Pronouncing Spanish "v" - I need help!!!

I can't pronounce the Spanish v at all. I've read all the suggestions online and none of them help. For example, when "v" is the first letter of a word it is supposed to sound like b in boy - but it doesn't. It still sounds like v, as evidenced by the dictionary.yahoo.com sound clip's pronunciation of "ver."

The v between two letters is equally incomprehensible to me. I've been told not to let my lips touch, I've been instructed to place my front teeth on my bottom lip, and I've been advised to pronounce all "v"s like "b"s--what am I supposed to do.

Can someone give me tips, epigrams, acronyms - anything - to help?

I can't reinforce bad habits for two years and not suffer consequences. I want to learn to pronounce the v today!!!

''v between two letters is equally incomprehensible to me''

intervocalic v is close to english w

Thanks for helping, but I need more concrete instructions.

Hi Rizzeck,

In Mexico, by the time I went to school, i.e. 25 years ago, we were taught to make the difference between 'b' and 'v'. When I grew up and talked about it with other Spanish speakers from other countries, they told me they were nevere told that, including some Spaniards. Everybody seems to pronounce both letters just the same way. I happen not to, after years of systematic education to pronounce them differently, but I think I am part of the last vestiges of an older way of pronounce these letters, which nowadays has practically dissapeared in favour of "Bethacism".

Nevertheless, the Spanish speaking people are normally never aware of such subtle differences, as our phonetics is so simple. That means that pronouncing both letters differently shouldn't be a big deal.

Italian, Portuguese, and French speaking people do that difference, as well as a part of the Catalan speakers, so if you do that as well, just as it used to be the case in Spanish, doesn't hurt at all.

I also remember the efforts of some of my Uruguayan schoolteachers to have us distinguish between /b/ and /v/. All in vain of course, since, as Sergio pointed out, there is always one phoneme that just happens to be represented in writing by more than one letter. This is reflected by the usual spelling difficulties of native speakers. The convention is usually to represent it as /b/. At the beginning of words and after nasals, it is usually realized as [b] (i.e. a voiced bilabial plosive). In other positions, especially between vowels, it is realized as [B_o] a bilabial approximant or semi-approximant.
Here are some samples:

As [b]

Vaca
Burro
Ver
Cambio
Envase
Enviar.

As [B_o]

Avenida
Clavar
Abrir
Robar

http://media.putfile.com/words-with-b

<<and I've been advised to pronounce all "v"s like "b"s--what am I supposed to do.>>

Rizzeck, that's correct. There is not difference between 'ver' and 'boca' or 'caballo' and 'caverna'.

My school experience - in Spain - is similar to Sergio's experience: we were told to make that distinction. There are some areas of Spain - Northern Castile at least - were they still make a distinction between the "b" and the "v", but most people don't or they think they don't. But, at least in Spain if you listen carefully people still make the distinction although I agree with Gabriel too that it's impossible to pronounce a "v" after n, as in "enviar". In my case I notice that when I pronounced "clavar" my lips don't meet as they do when I pronounce "robar". So with "b" your lips meet and with the 'v' there is some air coming between your teeth because your lips don't meet. Even though I insist many people still make the distinction you don't need to and it's important not to exaggerate the 'v's at all because it sounds kind of silly. just my 2 cents.

Most Spanish B's/V's sound like English or French V's to me. I know there is supposedly a difference but I can't hear it at all.

<<I agree with Gabriel too that it's impossible to pronounce a "v" after n, as in "enviar".>>

Really ? Funny thing, I can do it easily.

<<<<I agree with Gabriel too that it's impossible to pronounce a "v" after n, as in "enviar".>>

Really ? Funny thing, I can do it easily.>>

I never said it was impossible, I can also produce the sequence [nv] myself. However, in normal conversational Spanish (at least in my dialect, perhaps Aldo does otherwise) a nasal plus /b/ becomes [mb].

<<However, in normal conversational Spanish (at least in my dialect, perhaps Aldo does otherwise) a nasal plus /b/ becomes [mb]>>

Mmh, that rings a bell. Isn't it that way in Spaniard Spanish as well?

So all v's should be pronounced as b's?

I (a native English speaker) have generally been taught that B and V have the same pronounciation in Spanish. Oddly enough, though, we never covered this in my Spanish classes at school... I didn't learn this until I started studying on my own.

But the way the sound is pronounced can depend on the surrounding sounds. After a pause, it'll generally be like an English "b". It will also usually be a "b" sound after "m" or "n", because the lips are pressed together. In other situations, it'll tend to be pronounced like some kind of cross between English "b" and "v", but softer than either of those sounds.

- Kef

I'm a native Spanish speaker, and I've to say that there's no difference between B and V in Spanish, maybe there was in the past, (I don't know) but nowadays, there's none, so don't worry about it.

BTW, how come you can't pronounce "enviar"?... can you say "envelope"? Then there you go.

I would advise pronouncing them either exactly as in English, which used to be the correct way and avoids spelling mistakes, or as /b/. Most of us would unterstand you and if you REALLY want to learn it as natives, go to any Spanish speaking country and dive into a completely Spanish speaking atmosphere, it will come naturally!!