One of the most complicated rules for people who are learning Spanish is knowing when to put "B" or "V". If you are learning Spanish or taking Spanish courses, you will know that both are pronounced the same. That's why it's often confusing. In Academia Contacto we want to leave you some rules and tricks so you know when to use "B" and when to use "V".
In Spanish, writing "baca" (roof rack of the car) is not the same as "vaca" (cow). If the conversation is spoken, they will understand you perfectly. However, if you are chatting, you are making a serious spelling mistake. To make it easier to learn Spanish, here are some rules you can learn and put into practice.
When I have to put “B”
If you are studying a Spanish course in Madrid, your teacher has probably taught you the most basic rules of spelling - we want you to be an expert Spanish speaker! So, let's see some tricks.
- All verbs ending in -BIR are written with B. Although there are exceptions: "Hervir” (boiling), “Vivir” (living), “Servir” (serving) and their compounds.
- Before the consonants "B" is written.
- After "M" you should always put "B": “Hambre” (hungry).
- Infinitives and verbal forms: “Saber” (Know).
- The past imperfect of the verb “hablar” (Speak): “hablaba”.
- The words that begin with the Bli- sound and the syllables Bur-, Bus- and Bu-.
- Some words that, when pronounced, have that sound: "abdicación” (Abdication).
- The terminations -aba, -abas, -aba, -abamos, -abamos, -abais, aban, from the past perfect of the indicative of the verbs of the first conjugation: “Cantaba” (She sang)
These are some of the most basic rules you will learn in your Spanish course. They're pretty simple and you'll get the hang of it quickly. Reading in Spanish and watching subtitled series will help you a lot to memorize the rules and some words. There are exceptions. For example, the verb "Ir” (Go). In the present it is said "voy" (I Go), but in the past imperfect of the callsign it is "Iba".
When I have to put “V”
To learn the cases in which you should put "V" there are also some rules that will help you a lot. The teacher of your Spanish course will teach you the basic rules so that you can write correctly.
- Se escribe "V" después de la "D" y la "N".
- After “Ol”, for example: “Olvidar” (forget).
- The words beginning with "DIV" are written with V: “diversion”(fun).
- Tienes que escribir con "V" las palabras que empiezan por las sílabas "eva-", "evo-" "eve-" y "evi-". For example, the verb “evitar” (avoid).
- The ending of the verbs that do not have "B" or "V" in their infinitive: "tener” (To have) – “tuve” (I had)
- The words with the prefix "Vice-" are written with "V". “Vicepresidente” (vicepresident).
If you have any doubts about the cases in which you should write V or B, you can ask your teacher about your Spanish courses. He will be happy to help you and give you the advice you need to learn how to differentiate between the two letters.
