Are you ready to test your Spanish accents skills? This comprehensive Spanish accents quiz will challenge your understanding of tildes (accent marks ´), pronunciation rules, and help you master one of the most crucial aspects of Spanish grammar. Whether you're studying palabras agudas, graves, or esdrújulas, this quiz covers the essential accent mark rules you need to know.
Before diving into our Spanish accents quiz, let's quickly review the fundamental rules that govern when and where to place accent marks (tildes) in Spanish.
Spanish words are classified into three main groups based on where the stress falls:
Palabras Agudas (Oxytone Words)
Stress on the last syllable
Add tilde when ending in vowel, n, or s
Examples: café (coffee), también (too)
Palabras Graves/Llanas (Paroxytone Words)
Stress on the second-to-last syllable
Add tilde when NOT ending in vowel, n, or s
Examples: árbol (tree), lápiz (pencil)
Palabras Esdrújulas (Proparoxytone Words)
Stress on the third-to-last syllable
ALWAYS carry a tilde
Examples: música (music), rápido (fast)
Diphthongs (two vowels in same syllable) follow the general accent rules, while hiatus (vowels in separate syllables) has special rules. When a weak vowel (i, u) is stressed next to a strong vowel (a, e, o), the weak vowel always gets a tilde to break the diphthong: día (day), río (river).
Some Spanish words are spelled identically but have completely different meanings depending on whether they carry a tilde. For example, más (more) vs. mas (but), tú (you) vs. tu (your), or sé (I know) vs. se (reflexive pronoun). These diacritical accents distinguish meaning and prevent confusion.
Now it's time to put your knowledge to the test! This Spanish accents practice quiz includes questions on all major topics. Choose the correct answer for each question.
a) dolor (pain)
b) papel (paper)
c) cancion (song)
d) animal (animal)
a) in the last syllable (co)
b) in the second-to-last syllable (ni)
c) in the third-to-last syllable (tro)
d) It doesn't need an accent
a) lápiz (pencil)
b) dificíl (difficult)
c) rápido (fast)
d) guía (guide)
a) True
b) False
a) Yo no sé si él esta tomando te
b) Yo no se sí él está tomando té
c) Yo no sé sí él esta tomando te
d) Yo no sé si él está tomando té
a) honor (honor)
b) feliz (happy)
c) compas (compass)
d) ciudad (city)
a) True
b) False
a) hipopotamo (hippopotamus)
b) delfin (dolphin)
c) ballena (whale)
d) tarantula (tarantula)
a) Mi tia es mas alta que mi mamá
b) Mí tia es más alta que mi mamá
c) Mi tía es más alta que mi mamá
d) Mi tía es más alta que mí mamá
a) Chile
b) Peru
c) Panama
d) Mexico
The correct answer is canción. Why? Because it is stressed on the last syllable (palabras aguda) and ends with -n, so the accent mark needs to be placed on the last vowel.
No me gusta esta canción.
I don't like this song.
Caption 28, Yago 2 El puma - Part 1
Play Caption
The correct answer is c) because electrónico is stressed on the third-to-last syllable (palabra esdrújula), so the accent mark is needed.
Era un gran rancho electrónico
It was a great electronic ranch
Caption 15, Hecho en México Documentary - Part 1
Play Caption
The word difícil is stressed on the second-to-last syllable (palabra grave) and doesn't end in -n, -s, or a vowel, so the accent goes on the second-to-last syllable: di-fí-cil.
Ay, eso va a estar como muy difícil, doctor,
Oh, that's going to be, like, very difficult, Doctor,
Caption 1, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 4 - Part 14
Play Caption
In the word egoísta, there's a hiatus occurring between the vowels "o" and "í." Since the weak vowel "í" receives the stress, it forces a separation between "o" and "í," placing them in different syllables: e-go-ís-ta. This creates a four-syllable word.
¡Eres un egoísta, un egoísta, un egoísta!
You're a selfish person, a selfish person, a selfish person!
Caption 32, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 12 - Part 8
Play Caption
Yo: Doesn't need an accent
no: Doesn't need an accent
sé: Accent needed because it's the first person conjugation of the verb saber (to know) in the present indicative
si: Doesn't need an accent when it means "if" in English
él: Accent needed. The pronoun él (he) always needs an accent
está: Needs an accent because it's a palabra aguda ending in a vowel
tomando: Doesn't need an accent because it's a palabra grave ending in a vowel
té: Accent needed when referring to "tea" in English
The correct answer is compás because it is stressed on the last syllable (palabra aguda) and ends with -s, so the accent mark needs to be placed on the last vowel.
"compás" o "colibrí".
"compás" [compass] or "colibrí" [hummingbird].
Caption 30, Carlos explica Acentuación Cap. 4: Clasificación de las palabras según el acento
Play Caption
The plural of árbol is árboles. While árbol is a palabra grave that needs an accent mark because it doesn't end in -n, -s, or a vowel, when we form the plural árboles, it becomes a palabra esdrújula (stress on the third-to-last syllable: ár-bo-les). Since all palabras esdrújulas always need an accent mark, árboles must keep the accent.
donde hay árboles muy grandes
where there are very big trees
Caption 30, Silvia nos cuenta El bosque encantado y las emociones mágicas - Part 2
Play Caption
The correct answer is ballena because it's a palabra grave ending in a vowel, so it doesn't need an accent mark. The other words need accent marks: hipopótamo is a palabra esdrújula (all esdrújulas need accents), delfín is a palabra aguda ending in -n (agudas ending in vowels, -n, or -s need accents), and tarántula is a palabra esdrújula (all esdrújulas need accents).
Tiene la forma y el tamaño de una ballena jorobada.
It has the shape and size of a humpback whale.
Caption 41, Pipo Un paseo por la playa de Atacames
Play Caption
Mi: Doesn't need an accent when it's a possessive adjective meaning "my"
tía: Needs an accent because there's a hiatus between the weak vowel "í" and the strong vowel "a," creating two separate syllables: tí-a
es: Doesn't need an accent because it's a monosyllabic word
más: Accent needed because it means "more" (distinguishes from mas meaning "but")
alta: Doesn't need an accent because it's a palabra grave ending in a vowel
que: Doesn't need an accent when it means "than" in English
mi: Doesn't need an accent when it's a possessive adjective meaning "my"
mamá: Needs an accent because it's a palabra aguda ending in a vowel
The correct answer is Chile because it's a palabra grave ending in a vowel, so it doesn't need an accent mark. The other countries need accent marks: Perú is a palabra aguda ending in a vowel (agudas ending in vowels, -n, or -s need accents), Panamá is a palabra aguda ending in a vowel, and México is a palabra esdrújula (all esdrújulas need accents).
Seguro que se fue con esa secretaria a Chile.
Surely he went with that secretary to Chile.
Caption 11, Muñeca Brava 8 Trampas - Part 14
Play Caption
9-10 correct: ¡Excelente! You have a solid grasp of Spanish accent rules.
7-8 correct: Great job! You're well on your way to mastering tildes.
5-6 correct: Good effort! Review the rules and keep practicing.
3-4 correct: Keep studying! Focus on the three main categories.
0-2 correct: Don't worry! Start with the basics and practice regularly.
This Spanish accents test covered the essential rules you need to know for proper Spanish pronunciation and spelling. Remember that mastering tildes takes time and practice, but understanding these patterns will significantly improve your Spanish writing and speaking skills.
Keep practicing with these Spanish accent rules, and you'll find that placing tildes becomes second nature. Remember, accent marks aren't just decorative—they're essential for proper pronunciation and can completely change the meaning of words.
We'd love to hear how you did on this quiz! Send us your results and any questions you might have about Spanish accents.
What are reflexive verbs in Spanish? A reflexive verb is a verb in which the subject (person or thing that completes the action) and object (person or thing that receives the action) are one and the same. In other words, the action "reflects back" onto the subject, or entails something one does to or for him or herself. It is no wonder then, that many of the things we "do to ourselves" in our daily routines (e.g. shaving ourselves, washing ourselves, etc.) fall into the category of reflexive Spanish verbs.
How can we recognize Spanish reflexive verbs? The main way to distinguish reflexive verbs in Spanish is by the fact that they all end in the pronoun se in their infinitive form. To take a very simple example, while the verb hablar means "to talk," hablarse is a reflexive verb meaning "to talk to oneself." However, the translations for reflexive verbs in Spanish aren't always so straightforward.
As we often say just "I shave" or "I wash" in lieu of "I shave/wash myself," the English translations of Spanish reflexive verbs won't always include pronouns like "myself," "yourself," etc. In other cases, the meanings of verbs like parecer (to seem) completely change in their reflexive forms (parecerse means "to look like"). And so, as there are a lot more reflexive verbs in Spanish than in English, many of which may not "seem" reflexive, with increased exposure to Spanish, we will learn which English concepts are expressed with Spanish reflexive verbs.
To conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish, we must memorize the reflexive pronouns that correspond to each personal pronoun: yo (I), tú (you), etc.. Reflexive pronouns are most often placed before the verb, which is conjugated "as usual" (in the same way as its non-reflexive form). To demonstrate this, let's take a look at the reflexive pronouns and the simple present conjugation of the regular verb despertar (to wake up). We will then show you the conjugation of its reflexive form (despertarse).
| Personal Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | Despertar | Despertarse |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | despierto | me despierto |
| tú | te | despiertas | te despiertas |
| él, ella, usted | se | despierta | se despierta |
| nosotros/as | nos | despertamos | nos despertamos |
| vosotros/as | os | despertáis | os despertáis |
| ellos/as, ustedes | se | despiertan | se despiertan |
Now that you know the Spanish reflexive pronouns and how to conjugate reflexive Spanish verbs, let's take a look at some examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish for describing things that many of us do on a daily basis, with lots of instances from our Yabla video library as always! Here is our list of Spanish reflexive verbs for your daily routine:
The Spanish reflexive verb despertarse means "to wake up":
y por la mañana me despierto entre seis y cuarenta y cinco a siete y cuarto.
and in the morning I wake up between six forty-five and seven fifteen.
Caption 62, Los médicos explican - Diagnóstico: nervios y estrés
Play Caption
After waking up, the next step might be levantarse ("to get up" or "get out of bed"):
Se levanta muy temprano.
She gets up very early.
Caption 51, El Aula Azul - Las Profesiones
Play Caption
In other contexts, the reflexive Spanish verb levantarse could also mean, among other things, "to stand up" or "get up," as from a seat, or even "to rise up against," as in a rebellion.
The Spanish noun baño means "bath," and the verb bañarse can mean "to take a bath" as well. However, as bañarse can also be the more general "to bathe," a person might even use this verb to express the fact that they are taking a shower! Let's look at an example of this reflexive Spanish verb:
Uno se baña todos los días, mijita.
One bathes every day, my girl.
Caption 41, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido
Play Caption
On the other hand, if a person at the beach expresses their desire to bañarse, rather than wanting to wash the sand off of themselves, they are letting you know they would like to take a dip! The Spanish reflexive verb bañarse can also mean "to go swimming," a translation that often comes as a surprise to English speakers:
No hay muchas olas grandes como en Atacames.
There aren't many big waves like in Atacames.
Es más tranquilo para bañarse.
It's more peaceful to go swimming.
Captions 62-63, Pipo - Un paseo por la playa de Atacames
Play Caption
In the morning, at night, or after the beach, indeed, one might need to ducharse (to take a shower):
¿Qué está haciendo Silvia?
What is Silvia doing?
Silvia se está duchando.
Silvia is taking a shower.
Captions 11-12, El Aula Azul - Actividades diarias: En casa con Silvia
Play Caption
Note that, in this example, the verb ducharse is conjugated in the present progressive tense. As with the present indicative and all other tenses, verbs are conjugated in the exact same way as they would be were they non-reflexive, with the addition of the appropriate reflexive pronoun.
The reflexive verb in Spanish lavarse generally means "to wash (oneself)." Let's look at an example:
Por ejemplo, "Yo me lavo".
For example, "Yo me lavo" [I wash myself].
La acción recae sobre la persona
The action falls back upon the person
que realiza la acción.
who carries out the action.
Pero, "Yo lavo los platos".
But, "Yo lavo los platos" [I wash the dishes].
Captions 45-48, Lecciones con Carolina - Verbos reflexivos
Play Caption
In this informative video about Spanish reflexive verbs, Yabla fan favorite Carolina explains the difference between reflexive and non-reflexive verbs, in this case the verbs lavar (to wash) and lavarse (to wash oneself). Let's look at an additional example:
Yo me lavo las manos. Tú te lavas las manos.
I wash my hands. You wash your hands.
Captions 19-20, Fundamentos del Español - 9 - Verbos Reflexivos
Play Caption
Unlike in English, where we express the idea of washing one's hands or some other body part with a possessive pronoun (my, your, etc.), this is not the case in Spanish. Instead, we use the definite article for the noun in question, manos (hands), in this case, las (the). Because the reflexive pronoun already indicates that the action is something we do to ourselves, it would be redundant in Spanish to say: Yo me lavo mis manos. As the correct way to express this is "Yo me lavo las manos," it might help you to remember the literal but non-sensical translation: "I wash myself the hands."
That said, let's move on to something else that's expressed with the notion of "washing" in Spanish: lavarse los dientes (to brush one's teeth).
Lavarse los dientes (literally "to wash one's teeth") is one of saying "to brush one's teeth" in Spanish:
Después, ehm... suelo lavarme los dientes en el baño,
After that, um... I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,
Caption 3, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
Play Caption
Different countries, regions, or individuals might instead use cepillarse los dientes, which also means "to brush one's teeth." Let's check out an example in the preterite tense:
Se cepilló los dientes,
He brushed his teeth,
Caption 20, Aprendiendo con Carlos - El microrrelato
Play Caption
By extension, the noun el cepillo means "the brush," and we might have a cepillo de dientes (toothbrush) as well as a cepillo de pelo/cabello (hair brush), as in the following caption:
Sí... -¿Qué necesitamos para ir allí?
Yes... -What do we need to go there?
El cepillo de dientes.
A toothbrush.
El cepillo del pelo.
A hair brush.
Captions 49-51, Un Viaje a Mallorca - Planificando el viaje
Play Caption
So, you've probably surmised by now that the verb cepillarse el pelo/cabello means "to brush one's hair."
The verb peinarse can mean "to comb one's hair" with a comb (un peine), "to brush one's hair," or "to do" or "style" one's hair in general:
Por eso paró en la playa
That's why she stopped on the beach
para mirarse en el espejo y peinarse.
to look at herself in the mirror and comb her hair.
Captions 21-22, Guillermina y Candelario - Mi Amiga la Sirena
Play Caption
Afeitarse is the verb for "to shave" (oneself, of course)!
Vos sabés lo que es todas las mañanas...
Do you know what it's like every morning...
mirarse en el espejo cuando uno se afeita
to look at oneself in the mirror when one's shaving,
Captions 30-31, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
Play Caption
The next step in one's morning routine might be maquillarse (to put on makeup):
Aquí, siempre me maquillo para mis conciertos.
Here, I always put on makeup for my concerts.
Caption 47, Ariana - Mi Casa
Play Caption
Alternatively, one might say Aquí, siempre me pinto para mis conciertos, as pintarse (literally "to paint oneself") also means "to put on makeup."
Vestirse is the way to say "to get dressed" in Spanish.
Yo salgo y... y te vistes.
I'll leave and... and you get dressed.
Caption 30, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2
Play Caption
Another way to say this might be ponerse la ropa (to put on one's clothes).
Although sacarse la ropa is one manner of saying "to get undressed" or "take off one's clothes," there are many other examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish that mean the same thing, including: quitarse la ropa, desvestirse, and desnudarse. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Si "Libertinaje" te saca...
If "Libertinaje" takes off your.....
te invita a sacarte la ropa,
invites you to take off your clothes,
Captions 4-5, Bersuit Vergarabat - EPK
Play Caption
Y se desnuda poco a poco y se convierte en tu piel
And she gets naked little by little and she becomes your skin
Caption 6, Reik - Inolvidable
Play Caption
As you can see, the more literal "to get naked" might be an alternate translation for desnudarse.
We're finally getting to the end of our daily routine, when it's time for us to acostarnos (go to bed):
Tranquilícese, vaya a acostarse y deje de pensar en imposibles.
Calm down, go to bed, and stop thinking about impossible things.
Caption 31, Muñeca Brava - 48 - Soluciones
Play Caption
And finally, once in bed, it's time to fall asleep! While the non-reflexive dormir means "to sleep," dormirse means "to fall asleep."
Me dormí pensando en ti; pensando en ti, me desperté
I fell asleep thinking about you; thinking about you, I woke up
Caption 10, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
Play Caption
Of course, this is just a partial list of reflexive verbs in Spanish that might be applicable to our daily routines. There are a lot more common reflexive verbs in Spanish that describe things one might do on a daily basis, including secarse (to dry oneself off), sentarse (to sit down), sentirse (to feel), emocionarse (to get excited), encontrarse con alguien (to meet with someone), acordarse de (to remember), olvidarse (to forget), sonreírse (to smile), reírse (to laugh), despedirse (to say goodbye), irse (to leave), and many, many more!
For additional information on Spanish reflexive verbs, check out this video from the series Fundamentos del Español. And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
Let's enhance our vocabulary today! As you know, nouns in Spanish are defined by number and gender. However, there are some nouns that can be both masculine and feminine. Moreover, depending on the gender they have, these nouns change their meanings completely. With that being said, let's take a look at some Spanish words that change meaning with gender.
Feminine: la capital (a capital city)
Está ubicada a ciento diez kilómetros de Quito, la capital del Ecuador.
It is located one hundred and ten kilometers from Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
Caption 6, Otavalo - El mercado de artesanías de Otavalo
Play Caption
Masculine: el capital (capital: money)
No buscar la acumulación de capital
It's not seeking the accumulation of capital,
sino buscar la satisfacción de necesidades sociales.
but seeking the satisfaction of social necessities.
Captions 74-75, De consumidor a persona - Short Film
Play Caption
Feminine: la cólera (anger, rage)
Masculine: el cólera (cholera - the illness)
Feminine: la coma (a comma - punctuation)
Masculine: el coma (a coma - medicine)
Feminine: la cometa (a kite)
Pero la cometa estaba muy alta para cogerla.
But the kite was too high to grab.
Caption 22, Guillermina y Candelario - El Gran Descubrimiento
Play Caption
Masculine: el cometa (a comet - astronomy)
Feminine: la corte (a court of law OR the royal court of a king)
Creo que voy a apelar esta decisión a la Corte Suprema.
I think I'm going to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
Caption 83, Los casos de Yabla - Problemas de convivencia
Play Caption
...que le habían sido cedidos para recreo de la corte.
...that had been handed over to him for the court's recreation.
Caption 59, Marisa en Madrid - Parque de El Retiro
Play Caption
Masculine: el corte (a cut - injury OR the cut of hair or a suit)
Y ahora voy a hacer el corte aquí.
And now I am going to make the cut here.
Caption 42, Instrumentos musicales - Ocarinas
Play Caption
Feminine: la cura (the cure)
Tu madre no tiene cura.
Your mom has no cure.
Caption 45, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro
Play Caption
Masculine: el cura (a priest)
Aquí no habrá noche de bodas mientras no vayan con un cura.
Here, there will be no wedding night until you go to a priest.
Caption 23, El Ausente - Acto 4
Play Caption
Feminine: la final (the sports final, the playoffs)
Jueguen como si fuera la final.
Play as if it were the finals.
Caption 46, Carlos explica - Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Ustedes y vosotros
Play Caption
Masculine: el final (the end)
Al final le he pedido disculpas y todo.
In the end, I apologized to him and everything.
Caption 55, Cortometraje - Flechazos
Play Caption
Feminine: la frente (the forehead)
"María le tocó la frente a su hijo para ver si tenía fiebre".
"Maria touched her son's forehead to see if he had a fever."
Caption 17, Carlos explica - Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
Play Caption
Masculine: el frente (the front - military)
Los soldados están en el frente de batalla.
The soldiers are on the battle front.
Feminine: la guía (a guide book OR a female guide OR a telephone book OR guidance)
Todo bajo la guía de un profesor de educación física.
All with the guidance of a P.E. teacher.
Caption 7, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1
Play Caption
¡Pippo, traé una guía!
Pippo, bring me a phone directory.
Caption 55, Yago - 5 La ciudad
Play Caption
Masculine: el guía (a male guide)
Mi nombre es Mauricio y soy un guía turístico.
My name is Mauricio and I'm a tour guide.
Caption 27, Pipo - Un paseo por la playa de Atacames
Play Caption
Feminine: la orden (a command OR a restaurant order)
Normalmente, cuando estás haciendo una orden...
Usually, when you're placing an order...
Caption 28, Natalia de Ecuador - Ordenar en un restaurante
Play Caption
Masculine: el orden (order)
Listo, señor Rolleri; todo en orden.
Done, Mister Rolleri; everything's in order.
Caption 68, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2
Play Caption
That's if for today. Do you know more Spanish words that change meaning with gender? We challenge you to find more and don't forget to send us your questions and comments.
French
German
Italian
Chinese
English
English 
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Português
