Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "la verdad" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce la verdad in Spanish?

la verdad is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /la beɾˈðad/. It means “truth.” lah behr-THAHD — the v is a b, the middle d is soft, and the final d almost vanishes.

lah behr-THAHD — the v is a b, the middle d is soft, and the final d almost vanishes.

la verdad /la beɾˈðad/

Two syllables in the noun, ver-DAD, with the beat at the end. The word ends in d, a consonant that is not n or s, so the default rule places the stress on the final syllable with no accent needed. Every Spanish noun ending in -dad works this way — ciudad, libertad, universidad — which makes it one of the most reliable patterns in the language.

Listen: la verdad

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Sound it out

la A bright forward l and a wide-open "ah". The article is unstressed and leans onto the noun.

ver The v is a b sound, made with both lips and no teeth. Then a short "eh" and a single tap of the r, with the vowel left uncoloured.

dad Two d's behaving differently: the first, after an r, is soft and close to the th of "those"; the second, at the end of the word, is weaker still — a light brush that many speakers reduce almost to silence. Between them sits a wide-open "ah" carrying the stress.

Hear it in a sentence

Dime la verdad, por favor.

Tell me the truth, please.

Listen: Dime la verdad, por favor.

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"Dime la verdad, por favor" attaches the pronoun to the command, making one word: DEE-meh. Spanish does this with affirmative commands as a rule. Notice "la verdad" takes the definite article where English would say just truth — Spanish uses articles far more freely with abstract nouns.

Where English speakers slip

Three consonants go wrong at once for most beginners: the v gets buzzed, and both d's get the full hard English treatment, producing "vur-DAD" with a thudding ending. Make the v a b, soften the middle d toward a th, and let the final one nearly disappear. Front-stressing to "VER-dad" is the other habit, and the d ending is what rules it out.