Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "primero" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce primero in Spanish?

primero is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /pɾiˈme.ɾo/. It means “first.” pree-MEH-roh, three beats with the stress in the middle and two single tapped r's.

pree-MEH-roh, three beats with the stress in the middle and two single tapped r's.

primero /pɾiˈme.ɾo/

pri-ME-ro: three syllables, and the second-to-last carries the beat, which is exactly what the default rule gives for a vowel-final word. The word shortens to "primer" directly before a masculine singular noun, and that clipped form ends in r — so the stress stays where it was, on the final syllable of pri-MER.

Listen: primero

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Sound it out

pri An unaspirated p joined immediately to a single tap of the r, then a tight "ee". The p and r stay distinct — English tends to blur them and curl the r backward.

me A normal m and a short "eh" as in "bed", carrying the stress.

ro A second single tap and a pure "oh". Neither r in this word is trilled.

Hear it in a sentence

Es mi primer día aquí.

It's my first day here.

Listen: Es mi primer día aquí.

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"Es mi primer día aquí" uses the shortened form because a masculine noun follows immediately. "Día" is one of those masculine nouns ending in -a, and its accent breaks the i from the a into two beats. "Aquí" needs its own accent to hold the stress on the final í against the default.

Where English speakers slip

Both r's get the English curl, which muffles the p and drags the vowels backward, producing "pruh-MER-oh". Each r is a single forward flick. The opening i then gets slackened toward "ih" and the final o reduced toward "uh". And the shortening rule catches people: "primer día" is correct, "primero día" is not, though "primera" keeps its full form before feminine nouns.