¿What consonants in Spanish change their sound when follow by a soft vowel?

Question

Spanish is a very phonetic language, but it also has exceptions.

Answer 1

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The letter "c" changes to the same sound as the Spanish "z" in front of a soft vowel. This means that in Latin America, it sounds like an English "s" and in most of Spain, it sounds like the "th" in "thin."

A word to help you remember this is "cicatriz" (scar) = [si-ka-tris] or [thi-ka-trith]

The letter "g" changes to the same sound as the Spanish "j" in front of a soft vowel. This means that it sounds like an English "h," with a little bit of gargling behind it in most accents.

A word to help you remember this is "gigante" (giant) = [hi-gan-te]

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These are the only two letters that change their sounds in front of a soft vowel in all accents (though in some accents, the "ll" also changes).

There are, however, cases where we don't want these letters to change their sound. To keep the sound the same, we must instead change the consonant to a different one that sounds just like it but doesn't change in front of a soft vowel (or a hard vowel). This usually happens when a verb is conjugated in the subjunctive, since the ending vowel switches from a hard vowel to a soft vowel or vice-versa.

For example:

corregir

subjunctive: corrija

yo, present: corrijo

In front of a hard vowel, the letter "g" is pronounced like the "g" in "gig." To keep the sound the same, whenever the letter "g" finds itself in front of a hard vowel (where it used to be in front of a soft vowel), it is replaced by the only other letter that sounds like it - the letter "j."

Another example:

pagar

subjunctive: pague

yo, preterite: pagué

In front of a soft vowel, the letter "g" changes its sound. To keep the sound the same, whenever the letter "g" finds itself in front of a soft vowel (where it used to be in front of a hard vowel), a "u" is placed after it.

*This "u" is not pronounced - it is only there to tell us to pronounce the "g" as if it were before a hard vowel.

*If we do need to pronounce the "u" between a "g" and a soft vowel, we put two dots on top of it: "penguin" in Spanish is "pingüino" [pin-gu-i-no] or [pin-gwi-no) instead of [pin-gi-no]

An example with "c":

buscar

subjunctive: busque

yo, preterite: busqué

In front of a soft vowel, the letter "c" changes it sound. To keep the sound the same as in the original word, whenever the letter "c" finds itself in front of a soft vowel (where it used to be in front of a hard vowel), it is replaced by the only other letter that sounds like it - "q."

*Like in English, "q" must always be written with a "u" after it, so when a "c" changes to "q," it actually changes to "qu."

There is one more consonant that follows this pattern: the letter "z."

For example:

comenzar

subjunctive: comience

yo, preterite: comencé

Also:

lápiz

plural: lápices

The only letter that shares the same sound as "z" in front of a soft vowel is "c" ("s" doesn't count because in Spain, "z" is pronounced as "th" and "s" is pronounced as "s"). So, whenever a "z" finds itself in front of a soft vowel (where it used to be in front of a hard vowel or by itself), it is replaced by a "c."

*There are a handful of words like "zebra" where a soft vowel does follow "z." The "z -> c" rule only applies if the original noun ends in "z" and becomes plural, or if the original verb ends in "-zar" and the hard vowel becomes a soft one.

To sum up:

HARD VOWEL: "c" as in "cat," "g" as in "gig"

SOFT VOWEL: "c" as in "face" (or c as "th" in "thin"); "g" as "h" in "help"

TO PRESERVE HARD SOUND IN FRONT OF SOFT VOWEL: "c" -> "qu"; "g" -> "gu"

TO PRESERVE SOFT SOUND IN FRONT OF HARD VOWEL: "c" -> "z"; "g" -> "j"

MISCELLANEOUS: "gü"; "z" -> "c"

Answer 2

Consonants in Spanish change: l and ll

Answer 3

The letters C, G, and the letter Z in Spain, because the seseo.