Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proudly and embarrassingly declared that he only "speaks American" while in a room filled with leaders from Latin America.
Edit: Thanks for explaining everyone. I have no idea how I missed that my whole life. I had no idea. It could be because I’m in Western Hemisphere but not sure.
@bdonvr@thelemmy.club explained it very well in their comment. To add, in Spanish, the letter “g” when followed by either an “i” or an “e” will be pronounced in three different ways depending on whether you add an “u” in between, and if that “u” has a diaeresis on it. If you add the dieresis, it means you have to pronounce the “u”. Think of “pingüino” (penguin in english). In order to say the “u” in the word, we add the diaeresis that says the reader that they have to say the “u”. In Spanish, “guillotina”, “pingüino” and “ginebra” you will read the sillabe with a “g” and an “i” differently on each of those words.
Spanish has tons of grammar rules. It’s hard to learn them all, but when you do, it makes extremely easy to know how to say a word when you read it. Even where to put the accent (even if there is no tilde in the word).
Why is there a ü in the answers?
Edit: Thanks for explaining everyone. I have no idea how I missed that my whole life. I had no idea. It could be because I’m in Western Hemisphere but not sure.
In Spanish in the syllables gue and gui the u is silent
When the ü is used it means the the u makes a sound like pingüino, cigüeña, vergüenza, güero, antigüedad, etc.
@bdonvr@thelemmy.club explained it very well in their comment. To add, in Spanish, the letter “g” when followed by either an “i” or an “e” will be pronounced in three different ways depending on whether you add an “u” in between, and if that “u” has a diaeresis on it. If you add the dieresis, it means you have to pronounce the “u”. Think of “pingüino” (penguin in english). In order to say the “u” in the word, we add the diaeresis that says the reader that they have to say the “u”. In Spanish, “guillotina”, “pingüino” and “ginebra” you will read the sillabe with a “g” and an “i” differently on each of those words.
Spanish has tons of grammar rules. It’s hard to learn them all, but when you do, it makes extremely easy to know how to say a word when you read it. Even where to put the accent (even if there is no tilde in the word).
Because you are smiling at the fünny joke