‘I’m a Spanish language expert - stop making these mortifying mistakes’

Brits visiting Spain have been urged to memorise a few things to avoid making some mortifying mistakes. James Smith, a Spanish language expert at Learn Spanish with James, has revealed some common errors tourists make.

Many visitors to Spain say “pie-ELLA” and “cho-RIT-zo”, embarrassing themselves in front of waiters. Here are the seven foods and dishes James says tourists commonly mispronounce. Brits frequently say “pie-ELLA” and “pay-ELLA”, when the correct pronunciation is “pah-eh-yah”. James said a good memory trick is to think “pa” like “papa”, then “eh” like “meh”, then “yah” like “yeah”.

He said: “Paella is such a source of pride for Valencians.”

James added: “Getting the name right shows respect for the dish and the culture behind it.”

Tourists also often say “cho-RIT-zo”, when it is actually “cho-REE-tho” in Spain or “cho-REE-so” in Latin America. James said to think of “three” for the th sound — like “three-tho”.

Jamón Ibérico also trips Brits up, with many pronouncing it “JAM-on ib-AIR-ic-oh”. It should be “ha-MOHN ee-BEH-ree-ko”. James said: “The ‘J’ sounds like ‘H’ in “hello”, and stress the second syllable in jamón.”

Brits also tend to pronounce gazpacho as “gaz-PATCH-oh”, when it should be said as “gath-PA-cho”. A good memory trick is to think “gas” with a soft ‘th’ sound, then “PA-cho”.

James said: “Getting Spanish pronunciation right can genuinely transform your experience when you're travelling or dining.

“I've seen local people's faces light up when you make the effort to pronounce their food correctly. It shows respect and often leads to better service, recommendations for hidden gems, and genuine conversations with locals.

“The beauty of Spanish is that once you learn the basic rules, you can pronounce almost any word correctly just by reading it. Unlike English, there are no silent letters or random pronunciation changes.

“Most Brits are actually closer to correct Spanish pronunciation than they think. They just need to unlearn some English habits and trust the phonetic spelling.”