Language

Language

Most people in Peru speak Spanish, but some people also speak Quechua.

SPANISH:

Spanish uses a very similar alphabet to the one we use in Canada.

The Spanish Alphabet:

 

Some of the letters look the same and are pronounced the same:

B, C, D, F, K, M, N, P, S, T, V, W, Z

 

Other letters look the same but are pronounced differently:

  • A = Sounds like the A in ASK
  • E = Sounds like the E in BEAR
  • J = Sounds like the H in HELLO
  • O = Sounds like the O in LOST
  • Y = Sounds like the J in JELLO.
  • H = The letter H is silent

 

Some letters sound like two English letters together:

U = Sounds like OO in BOO.

I = Always sounds like EE in BEE.

The only letter that looks different is the Ñ:

This letter is pronounced similar to NY in the word CANYON.

 

Saying Hello in Spanish:

HOLA = O – LAH

 

The Quechua Alphabet:

 

These sounds are only used in words that Quechua has borrowed from Spanish, and they are pronounced the same as in English:

b, d, f, g

Other sounds that look the same and are pronounced the same:

ch, h, k, n, p, t, w

 

Some letters look the same but sound different:

  • ph = Sounds like PF and sometimes just like an F.
  • q = Sounds like a K but if you put a finger in your tongue when you say it.
  • ñ = Sounds similar to NY in CANYON.

 

Some sounds are like two English letters together:

u = Sounds like OO in BOO.

i = Sounds like EE in TREE.

y = Also sounds like EE in TREE.

 

Hello in Quechua:

Imaynalla kasanki = IMA-EE-NA-ELA  KA-SHAN-KEY