Pronunciation Lesson 4
C and G, and how they change
What is their normal sound?
The letter C is normally hard in Spanish. That means that it makes our English K sound.
- Cortina
- Toca
- Coco
- Criticar
- Cobrar
- Convocar
The Letter G is also normally hard, making the same sound as the G in gum and golf.
- Gol
- Gabriel
- Rogar
- Gato
- Hígado
- Golpe
How they change
Both of these letter are softened when they are followed by an E or an I. The soft C sounds like an S.
- Cinta
- Cifra
- Fácil
- Pincel
- Cenar
- Celoso
The soft G is a lot like the English H sound, but with an important difference. The English H is simply a short, forced breath with the tongue flat on the bottom of the mouth. The Spanish soft G is raises the back of the tongue to create a more guttural sound. Listen carefully and try to imitate it.
- Gemir
- Gemela
- Gitano
- Fingir
- Dirige
- Recoge
Practice Sentences
These practice sentences use both the hard and soft sounds, so be careful! Listen closely, and remember the soft/hard rules.
La cabra celosa critica la cena en la cocina.
(The jealous goat criticizes the dinner in the kitchen.)
El gitano dirige el gato que recoge el hígado.
(The Gypsy directs the cat who picks up the liver.)