How to pronounce “qué vergüenza”
Hear how “qué vergüenza (how embarrassing!)” sounds in Spanish, then read the breakdown below.
¡qué vergüenza!KEH behr-GWEHN-sah (Latin America) · KEH behr-GWEHN-thah (Spain)
Accent
Breakdown
| Meaning | how embarrassing! |
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| Syllables | qué ver · güen · za (4) |
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| IPA (Latin America) | /ˈke beɾ.ˈɡwen.sa/ |
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| IPA (Spain) | /ˈke beɾ.ˈɡwen.θa/ |
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Tips for English speakers
Common mistake: The dots on ü mean you say the u: "behr-GWEHN-sah", not "ber-GEN-za".
- The single r is a quick tap, like the "tt" in American English "butter". Don't use an English r.
- v sounds the same as b. Spanish has no English-style v sound.
- z sounds like s in Latin America and like the "th" in "think" in most of Spain.
- qu sounds like k; the u is silent.
- 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
¡Qué vergüenza! Me caí en la calle.How embarrassing! I fell in the street.
Llegué tarde otra vez, ¡qué vergüenza!I was late again, how embarrassing!
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