The /ɑː/ Sound (“car”) for Spanish Speakers
The long, open vowel in car, park, heart and father – with a listening tool, a word list and a 20-sentence minimal-pair story.
La vocal larga /ɑː/ de “car”, “park”, “heart” – para hispanohablantes.
- How to say /ɑː/
- Spanish traps
- Listen & repeat tool
- 20-sentence story quiz
1 How to Say /ɑː/
Open
Drop your jaw – as wide as for a yawn.
Back
Pull the tongue back and down – further back than Spanish a in casa.
Long
Hold it: caaar, paaark. ː means long.
2 Traps for Spanish Speakers
One “a” for three sounds
Spanish has one a; English has /ɑː/ cart, /æ/ cat and /ʌ/ cut. Make /ɑː/ long and far back.
No tapped or rolled R
Spanish carta, parque, marca pronounce the r. In British English card, park, mark have no r – the vowel is simply longer.
A soft H
English /h/ is just breath – not the strong Spanish j in jamón: heart, hard, harsh.
Y and J
yard starts with /j/ (like ya), but large, charge end in /dʒ/ – not Spanish y or ch.
Spelling surprises
/ɑː/ is also spelt a (father, bath, can’t), ear (heart), al (calm – silent l), au (aunt).
3 Word List – Tap to Listen
Tap a word to hear it (uses your device’s English voice), then repeat it.
| Spelling | Words |
|---|---|
| ar | |
| a (British) | |
| ear | |
| al | |
| au / er |
The voice comes from your browser or phone. A British (UK) voice is chosen if one is available – otherwise pick one in the tool below.
4 Listening Tool: Type a Word, Hear It
Press Enter or 🔊 to listen.
5 Millie’s Story: 20 Minimal Pairs
Choose the word that completes the sentence. All the correct answers contain /ɑː/. Then read the sentence aloud.
Listen, repeat, and record yourself saying the story sentences.
Take the free pronunciation test →
© 2026 Talking English. All rights reserved.