# The soft d: like 'th' in 'this'

> id: pronunciation.d-soft · category: pronunciation · depth: standard · levels: B1 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Between vowels and at word ends, d softens to the th of 'this': nada ≈ 'natha', usted, Madrid. Hard d only after pause, n, l: donde, falda.

Cada, todo, vida — tongue between the teeth, gentle. Final d nearly vanishes in much speech: usted ≈ 'usté', ciudad ≈ 'ciudá'.

The -ado ending relaxes further colloquially (cansado ≈ 'cansao' in many regions). Keeping every d hard is a strong foreign accent marker.

The give-away of a foreign accent is keeping every d hard. Between vowels and at word ends it relaxes to the th of 'this' — cada, todo, vida — and final d nearly vanishes (usted ≈ 'usté', ciudad ≈ 'ciudá'); the -ado ending goes further still in casual speech (cansado ≈ 'cansao'). Reserve the hard d for after a pause or n/l: donde, falda.

## Examples
- Nada de eso es verdad. — None of that is true. *(Three soft d's.)*
- ¿De dónde es usted? — Where are you from?
- Todo el día cansado: la d de 'cansado' casi desaparece. — Tired all day long: the d in 'cansado' almost disappears.

Related: pronunciation.b-v

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