Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "libre" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce libre in Spanish?

libre is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈli.βɾe/. It means “free / available.” LEE-breh, stress on the first syllable, with a soft b and a fully pronounced final e.

LEE-breh, stress on the first syllable, with a soft b and a fully pronounced final e.

libre /ˈli.βɾe/

Two syllables — LI-bre — with the stress on the first, as the rule for this ending requires for a vowel-final word. Like "grande" and "triste", this adjective has one form for both genders, so only the plural "libres" changes — and it keeps the same stress. The related noun "libertad" moves the beat to the end, li-ber-TAD, because of its d ending.

Listen: libre

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Sound it out

li A bright, forward l and a tight "ee" as in "see", carrying the stress. Spanish i never slackens toward "ih".

bre The b follows a vowel, so it goes soft — the lips approach without meeting — and runs straight into a single tap of the r, then a short "eh". No vowel sneaks in between the b and the r.

Hear it in a sentence

¿Estás libre el sábado?

Are you free on Saturday?

Listen: ¿Estás libre el sábado?

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"¿Estás libre el sábado?" uses estar, because being available is a temporary state. "Sábado" carries an accent that pulls the stress back to the third-from-last syllable — always an exception in Spanish — and the article "el" before the day does the work of English on.

Where English speakers slip

Treat the final e as silent and two syllables collapse into a one-syllable "leebr". It is a full short "eh", making the word two beats. The b then needs softening between the vowel and the r, and the r itself should be one forward flick rather than an English curl. Meaning-wise, note that "libre" covers free as in available or unrestricted, while free of charge is "gratis".