the sound of "g"

Question

Last year when taking some informal Spanish lessons, my teacher had a little rule of how "g" sounds. It was when it was preceded by or followed by certain orders of letters. I am having a hard to to explain this. I do use the translator however this little rule seems to change.

Answer 1

When g is followed by i or e, it has a sound like the letter h in English. If it's followed by any other vowel, you sound it out like the g in goat.

Thank you that is exactly the rule I was looking for. Short and simple - jamesgv0r, Oct 28, 2009

Short and simple but incomplete. Heidita's answer is more accurte/detailed. - samdie, Oct 29, 2009

Answer 2

Jim, possibly she was explaining something like

g: This sound is quite different from the English “g”. Before “e” or “i”, it sounds like a rather harsh English “h” (see how to pronounce the Spanish “j” below). In all other cases, its sound is more like the English “g” in “get”, but there is a crucial difference: after a pause, "l", “m”, or “n” (does this sound familiar?), the sound is practically like in English, but otherwise, the tongue never touches the soft palate, making a sound which is almost a whisper. This softer, “whispery” sound does not exist in English.

Answer 3

Thank you rex

That is exactly the rule he was teaching us. It was short and simple. Where I live there are no other Spanish speaking people. Sometimes it is a bit hard to get what you need.

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help out. - c41f84dfc9, Oct 28, 2009