#1. Accent marks are only used with five vowels (a, e, i, o, u), and they’re slanted from lower left to upper right. á, é, í, ó, ú
#2 When words end in a vowel, “n,” or “s,” and don’t contain an accent mark, the stress falls on the second to last syllable. Words with a stress on the second to last syllable are called “palabras llanas.”
GENTE (ends with "e" = vowel) (the stress is on the first "e" that is located on the second to last syllable) EXAMEN (ends with "n") (the stress is on the "a" that is located on the second to the last syllable)
When it breaks this #2 rule on stress, it needs the accent mark. nación (ends with "n") (the stress is on the "o" = the last syllable) =needs the accent mark on the "O".
#3 When words end in a consonant that isn’t “n” or “s” and the words don’t contain an accent mark, the stress falls on the last syllable. Words with a stress on the last syllable are called “palabras agudas.”
TOMAR (ends with "r" = a consonant that is not "n" or "s") (The stress is on the "a" that is located on the last syllable) EDAD (ends with "d" = a consonant that is not "n" or "s") (The stress is on the "a" that is located not the last syllable)
When it breaks this #3 rule on stress, it needs the accent mark. Lápiz (ends with "z" = a consonant that is not "n" or "s) (The dress is on the second to the last syllable)m = needs accent mark on "a".
#4 Add accent marks when the word’s stress doesn’t follow Rule #2 or #3, meaning the stress doesn’t lie where it does normally. This means that when we pronounce words with an accent mark, we put the stress on the letter that is accented instead of basing our pronunciation solely on the last letter of the word. Sometimes, the accent makes them “palabras llanas” or “palabras agudas.” Sometimes, the accent also makes words “palabras esdrújulas,” a word where the stress falls on the third from the last syllable.
el examen (#3 aguda) ---- los exámenes (#4 esdrújula = stress on the third from the last syllable) el imagen (#3 aguda)------ las imágenes (#4 esdrújula = stress on the third from the last syllable).