Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "nada" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce nada in Spanish?

nada is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈna.ða/. It means “nothing.” NAH-thah — the d in the middle is soft, close to the th in "mother".

NAH-thah — the d in the middle is soft, close to the th in "mother".

nada /ˈna.ða/

NA-da: two syllables, and the first carries the beat, which is the default placement. Invariable, like "algo" and "alguien". Note the phrase "de nada" earlier in this course uses exactly the same word — the pronunciation does not change, only the job it is doing in the sentence.

Listen: nada

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Sound it out

na A clean n and a wide-open "ah" as in "father", carrying the stress.

da Between two vowels the d softens dramatically: the tongue brushes the upper teeth without blocking the air, producing something very close to the th of "this". Then a second wide "ah", identical to the first.

Hear it in a sentence

No quiero nada, gracias.

I don't want anything, thanks.

Listen: No quiero nada, gracias.

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"No quiero nada, gracias" is a double negative and Spanish insists on it: "no" before the verb, "nada" after. Say "quiero nada" alone and it sounds broken. "Gracias" packs its ias into one final syllable and has a soft c before i, giving GRA-syas.

Where English speakers slip

Most of the damage is done by the d, given the full English plosive treatment with the tongue slamming into the ridge behind the teeth. Between vowels it should be so soft it nearly becomes a th, and many native speakers reduce it further still. The final a then wants reducing to "uh". And the double negative is the grammar half of the problem — leaving out "no" is the commonest structural error learners make with this word.