The Letters J and G Memorizing spelling is crucial in any language, but especially with pairs such as the j and the g. The letter j is pronounced in only one way. The letter g, however, is pronounced in more than one way. Before e and i, it is pronounced like the j. Here are some patterns to help you differentiate the two.

The Letter J The letter j in Spanish consistently produces a /x/ sound before all vowels. The pronunciation can be similar to the English h, as in house, but in some dialects the /x/ sound is pronounced with more aspiration. Some common words spelled with a j followed by e or i consejero, jefe, jerarquía, jersey, jirafa, tarjeta, tejer, tejido Some common words spelled with a j followed by a, o, or u abajo, dejar, injusto, jaguar, joven, jugo, lejos, trabajo

Spelling Patterns With the Letter J The following spelling patterns are common with the letter j: words that end in -aje aprendizaje, coraje, viaje words that end in -jero/a cajera, consejero, mensajera, pasajero words related to age with the root vej-/viej- envejecer, vejez, vieja

Verbs With J Spelling Changes The following verbs have spelling changes containing the letter j in all forms of the preterite tense and imperfect subjunctive: bendecir, conducir, decir, introducir, producir, traducir, traer Note the pattern in the verb decir: Preterite dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron Imperfect Subjunctivedijera, dijeras, dijera, dijéramos, dijerais, dijeran

The Sounds of the Letter G In contrast, the letter g is pronounced in two different ways, depending upon its position. When g is followed by an e or i, it produces the /x/ sound, similar to the English h. congelado, digestión, digital, Egipto, energía, gente, geografía, gigante When g is followed by an a, o, or u, it produces a /g/ sound. At the beginning of words and following pauses or the letter n, it is a hard [g], like in the English word go. gafas, galleta, gordo, gusto, langosta In all other positions, the g is pronounced more softly, [ g ], allowing a little air to escape. There is no exact equivalent in English. extravagante, juego, legumbre, negativo, yoga

The Sounds of the Letter G Continued When g is followed by a ue or ui, the u is silent and the g is pronounced as a hard [g]. alguien, guerra, guía, guisar, guitarra, merengue, perseguir, portugués Exception: The u following g is pronounced, however, when it has dieresis (ü). cigüeña, güera, lingüística, monolingüe, nicaragüense, vergüenza When the g is followed by a consonant, it is pronounced as a hard [g]. autobiografía, globo, graduarse, gramática, inglés, jungla, siglo

Spelling Patterns With the Letter G The following spelling patterns are common with the letter g: words containing gen- Argentina, generosidad, general, urgencia words containing regi- regimen, registración, registro words ending in -gía cirugía, energía, sociología

Verbs With G to J Spelling Changes Verbs with infinitives ending in -ger and -gir have spelling changes in the first person singular present indicative and all forms of the present subjunctive. InfinitiveYo Present IndicativePresent Subjunctive proteger protejo proteja, protejas, proteja, protejamos, protejáis, protejan recoger recojo recoja, recojas, recoja, recojamos, recojáis, recojan corregir corrijo corrija, corrijas, corrija, corrijamos, corrijáis, corrijan

Práctica A Read each word aloud. Then, indicate whether the boldfaced g in each word is pronounced as a /g/ sound or an /x/ sound (like j). 1. gel 2. gasolina 3. guía 4. registrar 5. gorila 6. girasol 7. vergüenza 8. gigante 9. biología 10. graduación

ANSWERS Práctica A 1. /x/ sound 2. /g/ sound 3. /g/ sound 4. /x/ sound 5. /g/ sound 6. /x/ sound 7. /g/ sound 8. /x/ sound 9. /x/ sound 10. /g/ sound

Práctica B Complete each word with the missing letter: g or j. 1. ___ente 2. via___e 3. reco___er 4. prote___er 5. ecolo___ía 6. ve___ez 7. pasa___ero 8. ___enerosa 9. bilin___üe 10. mensa___e

ANSWERS Práctica B 1. gente (g) 2. viaje (j) 3. recoger (g) 4. proteger (g) 5. ecología (g) 6. vejez (j) 7. pasajero (j) 8. generosa (g) 9. bilingüe (g) 10. mensaje (j)