Pronunciación · P1
Ship or Sheep?
the short i and the long ee
¿barco u oveja?
In this unit
English has TWO sounds where Spanish only has one. A short, relaxed i (ship, sit, chip) and a long, smiley ee (sheep, seat, cheap). Mix them up and you change the word — and sometimes say something you didn’t mean.
El inglés tiene DOS sonidos donde el español solo tiene uno: una ** i** corta y relajada (ship) y una ** ee** larga y sonriente (sheep). Si los confundes, cambias de palabra.
El slang se queda en la frase. Toca la palabra con puntos — o clic derecho — y sale qué significa.
The sound · El sonido
For the long ee (sheep, green, meet): spread your lips like a little smile and hold the sound. For the short i (ship, chin, sit): relax your mouth and keep it quick. That’s the whole trick — smiley-and-long vs relaxed-and-quick.
Para la ~ee larga~ (sheep): estira los labios como una sonrisa y *mantén* el sonido. Para la *i corta* (ship): relaja la boca y hazlo *rápido*.
How to make it · Cómo se hace
1. Long ee — lips wide, like you’re smiling for a photo; hold it a beat longer.
2. Short i — lips loose, jaw relaxed; in and out, nice and quick.
3. Say them back to back: sheep–ship, sheep–ship. Feel your lips change.
Say these · Dílas en voz alta
| short i | long ee | español |
|---|---|---|
| ship | sheep | barco / oveja |
| chip | cheap | patata frita / barato |
| bin | bean | cubo / judía |
| fit | feet | en forma / pies |
| sit | seat | sentarse / asiento |
| live | leave | vivir / irse |
| hill | heel | colina / talón |
| itch | each | picor / cada |
Why it’s tricky in spanish · ¿Por qué cuesta?
In Spanish the letter i is always the same clean sound, so live and leave come out identical. English needs you to make them different — short-and-relaxed vs long-and-smiley — or nobody knows if you live here or you’re about to leave.
En español la *i* es siempre igual, así que *live* y *leave* te salen idénticas. En inglés tienes que diferenciarlas: corta y relajada, o larga y sonriente.
♪ say it with a chant
“Ship and sheep, a tiny ,” “short or long — it turns things round.” “Smile it long, or keep it quick:” “that’s the whole ship-sheep trick.”
Hear it in the wild
•I don’t want to leave — I love where I live.
No quiero irme: me encanta donde vivo.
•These cheap chips are that good, .
Estas patatas baratas están buenísimas, en serio.
•Take a seat and sit down for a sec.
Coge asiento y siéntate un momento.
Ready to try? Say it before you check.
Say them out loud — pronunciation only sticks when you use your mouth.
AWhich word do you mean? Circle the English for the Spanish given.
1. barco ship / sheep→
2. barato chip / cheap→
3. pies fit / feet→
4. vivir live / leave→
5. asiento sit / seat→
BOdd one out — underline the word with the LONG ee.
1. ship · sit · sheep · chip
2. bean · bin · fit · hill
3. live · heel · itch · chin
4. seat · sit · fit · ship
CSay each pair out loud to a partner (or the mirror). Can they hear the difference?
1. ship – sheep
2. chip – cheap
3. live – leave
4. fit – feet
DChoose the right word so the sentence makes sense.
Elige la palabra correcta.
1. Please have a (sit / seat).
2. I want to (live / leave) in London one day.
3. These crisps are so (chip / cheap)!
4. My new trainers don’t (fit / feet).
How did you do? Did you check the answers?
¿Qué tal? ¿Has mirado las soluciones al final?
✓ what i’ve nailed
LO QUE ME HE CLAVADO