In Spain, as in many other countries, there is not a single accent. The way of speaking varies according to the region and, in this sense, the dialect used in Andalusia has its own characteristics that have spread among millions of Spanish speakers from Spain and other parts of the world.
Improving your listening comprehension of the Spanish accent used in Andalusia is very important. Although it may seem difficult at first, to understand it, it is necessary to have information. So you can know exactly how to adjust your ear and what its basic rules are.
Maybe you live in Andalusia or know someone from there and you have a hard time understanding their way of speaking. But understanding Andalusian is also important for DELE students, since part of the hearing test involves understanding audios with different types of accents, including Andalusian.
In addition, getting to know this particular dialect better will allow you to understand many other Spanish speakers, as the Andalusian accent has spread to other parts of Spain. In fact, it is very similar to what is spoken in Extremadura, Castilla la Mancha or Murcia, in addition to the Spanish that is used in the Canary Islands and even in Latin America. Understanding Andalusian will broaden your horizons!
However, it should be clarified that there is not a single accent in Andalusia, since there are also differences within the region, although in general they share some common features.
In order for you to easily identify and understand it, it is important to know that the Andalusian accent, in pronunciation, uses “seseo”, that is, many words that carry “z” or “s” are pronounced and sound like “s”, either at the end or in the middle of the words. In turn, in other areas of Andalusia, “licking” applies, which implies that words written with “s” are pronounced with “z”, for example, words such as “home”, they may sound like “hunt”.
In turn, when speaking, many Andalusians eliminate the “s” at the end of certain words, or rather, they don't pronounce them: they say “house” instead “houses”, following the same example.
The same thing happens when the same letter is in the middle of a word. Some Andalusians replace that intervocalic “s” with an “h”, that is, -for example- “together” instead of “fair”.
Another feature is the elimination of the intervocalic “d”, that is, when that letter is between vowels and also decreases its pronunciation when speaking (“I ate”, instead of “I have eaten”).
Also, sometimes, final consonants are not pronounced. For example, many Andalusians say “Madri” when referring to the capital of Spain (Madrid) or “Happiness” (happiness). The same thing happens occasionally with words that end with “l”.
In other cases, the Andalusian accent shortens certain words. For example, the preposition “for” It is usually pronounced “Dad”, or the word “nothing”, you sound like “No”.
These and many others are part of the most characteristic features of the Andalusian accent, and it is very important that you can identify and understand it.
If you want to know more about the Andalusian accent to improve your listening comprehension, I recommend that you sign up for a very interesting course. In fact, it is the only course (yes, the only one) that addresses the Andalusian dialect in depth.
The course includes an hour and a half of very clear and well-detailed videos on Andalusian and Andalusian language, theoretical material with features of this accent, examples, audio tracks, listening comprehension activities, glossaries and much more.
It will be very useful for you to understand this accent, to communicate better and to take the DELE exam hearing test! Sign up and master the Andalusian language!
Access the course with a 10% discount:
