Write in spanish with an american keyboard

Posted by Daniel Vela on February 13, 2013

Writing code is comfortable to use a keyboard configured in english(US Extended). But If you get used to use this mode, is hard to use the spanish keyboard at the same time to write Spanish language. Thus, the best is to get use to this english keyboard uniquely and use it always even when writing spanish texts.

If you want to user american keyboard, you should to learn the key combinations needed to write the specific spanish writing symbols not used by english writers. Symbols like ñ, accent, open exclamation or interrogation.

The keyboard shorcuts for “U.S Extended” configuration in a Mac OS X are:

  • Acents: áéíóú
    Alt + e following a, e, i, o, u

  • Open interrogant: ¿
    Alt + Shift + /

  • Open exclamation: ¡
    Alt + 1

  • Euro:
    Alt + Shift + 2

  • The eñe: ñ
    Alt + n following another n otra vez

  • Ordnial symbol masculine: º
    Alt + 0

  • Ordinal symbol femenine: ª
    Alt + 9

  • Diéresis: ¨
    Alt + u