Silent "h"

[Chip00]

When I first started studying Spanish 7 years ago most of the books say that the "h" sound is all but silent.

I don't know if my perspective has changed after all of these years but my opinion is that "h" is prominent in many words such as like harto, javier etc.

What do the experts say?

 

[mkohn]

The h is silent.
"huesped" - wesped
"helado" - ehlahdough
The j sounds like an h in English.
"javier" - habeeair
"jardin" - hardeen
Keep up the good work.
mkohn

 

[Chip00]

The h is silent.

But what about "hartar". Your wife has never told you "tu me tienes harta!"

 

[Mirador]

The aspirated "h" sound, instead of the classical Spanish mute "h", is characteristic to the Dominican Republic, and is one of many influences of the extinct Taino language in present day Dominican Spanish. So you will hear expressions like, "tu si eres hablador (pronounced haa-blaa-dor)", "estoy harto (pronounced haar-toe) de ti"... By the way, did you know that the terms 'maize' (English), and 'ma?z' (Spanish) is derived from the Taino 'mah?' pronounced (maa-hee)? In the DR Southwest, the campesino still says 'maa-hee' (singular) and 'maa-hee-ses' (plural) for corn.

 

[mkohn]

Sometimes people say bacalado instead of bacalao - thinking they are speaking properly.
Maybe it's an over compensation to say hartar instead of artar - that caught on.
Enjoy learning Spanish, and when in the DR, ...
mkohn

 

[Chirimoya]

The aspirated "h" sound, instead of the classical Spanish mute "h", is characteristic to the Dominican Republic, and is one of many influences of the extinct Taino language in present day Dominican Spanish. So you will hear expressions like, "tu si eres hablador (pronounced haa-blaa-dor)", "estoy harto (pronounced haar-toe) de ti"...

Funny that, because they do it in Andalucia too.

 

[M.A.R.]

But what about "hartar". Your wife has never told you "tu me tienes harta!"

hahahah so she went Dominican on you. That;s a very common phrase for Dominican women - 'Me tienes jarta muchacho 'er diablo'!!!!! very common but not a very nice thing to say to anyone.

 

[Chip00]

hahahah so she went Dominican on you. That;s a very common phrase for Dominican women - 'Me tienes jarta muchacho 'er diablo'!!!!! very common but not a very nice thing to say to anyone.

FYI she goes Dominican on me a lot as she knows not a lick of English. Funny though when I tell her the same things that she taught me how upset she gets!

 

[Mirador]

hahahah so she went Dominican on you. That;s a very common phrase for Dominican women - 'Me tienes jarta muchacho 'er diablo'!!!!! very common but not a very nice thing to say to anyone.

Actually, it is a quite harmless expression, from nagging mothers, or wives.

It means, "I'm fed up with you (your)..."

 

[qgrande]

The j sounds like an h in English.

I know it's a difficult sound if it's not part of someone's native language, but isn't the 'j' in Spanish closer to the 'ch' in the Scottish 'loch'?

 

[Chirimoya]

I know it's a difficult sound if it's not part of someone's native language, but isn't the 'j' in Spanish closer to the 'ch' in the Scottish 'loch'?

Mainly in Iberian Spanish. Latin Americans pronounce it more like an 'h' sound. For example the name Javier: a Spaniard will say 'Khavier' with that guttural sound, while a Latin American would say 'Havier'. Also - caja - cakha in Spain, caha in LA.

 

[Stodgord]

Mainly in Iberian Spanish. Latin Americans pronounce it more like an 'h' sound. For example the name Javier: a Spaniard will say 'Khavier' with that guttural sound, while a Latin American would say 'Havier'. Also - caja - cakha in Spain, caha in LA.

Do you mean the sound where they sound like they're going to spit a massive flem? Mexicans do the same thing, at least, the ones on TV.

 

[qgrande]

Mainly in Iberian Spanish. Latin Americans pronounce it more like an 'h' sound. For example the name Javier: a Spaniard will say 'Khavier' with that guttural sound, while a Latin American would say 'Havier'. Also - caja - cakha in Spain, caha in LA.

You're right, the Latin American 'j' sounds a lot 'softer', less guttural, but I still would think it's more than the english 'h'. But at least an 'h' is better than just skipping the whole letter, like people pronouncing 'juan' as 'one'.

 

[asopao]

You're right, the Latin American 'j' sounds a lot 'softer', less guttural, but I still would think it's more than the english 'h'. But at least an 'h' is better than just skipping the whole letter, like people pronouncing 'juan' as 'one'.

Those are signs of " porionez", or the lack of knowledge on how the language suppose to be. It really irritates me when the silent " h" gets bastardized.:tired:

ex: hallar-jallar
hablador-jablador
huye-juye


etc,etc. my "h" is always silent, all the time.

 

[Kyle]

you guys are such language specialists..

 

[A.Hidalgo]

Those are signs of " porionez", or the lack of knowledge on how the language suppose to be. It really irritates me when the silent " h" gets bastardized.:tired:

ex: hallar-jallar
hablador-jablador
huye-juye


etc,etc. my "h" is always silent, all the time.

I also make sure it's silent in my last name Hidalgo.:cheeky:

 

[A.Hidalgo]

Mainly in Iberian Spanish. Latin Americans pronounce it more like an 'h' sound. For example the name Javier: a Spaniard will say 'Khavier' with that guttural sound, while a Latin American would say 'Havier'. Also - caja - cakha in Spain, caha in LA.

while a Latin American would say 'Havier'.


A Latin American would correctly pronounce "Havier" as Avier because the H is silent. In Spain as well as all Latin American countries the H is SILENT as if it was not there. And by the way when people pronounce the H as a J its definitely a bastardization. In addition when it's miss pronounced example: JARTO, the person should know its spelled correctly HARTO.

Lesley D where are you?!?!?

 

[2LeftFeet]

Is that like the word Hierbe??? Jierbe with a J as in Jelly bean. I got into a heated discussion with an Argentine who insitsited that the word that was being pronounced was Yerba . I said no--- I really think the word that was being pronounced was Hierbe. I was being taught the word for grass. Since it is her language and not mine we settled for pasto----

So Hierba or Yerba for grass in Dominican Spanish???

 

[Chip00]

Is that like the word Hierbe??? Jierbe with a J as in Jelly bean. I got into a heated discussion with an Argentine who insitsited that the word that was being pronounced was Yerba . I said no--- I really think the word that was being pronounced was Hierbe. I was being taught the word for grass. Since it is her language and not mine we settled for pasto----

So Hierba or Yerba for grass in Dominican Spanish???

Definitely yerba here in the DR

 

[2LeftFeet]

Yerba is what a park has?? or you mow and it's pronounced J-erba--si?

Hierba is what you smoke??? and it's pronounce--erba? jajaja

Is that correct???