Free Spanish lessons: Numbers 0 to 30

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Lesson 1: Numbers 0 to 30 - pronunciation practice - Text and mp3

• Printable text: you can print out this Spanish pronunciation page instead of reading it on your screen
• Tips on how to make the most of this free Spanish pronunciation practice

Pronunciation practice

You can practice your pronunciation with our Spanish Podcasts for Beginners

Watch out for your pronunciation

• Spanish pronunciation is very regular
• The secret of how to communicate successfully is not only in mastering each individual letter, but also in getting familiar with certain groups of letters. In the case of the numbers above, for instance: ce, ci, qui are the most important letter groups. Throughout the 24 lessons in our book, the 'Watch out for your pronunciation' section highlights the most common pronunciation mistakes that English speakers tend to make, and shows you how to avoid them
• So, let's start by practicing the letters 'b' and 'v'. Repeat after the Spanish speaker: ba, be, bi, bo, bu, va, ve, vi, vo, vu
• Notice that the Spanish 'v' sounds just like the Spanish 'b'. To practice this sound, listen carefully to the numbers 20 to 29 and repeat them
• Then come back and listen to these other numbers and practice saying them, as they are the most difficult ones to pronounce correctly: cero, seis, siete, nueve, diez, doce, quince, dieciséis, diecisiete, veinte, treinta
• Finally, you will find that some numbers sound very similar. Pay particular attention to the following groups: 2/10/12; 6/7; 16/17; 20/30
• Good news! Once you have learned these thirty numbers, all other numbers are going to be easy to learn. Why? Because most of them will resemble the ones you have seen in this lesson

Pronunciation notes

• How important is it to get the pronunciation right? You do not have to pronounce things perfectly in order to be understood by native speakers, but there are certain mistakes that you should avoid. These will be highlighted in the 'Watch out for your pronunciation' section throughout this book
• I can't tell the difference between some numbers when I hear them. What can I do? Don't only practice listening to them, but also saying them. The better you pronounce the numbers yourself, the better you will understand them when other people say them. Practice them over several sessions. Start other lessons and then come back to the numbers in Lesson 1 regularly, until you are totally familiar with them
• What is the accent in words like dieciséis or veintidós for? The accent is there to tell you where to put the stress. Many Spanish words are stressed on the second last vowel or group of vowels, like: uno, cuatro, nueve, catorce, veinte. These words do not need an accent when written because they belong to the norm. Dieciséis and veintidós have an accent to remind you that they do not belong to the norm

• First listen to the recording without looking at the text
• Then read the text carefully, and the Spanish numbers out loud
• Now listen to the recording again, but this time read the numbers out loud along with the Spanish speakers
• Compare your pronunciation with that of the native speakers. Are you making any obvious mistakes? If so, repeat the numbers until you get them right
• If you come back to this pronunciation page every few days for a couple of weeks, you'll see a great improvement not only in your pronunciation, but also in your intonation, speed and confidence
• To reinforce what you've learned, go to the dialogues and the speaking exercise included in these free lessons

Spanish set phrase
Cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas

English literal translation
Each of us has his own way of killing fleas

English equivalent
There's more than one way to skin a cat