Rules for the use of the G and J

Doubts about when to use the G and when to use the J? Do you have a bad time every time you have a letter? In unPROFESOR we explain to you with day-to-day examples the uses established by the spelling rules so that in your next writing, email or annotation you do not feel the weight of the error grammatical. In this lesson we show you the rules of the use of the G and J, as well as examples so that you can put the knowledge into practice. We started!

The rules of use of these consonants are established in our spelling, since this is the only part of the language that establishes norms that allow understanding between speakers.

Often, there is some confusion about the use of the g or j in the writings. Are you also one of those doubts about when to use the g and when the j? Learning the spelling rules is not complex thanks to our explanations with examples. The first of all is to know what is the origin of this chaos between these two letters.

That when writing a word with the / je / sound, you doubt whether to use g or j is as common as breathing. Even linguists sometimes argue about the rules for the use of g and j. The confusion between the two arises because sometimes

they represent the same sound, that is, phonetically they sound the same, although they are spelled with different letters.

There is no fixed or infallible regulation when it comes to knowing if a word is written with g or with j, but the grammatical norm does establish certain generalities about the use of both, although as it happens with this type of spelling rules, there are exceptions that must be known so that they do not mess with us again.

Etymologically some words depend on how they were written in the original language (Latin or Greek) and continue the original spelling, like freeze from Latin I will freeze, people from I will freeze. However, the Spelling of the Spanish language warns about certain endings in words from other languages, such as French espionnage, blackmail, which in Spanish are written with j: espionage and blackmail.

As a remedy for any ignorance or doubt these kinds of rules and exceptions, we can always make use of the dictionary. Graphic memory is also usually applied, that is, if we have seen the word written with g or with j, especially if you read a lot.

The generalizations established by the Spelling, to know if a word has g or j are the following:

• When the g or j go before the vowels a, o, u do not represent difficulty, since they represent different sounds, as when pronouncing glasses, rubber, gluttony, and in a different way if we pronounce ham, hump, lawyer.
• When the two letters precede the vowels e, i, and represent the same phoneme is when confusion arises, having the g a loud, dull sound similar to j, for writing the word. Thus: icy, groan, gypsy, goldfinch.

If everything were that simple, there would be no room for doubts about the use of the j and the g. Let's take a closer look which more specific cases require one or the other letter.

So that you do not fall into the temptation to substitute g for j, here are some indications with examples of cases where we will write G:

• Verbs whose infinitives end in -ger, -gir, -igerar, with deaf phonetic sound like catch, pretend. In this case there are exceptions: knitting, creaking, weaving and creaking.
• Nouns and adjectives that begin with gene-: genocide, general; gest-: management, manager, gestation; geo-: geologist, geography, geology (generally these words refer to the earth); legis-, referring to laws, such as legislature, legislate; legis-: legionary, legible.
• Words that contain the sequence-gest-: intake, digestive; exceptions are: majesty, old age and its derivatives, and majesty.
• Words that contain the groups -igi-, -agi-: monitor, page.
• Words ending in: -gia, -gio, -gión, -gional, -gionario, -gioso, gírico, are written with g,: corregía, religion, school, regional, legionary, religious, panegyric, except those ending in -plegia or -plegia and -exion: paraplegia, hemiplegia
• Those words ending in -gent, -gency: smart, agency.
• Words that end in: -ígero / a, -igen / a, -gogia or -gogía, -logía: light / a, oxygen, pedagogy, demagogy, technology.
• They are written with -g the words ending in -genarian, -genarian, -genarian, -genius, -gth / a, -getic, -genital: legionary, wit, twentieth / a, congenital.
• The ending in -gienic, -ginal, -gineo, -ginoso: hygienic, original, vertiginous, except for watery.
• If a word ends in -giar, -algia: smear, neuralgia.
• They are written with g in front of -e, -i, and -u- (not pronounced) is inserted into words so that the g has a soft sound: war, guitar.
• They are also written with g words with umlauts, above the u, and now it is pronounced: stork, penguin.

As you will see below, the ones that use J there are fewer, so it is easier to understand even the above.

• Before the vowels -e, -i, as a general rule.
• The words that they start with axis-, aje-: run, chess. The exceptions are: egetano, egeno, egestad and egestion.
• Those words that they begin with the syllables adj-, obj-: adjective, adjudicate, objective, object.
• The verbs ending in -jear, -jar: browse, work; except sprinkle, although there is also the variant with j: sprinkle.

In the verbs in which the j does not appear in the infinitive and yes in its past and subjunctive conjugations:

• to say, I said,
• to drive, I drove,
• to bring, suit,
• to predict, I predicted
• to contract, contracted

Rule exceptions

As in any rule, there is an exception. The one that corresponds to the norm of use of the 'j' is when the g before -e, -i, and are written with g: moan, turn.

• Words ending in -eje, -aje: heretic, character. Except the verb protect.
• Nouns and adjectives ending in -jero / a, -jeria: messenger, scissors, messenger. Some exceptions are found in words like light, flamboyant, ultralight.
• Derivatives of nouns and adjectives that end in -ja, -jo: de caja would be a box, a box; when he was old he would be old age, and old man too.