Spanish conjugation explanation
Rules of stress

<p>In Spanish, every word has one syllable that is emphasized or pronounced more strongly than the others. This is called the <strong>stress</strong> (or <span style="font-style: italic;">acento tónico</span>).</p>

<p>There are two basic rules that determine which syllable naturally receives the stress. If a word follows these rules, it does <strong>not</strong> need a written accent mark. If a word breaks these rules, a written accent mark (<strong>la tilde</strong>) is required to show exactly where the emphasis generally falls.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Rule 1: Words ending in a Vowel, N, or S</div>

<p>If a word ends in a <strong>vowel</strong>, <strong>n</strong>, or <strong>s</strong>, the stress naturally falls on the <strong>second-to-last</strong> (penultimate) syllable.</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">ca-sa (<span style="font-style: italic;">house</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in a vowel → stress naturally falls on <span class="green_emphasis">ca</span>.</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">jo-ven (<span style="font-style: italic;">young</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in <strong>n</strong> → stress naturally falls on <span class="green_emphasis">jo</span>.</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">lu-nes (<span style="font-style: italic;">Monday</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in <strong>s</strong> → stress naturally falls on <span class="green_emphasis">lu</span>.</div>

</li>

</ul>

<p>Most conjugations in the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/14/" target="_blank">Present Indicative</a>

follow this rule (e.g., <span style="font-style: italic;">hablo, comes, viven</span>).</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Rule 2: Words ending in other Consonants</div>

<p>If a word ends in a <strong>consonant</strong> (other than <strong>n</strong> or <strong>s</strong>), the stress naturally falls on the <strong>last</strong> syllable. This includes all verbs in the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/58/" target="_blank">Infinitive</a>

form (verbs ending in -ar, -er, -ir).</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">ha-blar (<span style="font-style: italic;">to speak</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in <strong>r</strong> → stress naturally falls on <span class="green_emphasis">blar</span>.</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">pa-pel (<span style="font-style: italic;">paper</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in <strong>l</strong> → stress naturally falls on <span class="green_emphasis">pel</span>.</div>

</li>

</ul>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Breaking the Rules: The Written Accent</div>

<p>If the pronunciation of a word does <strong>not</strong> follow the two natural stress rules above, an accent mark (<strong>á, é, í, ó, ú</strong>) must be written over the stressed vowel. This tells the reader to "break the rule" and emphasize that syllable.</p>

<p><strong>1. Breaking Rule 1 (Stress on Last):</strong><br /> The word ends in a Vowel, N, or S, but the stress is on the <strong>last</strong> syllable. This is extremely common in the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/18/" target="_blank">Preterite tense</a>

and the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/16/" target="_blank">Future tense</a>

.</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in n, but stress is on <span class="green_emphasis">ción</span>.</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">ha-bló (<span style="font-style: italic;">he/she spoke</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in vowel, but stress is on <span class="green_emphasis">bló</span>.</div>

</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>2. Breaking Rule 2 (Stress on Penultimate):</strong><br /> The word ends in a consonant (not N or S), but the stress is on the <strong>second-to-last</strong> syllable.</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Ends in l, but stress is on <span class="green_emphasis">ár</span>.</div>

</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>3. Stress on the Third-to-Last Syllable:</strong><br /> If the stress falls on the <strong>third-to-last</strong> (antepenultimate) syllable, an accent mark is <strong>always</strong> required, regardless of the ending letter.</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">mú-si-ca (<span style="font-style: italic;">music</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">te-lé-fo-no (<span style="font-style: italic;">telephone</span>)</div>

</li>

</ul>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Importance in Conjugation</div>

<p>In verb conjugations, the written accent is often the only difference between two forms that have completely different meanings. Missing these accents is a frequent mistake that confuses the tense.</p>

<p>Consider the regular verb

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/esp/hablar/" title="Click to see conjugations for hablar" target="_blank">hablar</a>

. A critical distinction exists between the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/20/" target="_blank">Imperfect Subjunctive</a>

and the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/16/" target="_blank">Future Indicative</a>

. Both originate from the same root, but the accent mark shifts the stress to the final syllable in the Future tense:</p>

<p><strong>Imperfect Subjunctive</strong> (Stress on <span class="green_emphasis">la</span>, follows Rule 1):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/20/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito imperfecto subjuntivo (ra)</a>

</span>hablara

</span>

</div>

tú

</span>hablaras

</span>

</div>

él

</span>hablara

</span>

</div>

nosotros

</span>habláramos

</span>

</div>

vosotros

</span>hablarais

</span>

</div>

ellos

</span>hablaran

</span>

</div>

<p><strong>Future Indicative</strong> (Stress on <span class="green_emphasis">rá</span>, breaks Rule 1):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/16/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Futuro</a>

</span>hablaré

</span>

</div>

tú

</span>hablarás

</span>

</div>

él

</span>hablará

</span>

</div>

nosotros

</span>hablaremos

</span>

</div>

vosotros

</span>hablaréis

</span>

</div>

ellos

</span>hablarán

</span>

</div>

<p>A similar distinction occurs between the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/18/" target="_blank">Preterite</a>

and the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/14/" target="_blank">Present Indicative</a>

. The Preterite S/3 ending requires an accent because the stress falls on the final 'o'. Without the accent, it is read as the first-person singular of the present tense:</p>

<p><strong>Preterite</strong> (He/She spoke):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/18/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito perfecto simple</a>

</span>hablé

</span>

</div>

tú

</span>hablaste

</span>

</div>

él

</span>habló

</span>

</div>

nosotros

</span>hablamos

</span>

</div>

vosotros

</span>hablasteis

</span>

</div>

ellos

</span>hablaron

</span>

</div>

<p><strong>Present Indicative</strong> (I speak):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/14/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Presente</a>

</span>hablo

</span>

</div>

tú

</span>hablas

</span>

</div>

él

</span>habla

</span>

</div>

nosotros

</span>hablamos

</span>

</div>

vosotros

</span>habláis

</span>

</div>

ellos

</span>hablan

</span>

</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Irregular Stress Patterns</div>

<p>For some verbs, you must be careful with apparent "rules." The verb

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/esp/estar/" title="Click to see conjugations for estar" target="_blank">estar</a>

has irregular stress marks in the present tense. Although forms like <span style="font-style: italic;">estás</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">están</span> end in <strong>s</strong> or <strong>n</strong>, the stress falls on the last syllable. Because this breaks Rule 1, accent marks are required on the <strong>a</strong>. See

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/spanish_estar_stress_marks/" target="_blank">estar stress marks</a>

for more details.</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/14/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Presente</a>

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estoy<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>

</div>

tú

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estás<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>

</div>

él

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">está<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>

</div>

nosotros

</span>estamos

</span>

</div>

vosotros

</span>estáis

</span>

</div>

ellos

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">están<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>

</div>

<p>For specific rules regarding accents used to break diphthongs (such as in <span style="font-style: italic;">día</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">país</span>, or the verb

), see the explanation on

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/spanish_stress_mark_on_i/" target="_blank">stress marks due to hiatus</a>

.</p>

Spanish conjugation explanation Rules of stress

Spanish conjugation explanation
Rules of stress