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All words in Spanish have one of their syllables accented. Words are classified depending on which syllable the accent goes.
· Agudas are all the words in which the accent falls on the last syllable. For instance: Colón, Cancún, volver, saber. All these words are agudas because the pronunciation is stressed on that last syllable. Note that some of those words carry the written accent mark (like Colón, Cancún, Bogotá, jamás, jabalí ) and others do not.
And here comes the rule: Every aguda word that ends on a vowel or a letter "n" or "s" gets a written accent mark ("tilde" in Spanish). The ones that do not end on those letters, even though they are still agudas, do not carry the written accent mark. Examples: comer, mejor, volver, sentir, vivir.
· Graves are the words in which the accent falls in the next-to-last syllable. The rule is completely the opposite of the other one: All the words that are graves but do not end in "n," "s" or a vowel do not carry the written accent mark. Examples: inútil, sólo, álbum, fácil, and also martir, quinto, juntos, sitio.
· Esdrújulas are the words that are neither agudas nor graves, meaning the ones that have an accent on the syllable before the penultimate. In this case the rule is very simple: Always put a tilde on that syllable. For instance: música, película, demócrata, artículos.
The word "Cuetzalan" is not Spanish, but if I have to say it in Spanish I would pronounce it as an aguda word, and since it ends in "n" I will put a tilde on it: Cuetzalán.
Castellan grammar is quite complex, but once the rules are understood it is very easy to use it. I hope this helps you understand Spanish a little better.
Robert Rossi
Arlington
Travel Q&A & You
TO THE FAMILY who wants to visit Colorado for hiking and white water rafting [Travel Q&A, Oct. 9]: I encourage you to look into the Durango area, in the southwestern corner of Colorado. You will find all you need and more. When you want a day off from all the trekking, take a train trip to Silverton, a great old mining town in the Rockies, or drive to the wonderful Indian ruins of Mesa Verde.
Durango is a fun town to explore, with its Western feel, and it has lovely shops with items made by local tribes.
Susy Moorstein
