Do's and Dont's in pronunciation

We are living through a great age for learning new languages, and it really pains me to watch or listen to Spanish people so badly prepared. 

On the other hand, new generations are doing better and proving it so far... 

Here you can find examples of how to and not to speak English. Please, bear in mind that this is a blog dedicated to language learning and it has no political intention whatsoever... and, of course, it doesn't mean any harm or disrespect. It's English that matters.

Do's:

Video 1

He's is a perfect example of achieving a magnificent level in another language. His pronunciation is amazing and the intonation is unquestionable.

Video 2

Another instance and a different accent than the first one. However, also a good example of how to speak English properly. Remarkable fluency. 
Video 3
She speaks five languages and English is one of them. Fluency and correct American pronunciation.

Don'ts:

Video 1

Reading a message in another language is not an easy task if you don't know it at all or nobody prepares you properly.

Video 2

Not only the pronunciation is below the average level, but the intonation seems to have been taken from a cartoon. 

Video 3
Another example of how not to speak English. Even giving thanks at the end seems here a difficult task...
Video 4 
OMG!!! Don't do this at home, kids! Not everybody is prepared and able to sing in English. I am reading a song and I am listening to a different one...

* More videos coming soon...

Common mistakes

In this entry I will be posting common mistakes we, Spanish speakers, make when pronouncing some words. We tend to utter words not paying attention to differences and not forgetting our Spanish accent and pronunciation. For instance, it is important to say that in English a word can have more than one accent (not graphic), that is, stress. Apart from that, I have to say that here we are using RP, that is, received pronunciation as used in England, not General American (GA) as used in the States. 

1. Difference between 'your' and 'you're': Bear in mind that the first is a possessive and the second is the verb 'to be'. 

Spanish pronunciation: your /jur/ 

Correct pronunciation: your /jə/  

Spanish pronunciation: you're /jor/

Correct pronunciation: you're /jə(r)/                 

2. The word 'difficult' is terribly pronounced by Spanish speakers. 

Spanish pronunciation: difficult /dɪfɪ'kult/

Correct pronunciation: difficult /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/

* The accent marks the beginning of a stressed syllable. Notice that monosyllables don't need a graphic accent. 

3. The word 'comfortable' is pronounced with an altered stressed position and a wrong ending in Spanish. 

Spanish pronunciation: comfortable /komfor'teibol/

Correct pronunciation: comfortable /ˈkʌmfə(r)təbl̩/

* The primary accent, the strongest one, goes above (') and the secondary accent goes below (,) An English word can have four different stresses or accents. 

4. The difference between 'know' and 'now' is usually mistaken by Spanish speakers. Either they pronounce them the same way or thet switch it. Apart from that, some people even pronounce the letter k, which it is not uttered before another consonant.

Spanish pronunciation: know /knau/

Correct pronunciation: know /noʊ/

Spanish pronunciation: now /nou/

Correct pronunciation: now /naʊ/

* More words coming soon...