G, J, and H Hard and Soft G The pronunciation of the letter g is either considered "hard" or "soft" in Spanish depending on which vowel follows it. Soft G Equivalent to the English “h” sound When the vowels i and e come after a G it is soft Examples: gimnasio and gente Hard G Same as G sound in English , but a little softer When the vowels a, o, and u come after G it is hard Examples: gato, gol!!!!, and guapo Exceptions Gui and Gue are hard G sounds, but the U is kept silent Gui is pronounced like the Gee in Geese Gue is pronounce like the Gue in Guess *The Spanish C is the same. Ce and Ci are soft C’s. Ca, Co, and Cu are Hard C’s. Spelling Changes in Verbs with G and C Present = Yo pago Preterit = Yo pagué If we were to use the preterit ending for –ar verbs (é) then the G would be soft (page). We want a hard G sound. We get that by changing G to Gué (pagué) The same can apply to verbs with a C at the end, instead of a G 1 Present = Yo busco Preterit = Yo busqué If we were to use the preterit ending for –ar verbs (é) then the C would be soft (buscé). We want a hard C sound. We get that by changing C to Q (Busqué) Also… When u has an umlaut (ü), it has a w sound (the same sound as in the English word won). Lingüista and pingüino (lingwista and pingwino) Practice! General Gordo Gimnasio Guitarra Gente Seguir Gigante Gato Guadalupe Garaje Biología Guapo Spanish J Gasolina Gerente Uruguay The J is approximately pronounced like the English h (as in house), Jamón Jefe Jimador Jorge Jugo Jamás Mujer Mejilla Joven Juego Naranja Ejercicio Jirafa Joya Jueves Spanish H ¡THE H IS ALWAYS SILENT! When do you pronounce it? Wrong. NEVER. Practice not saying the H Hijo Prohibir Hielo Hoy Hamburguesa Hay Hablo Hombre Zanahoria Historia Hacer Hasta Vehículo Búho Hambre 2