eful.

I do not claim to have reached perfection. I only trust the book, such
as it presents itself, will be of real help to the student.

C.A. TOLEDANO.

MANCHESTER, 1911.

COMMERCIAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

ALPHABET.

A (_a_) G (_ge_) M (_eme_) Rr (_erre_)
B (_be_) H (_hache_) N (_ene_) S (_ese_)
C (_ce_) I (_i_) N (_ene_) T (_te_)
Ch (_che_) J (_jota_) O (_o_) U (_u_)
D (_de_) K (_ka_) P (_pe_) V (_ve_)
E (_e_) L (_ele_) Q (_cu_) X (_equis_)
F (_efe_) Ll (_elle_) R (_ere_) Y (_y griega_ or _ye_)
Z (_zeta_)

K (_ka_) and W (_doble ve_) are only found in foreign words
used in Spanish.

PRONUNCIATION OF VOWELS.

_a_ as English a in f_a_ther
_e_[1] " a " f_a_te[2]
_i_ " i " magaz_i_ne
_o_[1] " o " n_o_te[2]
_u_ " u " r_u_le

These five sounds _never_ vary, except that they are a little longer
when they are stressed and shorter when they are not, as Yo amo (I
love),[3] Amigo (friend), El cielo (heaven), Celeste (heavenly), Un
recibo (a receipt), Interes (interest), Yo como (I eat), Contar (to
count), Un buque (a ship), Una butaca (an armchair).

_Y_ is considered a vowel in the conjunction _y_ (and), and at the end
of a word, as Rey (king), Hoy (to-day).

[Footnote 1: _E_ and _o_ are sounded a little more open when they form
a diphthong with _i_ and when they precede _r_ followed by a consonant
or _r_ or _l_ final, as Fernando (Ferdinand), Un tercio (a third), El
tercer ano (the third year), Porfiar (to insist), Amor (love), Espanol
(Spanish).]

[Footnote 2: The _a_ and _o_ of "fate" and "note" are not _pure vowel
sounds_. In English the a is distinctly pronounced a-ee and o is
pronounced o-oo.

In Spanish the first part _only_ of the two sounds is permissible.]

[Footnote 3: The examples given with their English equivalents should be
learnt.

DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS.

There are no Diphthongs or Triphthongs in the English sense of two or
three vowels meeting in one syllable and blending into a different
sound, as "pause," "plough."

Every vowel is pronounced separately and each with its alphabetical
sound, only the two or three vowels occurring in one syllable are
pronounced rapidly, as Pausa (pause), Reino (kingdom), Cuenta (account),
Buey (ox).

_A, E_ and _O_ never form diphthongs together.