¿Dónde está el acento?

If we know how to say a word in Spanish, we then know where the inflection is. It usually occurs on the second last syllable of the word when the word ends in a vowel, an “n”, or an “s.”

For example, gato, hablan, perros, verduras, acento

When a word ends in a consonant other than “n” or “s,” the inflection is usually on the last syllable, such as the word, pared. We don’t need to write the accent mark on such words. But in cases where these rules do not hold, an accent mark is in fact necessary.

For example, música, ratón, dólares, inglés, café

These words require accent marks because they do not follow the usual inflections of the language. A common mistake occurs with the words: examen, which does not require an accent and exámenes, which does require one since the inflection is no longer on the second last syllable.

There are also certain homonyms that are accented to distinguish one meaning from another. Here are a couple of examples of the distinctions:

Esta refers to the feminine “that,” while está means “is.”

De means “of” or “from,” while Dé is an imperative form of third personal singular of the verb "dar."

Se is used with reflexive verbs, while sé means “I know.”

Also, question words that come at the beginning of sentences (¿Dónde?, ¿Cómo?, ¿Cuándo?, ¿Qué?, and ¿Quién? ) require accent marks, whereas the same words with different meanings or uses do not have accent marks (donde, como, cuando, que, and quien).

If you learn these rules, you’ll never make mistakes writing accent marks, and you’ll have better Spanish pronunciation! ¡Qué bien!