The Importance of Developing an Accent in Spanish (How to Not Sound Like a Gringo)

Today we’re going to talk about the importance of developing an accent in Spanish. “La importancía de desarollar un accento en Español.”

The Infamous Gringo Accent

Every native Spanish speaker has heard it before: the distinct sound of a gringo speaking Spanish. And it’s not always very flattering.

My accent is far from perfect, but today I wanted to talk about three things: 

1. Why you should develop your accent. 
2. Which country you should model your accent after. 
3. How you can start improving your accent today.

Why You Should Develop Your Accent

Everybody wants to fit in, and that should be your goal with learning a language. Usually, it’s pretty easy to guess if somebody is from the United States when speaking Spanish. For some reason, we have this reputation of not being so great at learning languages. That’s why my goal isn’t just to “learn Spanish” but to try to get people to think that I’m from Mexico. An ambitious goal, right? 

But by making this my goal (instead of just “becoming fluent”) I’ll work extra hard on trying to fit in and speak as naturally as possible. My focus will be on listening and speaking, not memorizing obscure grammar or unconventional phrases.

Which Country You Should Model Your Accent After

But this brings me to my second point: Where should you blend in? Which country should you model your accent after? 

Obviously, I’m a little biassed on this one. I think learning Mexican Spanish makes the most sense for the majority of people from the United States. But it depends on your situation.

Maybe you want to live in Spain someday. Perhaps you’re fascinated by the architecture and the culture there and want to live in Europe. In that case, you should learn Spain’s Spanish accent. But most people learning Spanish, who maybe don’t know where they want to travel to, should learn Mexican Spanish.

Why? A third of the world’s Spanish-speaking population is from Mexico. So, right there you’re going to be widely understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world when you speak Mexican Spanish/are familiar with the Mexican accent.

Another reason is that Mexican Spanish is spoken fairly clearly (most of the time). There’s not much merging of words together. Yes, it can be speedy; Spanish is one of the world’s fastest languages, but in Mexico, it’s pretty clearly spoken. I can’t say that for all Spanish-speaking countries.

Mexico and Colombia speak Spanish in a very literal sense and a very phonetic sense. So, they’re not cutting off letters at the end of words or the beginning of words like they do in certain Spanish-speaking countries (such as in the Caribbean). For example, I noticed in Puerto Rico that it’s a little difficult to understand Spanish there until you get used to it. They cut off the ends of words sometimes.

Look at this common phrase in Puerto Rico for example: Mira niña, tiene’ que tirar eso porque está abombao. – Look, girl, you need to throw that out because it’s rotten. In Mexican Spanish, those omitted letters are clearly pronounced. For example, “Mira niña, tienes que tirar eso porque está abombado.”

These differences in accents and pronunciation occur throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

But what it comes down to is if you are dead set on living in or exploring another country where they speak Spanish, you should try to copy that region’s accent as much as possible. That way, you’ll fit in once you get there. 

Of course, there are some regional differences in Mexican Spanish. I’m most familiar with the accent of Colima Mexico, where May is from, where words like noches are pronounced with a distinct ch sound like we have in English with the word “chair.” However, in the north of Mexico most people pronounced the “ch” a little differently. It’s more like a “sh” instead of a “ch.” 

For example: “Buenas noSHes,” instead of “Buenas Noches.” You’ll notice the differences like that in many different Spanish-speaking countries.

How You Can Start Improving Your Accent Today

What are some of the ways you can start working to improve your accent today? 

My first tip: don’t worry about over exaggerating. It might seem like when you’re starting to copy the accent or the sound of the way somebody else speaks that you’re overdoing it. You don’t want to get too carried away with the “rr.” You can over-drag that, but most of the time, you’re probably under-doing it.

My second tip is to listen carefully to the way other people are talking. Imitate their words and phrases when you hear them, such as when listening to music or podcasts. Mimic their rhythm and pronunciation so you can become familiar with the way the words feel and sound. 

Also, don’t worry too much about the written part of the language — at least not yet! 

Think of it this way: when you were learning your first language, you didn’t read the words of a page and then start talking. You heard your parents talking, and little by little, you started repeating what they were saying. Your accent in your first language is perfect. Same thing with Spanish. Listen very carefully to the way people speak and repeat what they say.

Another tip (one that I personally love), is to practice “trabalenguas.” Practice tongue twisters in Spanish. I like to memorize the tongue twister and practice it when I’m on a road trip or on my motorcycle. I’ll say the thing over and over and over again until it feels natural. Tongue twisters in Spanish are challenging but as you practice them over and over and over again, it will become second nature. And it’ll also help get your tongue used to moving to make the sounds you need to make when speaking Spanish correctly.

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Being aware of the Spanish you’re consuming is the best way to improve your own accent and make sure that, when it comes time to speak to a native speaker, you’re understood. If there is a specific region of the world you want to visit or move to, focus on those accents. If not, stick to learning Mexican Spanish. It will provide a solid foundation that you can expand on once you become fluent. 

It will take time to understand the subtle differences in each accent, so be patient. After all, learning a new language is a marathon, not a sprint. However, by starting today and implementing the tips above you’ll become fluent much faster!