If your native language is Spanish, Portuguese, or French, you already have a strong foundation for learning English. But there is one area where Romance language speakers consistently struggle: English vowel sounds.
The reason is simple. English contains several vowel sounds that literally do not exist in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Your mouth has never been trained to make these sounds. When you encounter them, your brain automatically substitutes the closest vowel from your native language — and that substitution changes the word entirely.
In this guide, we will break down the 5 English vowel sounds that are completely absent from all three major Romance languages and give you the tools to master each one.
Why These Sounds Are Missing from Romance Languages
The answer lies in how Latin evolved differently across regions. Classical Latin had a system of long and short vowels. As Latin evolved into the Romance languages, the vowel systems simplified. Spanish collapsed its vowel inventory to just 5 pure vowels: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/. Portuguese kept a similar core with some nasal additions. French developed front rounded vowels but still lacks the lax vowels we will discuss below.
English, as a Germanic language influenced by Norman French, Norse, and Latin, took a different path. It expanded its vowel inventory, creating distinctions between tense and lax vowels — pairs like /i/ vs. /ɪ/ and /u/ vs. /ʊ/ — that Romance languages never developed. English has roughly 15 distinct vowel sounds, while Spanish has 5, Portuguese has 7, and French has about 12 (but still lacks these specific lax vowels).
Your language simply never needed these sounds, so the neural pathways for producing and perceiving them were never built. The good news? With targeted practice, you can build those pathways at any age.
Sound 1: The Short I /ɪ/ — as in "bit", "sit", "ship"
What It Is
The short I /ɪ/ is a lax, centralized front vowel. Your tongue sits slightly lower and further back than for the /i/ sound you know from your language. Your lips are relaxed and slightly spread — not pulled into a tight smile.
What You Probably Substitute
Romance speakers almost always replace /ɪ/ with /i/ (the "ee" sound from "pizza" or the Spanish word "si"). This makes perfect sense — /i/ is the closest sound in your inventory. But the substitution changes meaning dramatically.
Minimal Pairs That Show the Contrast
- ship /ʃɪp/ vs. sheep /ʃip/ — "I saw a ship" vs. "I saw a sheep"
- bit /bɪt/ vs. beat /bit/ — "a bit of food" vs. "beat the drum"
- sit /sɪt/ vs. seat /sit/ — "sit down" vs. "take a seat"
- live /lɪv/ vs. leave /liv/ — "I live here" vs. "I leave now"
How to Produce It Correctly
The key tip: Start by saying your normal /i/ sound (as in "si" or "oui"). Now, without moving your lips, let your jaw drop about 3-4 millimeters and relax your tongue. You should feel your tongue shift slightly downward and backward. The sound becomes shorter and less "bright." That relaxed, slightly lower position is /ɪ/. Think of it as a lazy, tired version of /i/.
Common Words with /ɪ/
this, is, it, in, with, his, will, did, him, big, which, think, give, fish, still, quick, little, listen, dinner, building
Sound 2: The Schwa /ə/ — as in "about", "banana", "sofa"
What It Is
The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel sound in all of English — and it does not exist as a standard sound in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. It is the ultimate neutral vowel: your tongue rests in the center of your mouth, your lips are completely relaxed, and the sound is always short and unstressed. It sounds like a quick, quiet "uh."
What You Probably Substitute
Romance language speakers tend to pronounce every vowel with its "full" value. Where an English speaker says /bəˈnænə/ (buh-NAN-uh), a Spanish speaker says /banana/ with three clear "ah" sounds. This habit of giving full value to every unstressed vowel is one of the most recognizable markers of a Romance language accent in English.
Minimal Pairs That Show the Contrast
- apart /əˈpɑrt/ (with schwa) vs. the way Romance speakers say it with a full /a/
- the (unstressed) /ðə/ vs. the (before vowels) /ði/
- a (article) /ə/ vs. A (letter name) /eɪ/
- oppose /əˈpoʊz/ vs. a clear /o/ in the first syllable
How to Produce It Correctly
The key tip: Let everything in your mouth go completely slack. Your tongue should be flat and centered — not touching the roof of your mouth, not pushed forward, not pulled back. Now make the shortest, quietest "uh" you can. That is the schwa. Practice saying "banana" as "buh-NAN-uh" — the first and last vowels should be almost inaudible compared to the stressed middle syllable.
Common Words with /ə/
the, a, about, again, around, away, family, today, support, local, supply, open, problem, police, correct, happen, woman, album, circus, harmony
Sound 3: The Short U /ʌ/ — as in "cup", "but", "love"
What It Is
The short U /ʌ/ (sometimes called the "strut" vowel) is an open-mid, back-central vowel. It is similar to the schwa in tongue position but it appears in stressed syllables and is slightly more open. It is the vowel in words like "cup," "but," "love," and "money."
What You Probably Substitute
Spanish speakers typically substitute /a/ (as in "padre") or /o/ (as in "todo"). Portuguese speakers often use /a/. French speakers may use /a/ or /ɔ/. These substitutions lead to noticeable mix-ups: "cup" sounds like "cop," "but" sounds like "bot," and "love" sounds like "lav" or "lov."
Minimal Pairs That Show the Contrast
- cup /kʌp/ vs. cop /kɑp/ — "a cup of coffee" vs. "a traffic cop"
- but /bʌt/ vs. bat /bæt/ — "but I disagree" vs. "a baseball bat"
- luck /lʌk/ vs. lock /lɑk/ — "good luck" vs. "lock the door"
- cut /kʌt/ vs. cat /kæt/ — "cut the paper" vs. "pet the cat"
How to Produce It Correctly
The key tip: Open your mouth as if you are about to say "ah" at the doctor's office, but make the sound shorter and move your tongue slightly forward and higher. The result should be a brief, punchy "uh." Say the word "up" and pay attention to how short and abrupt the vowel is. Now use that same vowel in "cup," "love," "money." It should feel like a quick, stressed grunt.
Common Words with /ʌ/
up, but, just, much, us, come, some, other, number, love, money, month, enough, under, fun, run, sun, lunch, country, trouble
Sound 4: The ASH Vowel /æ/ — as in "cat", "man", "bad"
What It Is
The ASH vowel /æ/ is a near-open, front vowel. It sits between /e/ and /a/ in the vowel space — lower than the "e" in "bed" but more forward than the "a" in "father." It is one of the most distinctly "English" sounds and is absent from Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
What You Probably Substitute
Most Romance speakers substitute either /a/ (making "cat" sound like "cot" in some dialects) or /e/ (making "man" sound closer to "men"). Neither substitution is correct. The /æ/ sound is genuinely in between — a sound your language does not have a slot for.
Minimal Pairs That Show the Contrast
- cat /kæt/ vs. cut /kʌt/ — "pet the cat" vs. "cut the paper"
- man /mæn/ vs. men /mɛn/ — "one man" vs. "two men"
- bad /bæd/ vs. bed /bɛd/ — "a bad day" vs. "go to bed"
- had /hæd/ vs. head /hɛd/ — "I had lunch" vs. "turn your head"
How to Produce It Correctly
The key tip: Start by saying the /e/ sound (as in the Spanish "peso"). Now, keeping your tongue in the front of your mouth, drop your jaw significantly — more than feels natural. Your mouth should be noticeably open, almost as if you are saying "ah," but your tongue stays pushed forward against the back of your lower teeth. If it feels exaggerated, you are probably doing it right. The /æ/ should feel like a combination of "e" and "a" — bright and open at the same time.
Common Words with /æ/
cat, man, bad, hand, back, that, have, can, had, last, after, class, family, happy, fact, map, black, plan, fast, travel
Sound 5: The Short OO /ʊ/ — as in "put", "book", "good"
What It Is
The short OO /ʊ/ (sometimes called the "foot" vowel) is a lax, near-close, near-back rounded vowel. Just as /ɪ/ is a relaxed version of /i/, the /ʊ/ is a relaxed version of /u/. Your lips are rounded but not tightly pursed, and your tongue is pulled back but slightly lower than for /u/.
What You Probably Substitute
Romance speakers consistently substitute /u/ (the "oo" in "too" or the Spanish "tu"). This makes "pull" sound like "pool," "full" sound like "fool," and "look" sound like "Luke."
Minimal Pairs That Show the Contrast
- pull /pʊl/ vs. pool /pul/ — "pull the rope" vs. "swimming pool"
- full /fʊl/ vs. fool /ful/ — "the tank is full" vs. "don't be a fool"
- look /lʊk/ vs. Luke /luk/ — "look at me" vs. "Luke Skywalker"
- could /kʊd/ vs. cooed /kud/ — "I could go" vs. "the pigeon cooed"
How to Produce It Correctly
The key tip: Say your normal /u/ sound (as in "tu" or "tout"). Now relax your lips so they are only gently rounded instead of tightly pursed. Let your jaw drop slightly and your tongue come forward and down a little. Say "fool" and "full" back to back. If they sound the same, you need to relax more on "full." Think of /ʊ/ as a casual, halfway version of /u/.
Common Words with /ʊ/
put, good, book, look, could, would, should, foot, cook, push, pull, full, wood, wool, sugar, woman, cushion, bullet, butcher, bush
The Pattern: Tense vs. Lax Vowels
You may have noticed a pattern. Three of the five sounds above (/ɪ/, /ʊ/, and /ʌ/) are lax versions of vowels that already exist in your language. English systematically distinguishes between tense vowels (longer, with more muscle tension in the tongue) and lax vowels (shorter, with a relaxed tongue in a more centralized position).
Romance languages simply do not make this tense/lax distinction. Every vowel in Spanish, Portuguese, and French is produced with consistent muscular effort. This is why the single most important physical adjustment you can make is learning to relax your tongue and jaw for these lax vowels. They should feel less effortful, not more.
A Practice Strategy That Works
Here is a structured approach for building these new sounds into your speech over 4-6 weeks:
Week 1-2: Ear Training
Before you can produce a new sound, you need to hear it as distinct from its neighbor. Spend 10 minutes daily listening to minimal pairs. Focus on one sound per day. Can you hear the difference between "ship" and "sheep"? Between "pull" and "pool"? If not, keep listening. Perception must come before production.
Week 2-3: Isolation Practice
Practice each target sound in isolation, then in simple syllables (ba, be, bi, bo, bu with the new vowels). Use a mirror to check your mouth position. Record yourself and compare to native speaker recordings. Focus on one sound at a time — do not try to learn all five simultaneously.
Week 3-4: Minimal Pair Production
Now practice the minimal pairs out loud. Say both words back to back and exaggerate the difference. Record yourself and listen back. Can you hear the difference in your own recording? If a native speaker heard your recording, would they know which word you meant?
Week 4-6: Contextual Practice
Read sentences and short paragraphs aloud that contain your target sounds. Start slowly and focus on accuracy over speed. As the sounds become more automatic, gradually increase your speaking speed. The goal is to reach the point where these sounds feel natural, not forced.
Ongoing: The Exaggeration Principle
One final piece of advice that applies to all five sounds: exaggerate at first. If the sound feels ridiculous or overdone, you are probably close to the correct pronunciation. Romance language speakers consistently under-produce these vowels because the sounds feel unnatural. What feels exaggerated to you likely sounds perfectly normal to a native English listener. Over time, as the sounds become habitual, you will naturally moderate them — but start by going bigger than you think you need to.
You Can Do This
Learning to produce sounds that do not exist in your native language is one of the hardest parts of mastering English pronunciation — but also one of the most rewarding. These five vowels appear in thousands of the most common English words. Mastering them will immediately and noticeably improve how clearly you are understood.
Remember: this is not about talent. It is about building new muscle memory and new neural pathways. Your Spanish, Portuguese, or French background is not a limitation — it is a foundation to build on. Start with the sound that gives you the most trouble, practice consistently, and you will be amazed at the progress you make.