How to pronounce “hace un rato”
Hear how “hace un rato (a little while ago)” sounds in Spanish, then read the breakdown below.
hace un ratoAH-seh OON RRAH-toh (Latin America) · AH-theh OON RRAH-toh (Spain)
Accent
Breakdown
| Meaning | a little while ago |
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| Syllables | ha · ce un ra · to (5) |
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| IPA (Latin America) | /ˈa.se ˈun ˈra.to/ |
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| IPA (Spain) | /ˈa.θe ˈun ˈra.to/ |
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Tips for English speakers
Common mistake: The h is silent: "AH-seh oon RRAH-toh", not "HAH-say".
- The r at the start of a word (or after n, l or s) is rolled: the tip of the tongue flutters against the roof of the mouth.
- The h is silent.
- c before e or i sounds like s in Latin America and like the "th" in "think" in most of Spain.
- 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 · Spanish vowels
Example sentences
Te llamé hace un rato.I called you a little while ago.
Llegó hace un rato.He arrived a little while ago.
More words
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