Veo venir veinte vientos.
BE-o be-NIR BEIN-te BIEN-tos
I see twenty winds coming.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Veo venir veinte vientos! I see twenty winds coming!
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Spanish 'B/V' Sound
/b/The most important lesson here: in Spanish, the letters 'b' and 'v' make the exact same sound. Forget the English 'v' (teeth on lip). Instead, make this sound using only your lips, just like the 'b' in the English word 'boy'.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start here. For both 'veo' and 'venir', press your lips together lightly and release the sound. It should feel exactly like you're about to say the English word 'boy'. No teeth should touch your lip!
Now for the second half. It's the same sound, two more times. The challenge is repeating it four times in a row without accidentally slipping back into the English 'v' habit. Consistency is key!
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is a fundamental pronunciation drill disguised as a simple tongue twister. It's designed to train English speakers out of the habit of differentiating between 'b' and 'v', which is one of the most common pronunciation mistakes. Mastering this builds a strong foundation for a more natural accent.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the English 'V' Sound
Mistake: "Pronouncing 'veo', 'venir', 'veinte', or 'vientos' by touching your top teeth to your bottom lip, as you would in the English word 'very'."
Correction: In Spanish, the 'v' sound is made with both lips coming together. It's called a 'bilabial' sound. Just pretend every 'v' you see is a 'b'. Say 'Beo benir beinte bientos'. It might feel strange at first, but it's 100% correct.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This pronunciation rule is universal. From Spain to Argentina to Mexico, the 'b' and 'v' are pronounced identically. This tongue twister is a perfect practice tool for any dialect of Spanish.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Four 'V's Challenge
Can you say it five times in a row, getting faster each time, without letting your teeth touch your lips? Record yourself and listen back to see if you can hear the difference!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you sure 'b' and 'v' are always the same sound in Spanish?
Yes, linguistically they represent the same sound (phoneme). This is one of the first major pronunciation rules learners should master. While there are two very subtle variations of the sound depending on where it is in a word, the most important thing to remember is to never use the English 'v' sound.
Why do they have two different letters if they make the same sound?
It's due to the history of the language and its evolution from Latin. The spellings of words were preserved for historical reasons, even after their pronunciation merged over the centuries. It's similar to how English has 'k' and 'c' making the same sound in 'kick'.