Stress and Written Accents: tú, sí, él and More
Discover where the stress falls in everyday Spanish words, when they need a written accent (tilde), and how the accent tells apart pairs like tu/tú, si/sí and el/él.
Preview
Questions with solutions-
1. Επιλέξτε τη σωστή απάντηση.
Which spelling of the word for 'coffee' is correct?
- café
- cafe
- cáfe
- cafè
Say it out loud: the stress is on the last syllable, and the word ends in a vowel.
Show solution
- café
A word that ends in a vowel, n or s is normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable. 'Café' breaks that pattern (ca-FÉ), so it needs a written accent. Spanish only uses the accent mark ´, never `.
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2. Επιλέξτε τη σωστή απάντηση.
Which of these words is stressed on the LAST syllable?
- papel
- mesa
- libro
- casa
Look at how each word ends: a vowel, or a consonant?
Show solution
- papel
'Papel' ends in l, a consonant that isn't n or s, so it is naturally stressed on the last syllable: pa-PEL. No accent needed! 'Mesa', 'libro' and 'casa' end in a vowel, so they are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: ME-sa, LI-bro, CA-sa.
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3. Συμπληρώστε το κενό.
Complete: 'Your brother is tall.'
___ hermano es alto.
- Tu
- Tú
- Te
- Ti
Here the word means 'your', not 'you'.
Show solution
Tu hermano es alto.
'Tu' without an accent means 'your' (tu hermano = your brother). 'Tú' with an accent means 'you' (Tú eres alto = You are tall).
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4. Συμπληρώστε το κενό.
Someone offers you water and you say 'Yes, please.'
—¿Quieres agua? —___, por favor.
- Sí
- Si
- Se
- Sé
Which form means 'yes'?
Show solution
—¿Quieres agua? —Sí, por favor.
'Sí' with an accent means 'yes'. 'Si' without an accent means 'if'. 'Sé' means 'I know'.
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5. Συμπληρώστε το κενό.
Complete: 'If it rains, I don't go out.'
___ llueve, no salgo.
- Si
- Sí
- Se
- Sé
This time you need the word for 'if'.
Show solution
Si llueve, no salgo.
'Si' without an accent means 'if': Si llueve = If it rains. Save 'sí' with an accent for 'yes'.
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6. Συμπληρώστε τα κενά.
Complete: 'The book is his.' (literally: The book is of him.)
___ libro es de ___.
- El
- él
- Él
- el
- Lo
- le
One gap needs 'the', the other needs 'him'. Only one of them has an accent.
Show solution
El libro es de él.
'El' without an accent is the article 'the' (el libro = the book). 'Él' with an accent is the pronoun 'he/him' (de él = his). The first word of the sentence also starts with a capital letter: 'El libro es de él.'
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7. Επιλέξτε τη σωστή απάντηση.
One of these words is missing its written accent. Which one?
- lapiz
- mesa
- reloj
- ciudad
The word for 'pencil' is said LA-piz, but it ends in z.
Show solution
- lapiz
A word ending in a consonant other than n or s is normally stressed on the last syllable, like 're-LOJ' and 'ciu-DAD'. 'Lápiz' is stressed on the first syllable (LÁ-piz), so it needs an accent to show that.
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8. Επιλέξτε τη σωστή απάντηση.
Which syllable is stressed in 'teléfono'?
teléfono
- lé
- te
- fo
- no
The accent mark shows you exactly where the stress is.
Show solution
- lé
te-LÉ-fo-no: the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable. Words stressed this far back ALWAYS carry a written accent, like 'música', 'número' and 'sábado'.
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9. Βάλτε τις λέξεις στη σωστή σειρά.
Ask: 'Where is your mom?'
- está
- ¿Dónde
- mamá?
- tu
Question words like 'dónde' come first.
Show solution
¿Dónde está tu mamá?
Notice the accents: question words carry one ('dónde'), 'está' and 'mamá' are stressed on the last syllable, and 'tu' (your) has none.
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10. Επιλέξτε τη σωστή απάντηση.
Which sentence is written correctly?
- ¿Qué hora es?
- ¿Que hora es?
- ¿Qué hora és?
- ¿Qúe hora es?
Question words get an accent; the short verb 'es' never does.
Show solution
- ¿Qué hora es?
In questions, 'qué' (what) carries an accent, on the e, the vowel you stress. 'Es' (is) is a one-syllable word and doesn't need an accent.