IS IT "COMÍO" OR "COMIDO"?

 

I have mentioned already that the Spanish /d/ is fricative or soft, to the point that often it is only a mere "pinch", a "touch" of the tongue against the upper teeth. The English occlusive /d/ is there to be heard, strong and proud. The Spanish /d/ (dedo, dado, diada) is often a whisper of a /d/. This is very evident in the past participles of the first conjugation: "hablado, preparado, lavado, pintado" where we cannot be sure whether we heard the /d/ or not. This is acceptable, educated Spanish. However, the /d/ in the past participles of the second and third conjugation (ending in -er and -ir), the /d/ must be heard, however softly. "Comío, recibío, vivío, habío, traío", are not accepted in educated circles. Never phonetically omit the /d/ in these participles lest you be labeled as uncouth, low-class, and hoi polloi.