes it a good companion drill for the two very different jobs the letter h and the letter j do.

Where English speakers slip

Ignoring the accent gives "ar-BOL", which is what the default rule would produce and exactly what the mark forbids. The r then gets the English curl, bending the first syllable into "ARR", and the final l gets darkened. Three corrections in a two-syllable word, all of them audible.