How to pronounce “García”
Hear how “García (common surname)” sounds in Spanish, then read the breakdown below.
Garcíagahr-SEE-ah (Latin America) · gahr-THEE-ah (Spain)
Accent
Breakdown
| Meaning | common surname |
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| Syllables | gar · cí · a (3) |
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| Stress | The written accent marks the stress: CÍ. |
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| IPA (Latin America) | /ɡaɾ.ˈsi.a/ |
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| IPA (Spain) | /ɡaɾ.ˈθi.a/ |
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Tips for English speakers
Common mistake: Stress the í: gahr-SEE-ah, not "GAR-see-uh".
- The single r is a quick tap, like the "tt" in American English "butter". Don't use an English r.
- c before e or i sounds like s in Latin America and like the "th" in "think" in most of Spain.
- The accent on í keeps it in its own syllable, so garcía has 3 syllables.
- Keep every vowel short and pure: a = "ah", e = "eh", i = "ee", o = "oh", u = "oo". No gliding.
Learn more: Spanish R and RR · Spain vs. Latin America · Stress and accent marks
Example sentences
La señora García es mi profesora.Mrs. García is my teacher.
Los García viven en esta calle.The Garcías live on this street.
More words
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