sílabas
/silabas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "syllables" is translated into Spanish as sílabas.
The term refers to the individual units of pronunciation that compose a word.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of sílabas is sílaba, which means "syllable".
How do you pronounce it?
/silabas/
Did you know?
- The Spanish concept of sinalefa allows the last syllable of one word to merge with the first syllable of the next word if one ends in a vowel and the other begins with one.
- In Spanish, the word sílaba shares a root with the English word 'syllable', both descending from the Greek syllabē, which literally means 'that which is held together'.
- Unlike English, where 'syllables' can vary in length, Spanish is a 'syllable-timed' language. This means every sílaba is pronounced with approximately the same duration, creating a machine-gun like rhythm.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuántas sílabas tiene esta palabra?How many syllables are in this word?This sentence is useful for asking for the syllable count of a specific word.Tatoeba #1820867 by Shishir, translation #12216815 by megamanenm
- Intenta dar con una frase de quince sílabas.Try to come up with a sentence that has fifteen syllables.This sentence is useful for suggesting a challenge involving a fifteen-syllable sentence.Tatoeba #10203420 by Seael, translation #10112592 by espamatics
- Según la interpretación occidental más común, un haiku es un poema de 5-7-5 sílabas.In the most common Western understanding, a haiku is just a poem of 5-7-5 syllables.This sentence is useful for explaining the syllable structure of a haiku.Tatoeba #13054116 by carlosalberto, translation #13053389 by rul
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are practicing their Spanish pronunciation together.
- LucíaEsta palabra es muy larga y tiene muchas sílabas.This word is very long and has many syllables.
- JavierTienes razón, es difícil de pronunciar.You're right, it is difficult to pronounce.
- LucíaVamos a separarla por sílabas para practicar.Let's separate it by syllables to practice.
- JavierMe parece una buena idea, Lucía.I think that's a good idea, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
