The Throaty G

Level 1

In Afrikaans, g is almost always a rough, breathy sound at the back of the throat, like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach. In most words it is not the hard g of English go.

How It Works

The throaty g sound is the same wherever it appears in a word:

  • At the start: goed (good), groot (big), gaan (go).
  • In the middle: dogter (daughter), Saterdag (Saturday).
  • At the end: dag (day), berg (mountain), hoog (high).

Your voice does not buzz while you make this sound. Many speakers make it even further back than the ch in loch, and it can sound a little like a soft rattle.

A few spellings need special attention:

  • ng is one sound, the same as in English sing. There is no g sound after it: lang (long), vinger (finger), Engels (English).
  • gh spells the hard g of English go in a few loanwords and names: gholf (golf), Ghana. Compare golf, an ordinary Afrikaans word that means wave and starts with the throaty g.
  • In some plurals, g after r becomes a hard g: berg (mountain) ends in the throaty sound, but berge (mountains) is usually said with a hard g.

Sometimes g disappears when an ending is added: dag → dae (days), hoog → hoë (high). See plural sound changes and adjective sound changes.

Examples (5)

  1. Goeie môre!

    Good morning!

    Goeie starts with the throaty g.

  2. Dit is 'n groot dag.

    It is a big day.

    Groot has the throaty g at the start, and dag has it at the end.

  3. My dogter sing graag.

    My daughter likes to sing.

    Word by Word: My daughter sings gladly.

    Dogter and graag have the throaty g. In sing, ng is one nasal sound, as in English.

  4. Die berg is baie hoog.

    The mountain is very high.

    Berg and hoog both end in the throaty g.

  5. Ons speel Saterdag gholf.

    We play golf on Saturday.

    Word by Word: We play Saturday golf.

    Gholf is spelled with gh because it has the hard g of English go. Saterdag ends in the throaty g.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling the sport golf without the h.

    Ons speel Saterdag golf.
    Ons speel Saterdag gholf.

    Golf is an Afrikaans word that means wave, said with the throaty g. The sport is spelled gholf.

  • Writing ch for the throaty sound, as in Dutch or German.

    Ek het acht boeke.
    Ek het agt boeke.

    Afrikaans spells this sound with g: agt (eight), nag (night), lig (light).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The Throaty GLevel 1

Learn This First

The throaty g is one of the first letter sounds to learn after the alphabet.