Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "estoy" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce estoy in Spanish?

estoy is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /esˈtoj/. It means “I am (state, right now).” es-TOY, with the punch on the second syllable and a crisp, unaspirated t.

es-TOY, with the punch on the second syllable and a crisp, unaspirated t.

estoy /esˈtoj/

Two syllables, es-TOY. The word ends in the letter y, which Spanish treats as a consonant for stress purposes, so the default rule sends the beat to the final syllable — exactly where it lands, so no accent mark is needed. Compare "estoy" with "estás", which ends in s and therefore does need one.

Listen: estoy

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Sound it out

es A short "eh" as in "bed", then a plain hissing "s". Never a "z" buzz, even between vowels — Spanish s stays voiceless.

t The tongue tip touches the back of the upper teeth, not the ridge behind them, and there is no puff of air after it. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: an English "t" blows; a Spanish "t" doesn't.

oy A single gliding beat, "oy" as in English "boy". The y here is doing vowel work, closing the diphthong.

Hear it in a sentence

Estoy en el trabajo.

I'm at work.

Listen: Estoy en el trabajo.

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"Estoy en el trabajo" uses estar because being at work is a location, not an identity. Listen to how "estoy en" runs together: the final glide of "estoy" slides straight into the "en" with no gap, giving something like es-TOY-yen. Spanish links words across a vowel boundary as a matter of course.

Where English speakers slip

The trap is the initial cluster. English has no word starting "est-" without help, so speakers either add a supporting vowel — "ess-TOY" with an audible break — or aspirate the t into "es-TOHY" with a breathy release. Neither is right: the "est" runs as one smooth unit and the t is dry. Beginners also tend to stress the first syllable out of English habit, producing "ESS-toy", which sounds like a different word entirely.