When the Spanish conjunction y becomes e

There are specific cases when the conjunction y (meaning and) becomes e.

Learn about Spanish conjunction y becoming e

When the word that follows y starts with i-

When the word that follows y starts with hi-

Remember that the letter h is not pronounced in Spanish.

Exceptions

If the word following y starts with "hie-", which makes the whole syllable sound more like the consonant "y-", then the conjunction y does not become e. For example:

Also, when we use "y" at the beginning of a question, followed by a word starting with "i" or "hi", the y doesn't become e. For example:

When the word following the conjunction y starts with a different letter to i or but it is pronounced with the same sound as the Spanish "i" because it is a foreign word, then the conjunction must be "e", not "y". For example: