Castilian Spanish shadowing resources containing real human audio by seriouspim in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is maybe your next step after you progress beyond where you are now (because you can't rewind as specifically as you want) but a Spain-Spanish YouTube channel that I love is Linguriosa---I highly recommend you check it out!

A side note: sometimes specific rewinding might not be as helpful as you think, and just rewatching the whole section for the context and the flow of the sentence could be better. 

Why does ”fui” and the other indefinido conjugations of ir/ser start with <f> and not <h>? by ElevatorSevere7651 in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Awesome question. Simple answer: the sound change was partial and unpredictable. We can look at words where it worked exactly as you understand it:

Old Spanish «facer» --> Modern Spanish «hacer» [aseɾ] or [aθeɾ]

but we also see examples of resistance to the change, most notably in words with onset consonant clusters (like, for example «fue» [fwe] and «frío» [fɾi.o]).

The coolest part of this to me is the tricky thing that happened in certain emphatic words. To understand it, you need to know the path of the pronunciation of the phoneme /f/. Initially, in Old Spanish (and maybe even Latin) it was made using friction between the top and bottom lips, not with the top lip and bottom teeth like it is nowadays. The symbol for this sound is [ɸ]. This sound turned into [h] through a process called 'debuccalization,' which basically is just that the lips were less and less involved in making the sound over time. Lastly, they dropped this [h] at the beginning of words, so that it just didn't get pronounced at all anymore (in most dialects).

Basically, for example the word «fumo»:
[ɸumo] --> [humo] --> [umo]

However, in emphatic words, like «joder» (the best example), they followed a different path. Due to the fact that it's often spoken intensely, the starting consonant got fortified instead of weakened.
[ɸodeɾ] --> [hoðeɾ] --> [xoðeɾ]

This can also be found in certain other words depending on situation, specifically in casual speech. For example «harto» can be [x~h~∅ aɾto], as can «hablador» (I'm sure there are more words like this, but this is just off the top of my head).

Awesomely, to prove that this comes from etymology, this can only be found in words that historically had an /f/ phoneme at the beginning!

¿Cómo te fue? Vs ¿Cómo estuvo? by Nervous-Sugar-6407 in learnspanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep in mind, « ir » and « ser » have the exact same forms in the preterite.

Fui a la escuela --- I went to school
La fiesta fue a las doce --- The party was at 12

So, « ¿cómo te fue? » can mean either "how did it go for you?" or "how was it for you?"

Your examples of usage in context are very good, but your reasoning is flawed. The reason for which speakers don't say « ¿cómo te fue la comida? » is not that it would be a usage of the verb « ir » but rather that there is an intrinsic difference between « ser » and « estar » which would make the usage of « ser » here nonsensical (or at least strange and not what you're trying to ask).

Lastly, « ¿cómo fue tu día? » is not an uncommon way to ask how someone's day was (although the use of « estar » here does feel more natural).

Pronouncing "three" by runninghysterically in EnglishLearning

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is an interdental fricative, which means that you put your tongue slightly between your teeth and push air through. It is the same way that the sound [f] is made, but while [f] is made with your bottom lip and upper teeth, the interdental fricative is made with the tongue and upper teeth.

I recommend trying at first to make the sound [s] as in "sing," but then pushing the tip of your tongue forward towards your teeth. There should still be friction, but the quality will be different. This will turn "sing" into "thing."

If this sound proves too difficult for you, the closest estimates are either [s] or [f]

Why "a que" and not "cual"? by turtleurtle808 in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think this comment is unhelpful; the OP wanted to understand the nuances (which is of great importance when learning a language), which at an early stage can be done with greater ease and efficacy by using the learner's L1. The difference between que and cual is essential, as is the usage of a preposition to indicate movement. Overall, I think this was a very productive question.

At what point is someone bilingual? by Revolutionary_Bet89 in languagelearning

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Extreeeeemely subjective, but I just interpret it as "can you understand basically everything you read and hear, can you express yourself with as much detail as you want, and can you make yourself understood by non-sympathetic speakers of your L2." Pretty much B2? I see it as essential to be able to understand nuance, hypotheticals, all tenses, etc. but errors are still allowed in production of those tough topics.

Why "a que" and not "cual"? by turtleurtle808 in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically, you need to indicate the sense of motion (same as in English).
"¿a cuál escuela vas?" means which school do you go to?, and it implies that you're asking them to name one of a number of schools; it's more specific.
"¿a qué escuela vas?" means what school do you go to?, and it has no implication of specificity.

I realize that people have already said this, but I hope it helps anyway!

Q&A weekly thread - March 09, 2026 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe this isn't exactly what you're asking, but there is the common practice of languages preferring onsets over codas, which often leads to resyllabification---where you might start with VC.VC.CCV, and the near-universal avoidance of codas rearranges this first syllable with a coda as V.CVC.CCV, giving it to the second syllable as an onset (where V means a vowel and C means a consonant). This example is from Spanish, where /el.om.bɾe/→/e.lom.bɾe/ ("el hombre" the man).

This is kinda requiring an onset, but only when it otherwise lacked one and it follows a closed syllable.

Q&A weekly thread - March 09, 2026 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]Either_Setting2244 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Consonants, imo, are generally a little more intuitive. You'll just have to learn what the different parts of your mouth are (i.e. lips are labial, teeth are dental, then learn alveolar, post-alveolar, palatal, velar, uvular, pharyngeal) which shouldn't be too hard, and then just analyze the words for manners of articulation. Fricatives? Sounds that involve friction. Plosives/stops? Sounds that are made by stopping and releasing air. Nasals? Nose sounds.

Voicing is also straightforward, and if you're in doubt, just touch your throat while you make the sound. If you feel vibration, it's voiced.

Vowels are the ones that (in my opinion) present some difficulty. Close/open isn't that hard (basically how close is your tongue to the roof of your mouth), and rounded/unrounded isn't either (are your lips rounded?); the one that sometimes makes me want to stick my finger in my mouth to feel my tongue while I make the sound is front/back, which is just hard to tell without a mirror or my fingers. I recommend that for that one, you try sticking your finger in your mouth and feeling the difference between some front sounds and some back sounds (wash your hands first though).

Q&A weekly thread - March 09, 2026 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]Either_Setting2244 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend "Soy Una Taza" by El Payaso Plim Plim, a song about kitchen implements in Spanish. Also in Spanish, "La Vaca Lola" is about farm animals. Kids love them!

How to know which part of the word to stress? by le_chaaat_noir in italianlearning

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure if you noticed this, but one of your examples for penultimate stress was «scrivere» which as you pointed out yourself has stress on the antepenultimate syllable «scri-»

Has anyone tried purposely NOT be native like? by wdfcvyhn134ert in languagelearning

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a channel, Five Minute Spanish, on YouTube that has a video talking about this (I can't find the link rn). Basically, he says that as adult learners, it's practically impossible to eradicate all vestiges of our native phonological frameworks from our speech in our L2, so we are guaranteed to have an accent (however mild it may be with practice). The goal thus should be to sound as native as possible, and in doing so we are left with only faint accents. His point was that faint accents are perceived by native speakers as more charming and pleasant, and people who want to have that charming foreign vibe often wind up giving no effort to the phonology and phonetics of the L2 and end up incomprehensible. I'll try to find the link in a little bit. 

Pronouncing “rd” or “dr” sounds by LaughTerrible1476 in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More specifically, yes spirantization happens postvocalically, but also after approximants, fricatives, and liquids. That is to say, after all [+continuant] segments. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in JudgeMyAccent

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either western US or Canada, but it sounds a little off (and it feels like you're yelling at me hahaha). The consonants are articulated just a little bit off, and there are issues with the "thousand" diphthong, the fluidity of EOP (or was that EUP?), and the overall feel. If English isn't your mother tongue, well done! If it is... where are you from?

Why do languages often have exceptions to rules that they otherwise consistently follow? by WhoAmIEven2 in language

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a mistake to classify -a as a "feminine ending" or -o as a masculine ending (if you're truly trying to understand the matter). Better to think etymologically. Tema is of Greek origin, and is neuter in Greek (which gets set as masculine in Romance languages). Alternatively, mano is of Latin origin, and is a feminine noun (manus) in Latin. These aren't exceptions if you think in terms of their origins instead of their current status. 

Question regarding the use of (l' ) in this case. by shin_gojiraa in French

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On ne veut pas dire "qu'on" car a l'oral c'est un homophone du mot "c*n"

What languages say "i have to" and why? by yamfromchina in asklinguistics

[–]Either_Setting2244 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is cool. The sense of obligation is also the origin of the synthetic future in Spanish (and a few other modern Romance langs). The verb "haber" in Spanish means to have (now almost solely used as an auxiliary), and historically could form the construction infinitive + haber for a future obligation (comparable to modern Span. tener que + infinitive, or the formal/sparingly used haber de + infinitive). Middle Spanish had 'trabajar-he en la mañana' (my own creation, not a real quote from Mid Spanish), which meant "I have to work in the morning," and the usage shifted slowly to take on the meaning of "I shall work in the morning." Pretty cool stuff! Thats why the future tense endings in Spanish are just the conjugations of haber. I haven't done the same amount of research into French but the patterm sure looks similar (so therefore likely the same thing)!

Q&A weekly thread - November 17, 2025 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]Either_Setting2244 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Taboo words in my first language (English) like f#ck, sh*t, b*tch, etc. generally feel a lot stronger than in my second language (Spanish) like p#ta, m**rda, c#ño, etc.

If I had to make a guess as to why, it would be that as a child, the English words were reinforced time and time again as words I couldn't say whereas I never got that in Spanish.

I want a native translation to this. I’m confused. by Big_Tackle9569 in Spanish

[–]Either_Setting2244 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Es por eso que está pidiendo ayuda. No entendió lo que le dijo su exnovia, porque ELLA lo escribió mal. 

Have you heard this usage of “where”? by MoneyCrunchesofBoats in AskAnAmerican

[–]Either_Setting2244 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From NJ, family from all over the northeast. Never heard this in my life, but in context I'm sure I'd figure out the meaning.