Here is a little cheat sheet for Spanish pronunciation. As with anything else there are exceptions but this will work most of the time to help you decode Spanish pronunciation:

1. The "a" sounds like the short a in the word father. Try it: padre, casa.
2. The "e" sounds like the short e in the word pet. Try it: perro, ella.
3. The "i" sounds like the double ee in the word bee. Try it: mira, amiga.
4. The "o" sounds like the short o in the word tote. Try it: oye, por favor.
5. The "u" sounds like the double oo in the word boot. Try it: tú, uno
6. The "ñ" sounds like the n in the word onion. Try it: niña, muñeca
7. The double "l" sounds like the y in the word yellow. Try it: ella, callado
8. The "h" in Spanish is mostly silent like in the word hola. Try it: hay, hombre