Pronunciation lesson: Diphthong "AU"
Let's practise together some pronunciation.
The correct pronunciation of the diphthong "AU" can be elusive, especially for English speakers.
In Spanish we pronounce all the vowels (au) whereas in English, these two vowels make a new sound (ɒ).
Take a look at the phonetic transcriptions for the word Australia.
English → /ɒˈstreɪliːə/
Spanish → /aus.ˈtɾa.lja/
Here is our video lesson for this topic.
Here's the transcript of our lesson's text:
Claudio es un náufrago austríaco que vive en una isla de Australia. Ser náufrago es traumático pero al menos tiene su flauta y unos audiolibros de su autor favorito.
What about other common words with this sound? Check this list:
Nouns
El auto / car (synonym of coche and carro)
El aumento / raise
El laurel / bay, laurel
La auditoría / audit
La audición / audition
La autopsia / autopsy
El audio / audio
La causa / cause
La audacia / audacity, boldness
El dinosaurio / dinosaur
Verbs
Aullar / to howl (Funnily, in Spanish we orally express the sound of howling by yelling "Auuu")
Aplaudir / to applaud
Cautivar / to captivate
Causar / to cause
Auxiliar / to help, to assist
Defraudar / to disappoint, to let down
Clausurar / to close down
Bautizar / to baptise
Augurar / to predict
Adjectives
Automático, automática / automatic
Incauto, incauta / gullible
Autónomo, autónoma / autonomous
Autóctono, autóctona / indigenous
Ausente / absent
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Your teacher,