G

French consonant

The letter G has two pronunciations:

1. Soft G (in front of E, I, or Y) – pronounced like the g in "massage," identical to the French J. Phonetic symbol: [ʒ]
   
2. Hard G (in front of A, O, U, or a consonant) – pronounced like the g in "gold." Phonetic symbol: [g]

See vowel lesson "Effect on consonants: hard vs soft" for more info.

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• When G precedes a soft vowel but needs a hard pronunciation, U is added to make it hard, e.g., guérir.
• When G precedes a hard vowel but needs a soft pronunciation, as for spelling change verbs, E is added to make it soft, e.g., mangeons.
  

the letter g
la gare		train station
grand		big, tall
guérir		to cure
gérer		to manage
nous mangeons		we eat

 Related lessons

• Letter combinations: GN | NG
• Introduction to consonants
• Introduction to vowels
• French alphabet
• Spelling change verbs