Quick answer
hablo · habló · hábil
Two rules decide where the stress falls. The written accent appears only when a word breaks them.
The two default rules
| Word ends in | Stress falls on | Example |
|---|---|---|
| vowel, -n or -s | second-to-last syllable | casa, hablan, lunes |
| any other consonant | last syllable | hablar, ciudad, feliz |
A word that obeys its rule needs no accent. A word that breaks it gets one on the stressed vowel: canción, árbol, médico.
The accent can change the tense
In verbs the accent alone separates two different forms. This is why leaving it out is a grammar error, not a typo.
Same word, different job
A small set of one-syllable words takes an accent purely to tell two meanings apart.
| Without accent | With accent |
|---|---|
| el (the) | él (he) |
| tu (your) | tú (you) |
| si (if) | sí (yes) |
| se (pronoun) | sé (I know) |
| mas (but) | más (more) |
| de (of) | dé (give) |
| te (you) | té (tea) |
Question words carry an accent in questions and in indirect questions: ¿Dónde vives?, No sé dónde vive.
Memory trick
Check the last letter first. Vowel, n or s means the stress is on the second-to-last syllable — anything else means the last one. The accent only marks exceptions.
Typical mistakes
Mi hermano trabajo en Madrid el año pasado.
Mi hermano trabajó en Madrid el año pasado.
Without the accent the form means "I work". The accent carries the whole past tense.
Como te llamas?
¿Cómo te llamas?
A question word needs its accent, and a written question needs the opening ¿.
Tu eres mi amigo.
Tú eres mi amigo.
The subject pronoun takes an accent; the accentless tu means "your".
Check yourself
Ayer Marta ___ con el director. (hablar)