G is the seventh letter of the alphabet and the fifth consonant. It is a very frequent letter in the Spanish language.
Gracias por haberme ayudado.
Thank you for helping me.Necesitamos cargar gasolina antes de partir.
We need to pump gas before we set off.
The letter G may appear in initial, middle, or final position in the word:
- Words starting with G: galleta (cookie), gusano (worm), genio (genie).
- Words with G in them: lengua (tongue), regalo (present), fogata (bonfire).
- Words ending in G. They are infrequent, being usually of foreign origin: esmog (smog), blog (blog), zigzag (zigzag).
Pronunciation tip: The Spanish letter G has two possible pronunciations depending on the following letter:
- Soft sound. It is pronounced /g/, much like the English sound in “goat” (though softer) when followed by a, o, u or a consonant, or when it appears in word-final position:
gasa, gol, guapo, glaseado, airbag.
*In the sequences “gue” and “gui”, the u is silent, except when it takes a diaeresis (¨):
guerrero, juguete, Miguel, guitarra, guinda, antigüedad, pingüino. - Hard sound. It is pronounced /h/, much like the English /h/ in “help” (though stronger) when followed by e or i:
gema, ángel, girasol, elegir.
Important: When G goes before e or i, it has the same sound as the Spanish letter j. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the spelling rules of both letters when writing.
- See also: Words with J
Spanish nouns that start with G
| gato cat | globo balloon | garaje parking lot |
| guitarra guitar | gripe flu | grupo group |
| girasol sunflower | granja farm | grano pimple |
| galleta cookie | gancho hook | guiso stew |
| gente people | gemelo twin | goma eraser |
| gota drop | grito scream | granizo hail |
| guante glove | gimnasio gym | gema gem |
| guerra war | garganta throat | gesto gesture |
| golosina candy | gloria glory | generosidad generosity |
| gaseosa soda | golpe blow | grieta crack |
Animals starting with G: gorila (gorilla), gallina (hen), ganso (goose), gaviota (seagull), gallo (rooster), guepardo (cheetah).
Fruits and vegetables starting with G: guinda (morello), grosella (red currant), granada (pomegranate), guayaba (guava), guisante (pea), garbanzo (chickpea).
Jobs starting with G: gerente (manager), guardavidas (lifeguard), guía turístico (tour guide), geólogo (geologist), ginecólogo (gynecologist).
Names starting with G: Gabriela, Guillermina, Gloria, Guadalupe, Gonzalo, Germán, Gustavo, Gaspar.
A mi novio lo conocí en el gimnasio.
I met my boyfriend at the gym.Hay una grieta en esa pared.
There’s a crack on that wall.El pronóstico del tiempo pronostica granizo para esta noche.
The weather forecast is calling for hail tonight.Me duele la garganta.
I have a sore throat.
- See also: Spanish nouns
Spanish adjectives that start with G
| grande big | global global | gratificante rewarding |
| gris gray | grave serious | geométrico geometric |
| grueso thick | grato pleasant | globalizado globalized |
| genial great | general general | gótico gothic |
| gratis free (of charge) | gratuito free | grácil graceful |
| gigante giant | gustoso tasty | grandilocuente grandiloquent |
| grandioso magnificent | glorioso glorious | geográfico geographical |
| ganador winning | grasoso greasy | guarro filthy |
| gradual gradual | grotesco grotesque, hideous | genérico generic |
| griego Greek | gomoso chewy | gentilicio demonym |
Mi amigo Petros es griego.
My friend Petros is Greek.¿Me queda mejor el suéter gris o el negro?
Does the gray sweater or the black one look better on me?Ayudar a esa gente fue una experiencia muy gratificante.
Helping those people was such a rewarding experience.Los lunes la entrada al museo es gratis.
Admission to the museum is free on Mondays.
Adjectives starting with G to describe a person
| generoso generous | genuino genuine | gordo fat |
| gracioso funny | galante gallant | glotón greedy |
| gentil kind | genial great, brilliant | grosero rude |
| guapo attractive | gregario gregarious | gritón loud |
| glamoroso glamorous | goloso having a sweet tooth | gruñón grumpy |
No seas tan gruñón, no rezongues por todo.
Don’t be so grumpy, don’t grumble about everything.Muchas gracias; eres muy gentil.
Thank you; you’re very kind.
- See also: Spanish adjectives
Spanish verbs that start with G
| gustar to like | gratificar to gratify | girar to turn, spin |
| ganar to win | gemir to moan | guisar to stew |
| gastar to spend, waste | grillar to grill | generar to generate |
| gritar to shout | gruñir to growl | graduar to graduate |
| golpear to hit, knock | guiñar to wink | glasear to ice, frost |
| gatear to crawl | gesticular to gesticulate | galopar to gallop |
| guiar to guide | garantizar to guarantee | guarecer to shelter |
| gotear to drip | grabar to record | gobernar to govern |
| guardar to put away | gestionar to manage | garabatear scribble |
| graduar to graduate | granizar to hail | galardonar to award |
¿Te gusta el helado de frambuesa?
Do you like raspberry ice cream?Juan se graduó de la universidad el año pasado.
Juan graduated from university last year.Niños, guarden los juguetes y vengan a cenar.
Children, put the toys away and come have dinner.La Tierra gira sobre su eje.
The Earth spins on its axis.
- See also: Spanish verbs
Spanish adverbs that start with G
| generalmente generally, usually | genialmente brilliantly | gratuitamente free of charge |
| gradualmente gradually | grotescamente grotesquely | gramaticalmente grammatically |
| gratamente pleasantly | generosamente generously | grandemente greatly |
| gravemente seriously | gentilmente kindly | glotonamente gluttonously |
| geográficamente geographically | graciosamente graciously, amusingly | gráficamente graphically |
| globalmente globally | genéricamente generically | grandilocuentemente grantiloquently |
| genuinamente genuinely | gozosamente joyfully | glacialmente icily |
| groseramente rudely | gustosamente gladly | gélidamente gelidly, icily |
| geométricamente geometrically | golosamente greedily | gallardamente majestically |
| geológicamente geologically | gratis free | galantemente gallantly |
Generalmente, me levanto muy temprano.
I usually get up very early.Mi amigo resultó gravemente herido en el accidente.
My friend was seriously injured in the accident.María generosamente compartió su comida entre todos.
María generously shared her food with everyone.Estoy gratamente sorprendido por las buenas noticias.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the good news.
- See also: Spanish adverbs
More everyday Spanish words that start with G
Some more everyday Spanish words that start with G include:
gaucho
gaucho
¡Guau!
Wow!
¡Genial!
Cool!
¡Guay!
Super!
Grecia
Greece
Groenlandia
Greenland
Ginebra
Geneva
género
gender
grisáceo
grayish
granate
maroon (color)
garra
claw
gerundio
gerund
El gaucho es una figura emblemática de las pampas de Argentina.
The gaucho is an emblematic figure of the Argentine pampas.
¡Guau! ¡Me encanta tu auto!
Wow! Love your car!
A los gatos les gusta afilarse las garras en los muebles.
Cats like to sharpen their claws on furniture.
¿Cuál es el gerundio del verbo “ir”?
What is the gerund of the verb “ir”?
You may also like:
Practice: Spanish words with G
References
- Wordreference.com, “claw,” accessed October 28, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed October 28, 2024, under “gaucho,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española, under “gratis,” accessed October 25, 2024, https://dle.rae.es/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Palabras con G,” by Carla Giani. Last updated October 25, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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