The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is e. A, B, C, D son correctas.
In Spanish, a hiatus (hiato) occurs when two adjacent vowels within a word are pronounced in separate syllables. This is in contrast to a diphthong, where two vowels are pronounced in a single syllable. The question asks to identify which vowel combinations are considered hiatuses, and all four initial options (a, b, c, and d) describe valid types of hiatus.
Let’s analyze each case:
a. Dos vocales iguales (Two identical vowels): When two identical vowels appear together, they are always separated into two distinct syllables. For example, in the word creer (to believe), the syllables are cre-er. Similarly, in chiita (Shia), the syllables are chi-i-ta. This is a form of simple hiatus.
b. Dos vocales abiertas (Two open vowels): The open vowels in Spanish are a, e, o. When any two of these vowels are next to each other, they form a hiatus. For instance, teatro (theater) is syllabified as te-a-tro, and poeta (poet) is po-e-ta. This is the second type of simple hiatus.
c. Vocal cerrada tónica + vocal abierta átona (Stressed closed vowel + unstressed open vowel): This combination forms what is known as an accentual hiatus. The closed vowels are i, u. When the stress of the word falls on a closed vowel that is next to an open vowel, the natural diphthong is broken. This is always marked with a written accent (tilde) on the closed vowel. An example is día (day), which is split into dí-a. Another is grúa (crane), syllabified as grú-a.
d. Vocal abierta átona + vocal cerrada tónica (Unstressed open vowel + stressed closed vowel): This is the reverse of the previous case but follows the same principle of accentual hiatus. The stress on the closed vowel forces a syllable break. For example, the word raíz (root) is divided as ra-íz, and baúl (trunk) is ba-úl.
Since options a, b, c, and d all describe correct instances of a hiatus, the most complete and accurate answer is (e), which states that all four are correct.
