Pronunciation
ll and y
Most of Latin America merges ll and y. The target here is a palatal sound, close to English y, not an l with an extra y stuck on.
ll
Typical mistake
ll as “el-y” or a hard English l is the usual miss. pollo should not start its second syllable with a clear l.
How to make the sound
- 01Say yo. That y is the family you want.
- 02llamar ≈ yamar. pollo ≈ poyo.
- 03Do not add a separate l before the y.
Practice words
llamar
to call
pollo
chicken
llave
key
yo
I
Questions
- Is ll always like y?
- In this Latin American target, yes. Some regions use a stronger sh-like sound. We are not teaching that here.
- What about a single l?
- A single l, as in la or solo, is a normal l. ll is the pair of letters.
See also
Next — topical phrases: Phrases
Check ll out loud
Record a phrase with this sound — the teacher will tell you if you landed it.