ï/ü

Diaeresis on I and U

Level 1

A diaeresis can make u audible or mark a vowel that does not join a diphthong.

How It Works

In qüe/qüi and güe/güi, ü marks a pronounced u: qüestió, pingüí. Ordinary que/qui and gue/gui generally have silent u. A diaeresis can also separate i or u from a neighboring vowel: veïna, raïm.

The two uses are different: ü in pingüí does not mean that u must form a separate syllable from i. In veïna, ï marks a hiatus. A written accent takes precedence when accentuation already marks the required stressed vowel, as in país.

There are spelling exceptions. Certain verb forms, including the infinitive and gerund of -ir verbs, omit a diaeresis that related forms have: conduir, conduint, but conduïm. Learn the actual forms rather than adding dots to every adjacent vowel.

Examples (3)

  1. La veïna compra raïm.

    The neighbor buys grapes.

  2. El pingüí és un ocell.

    The penguin is a bird.

  3. És una qüestió important.

    It is an important question.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ï/üLevel 1Diaeresis on I and U

Learn This First

Distinguish an accent mark from a diaeresis.