c / z / qu

C, Z and QU

Level 1

Two sounds, four spellings: za, ce, ci, zo, zu for the th sound and ca, que, qui, co, cu for the k sound.

How It Works

The th sound. Galician writes it with z before a, o and u and at the end of a word (zapato, shoe; cazo, ladle; azul, blue; luz, light) and with c before e and i (cento, a hundred; cinco, five; cidade, city). So the syllables are za, ce, ci, zo, zu. The z of zume and the c of cidade are the same sound. A few learned words keep z before e or i, such as zeta, the name of the letter z.

The k sound. Write c before a, o and u (casa, house; pouco, a little; cunca, bowl) and qu before e and i (queixo, cheese; pequeno, small; quilo, kilo). The u in que and qui is silent. So the syllables are ca, que, qui, co, cu. Galician does not use k in its own words.

Spelling changes that keep the sound. Because the letter depends on the next vowel, a word can change its spelling when an ending is added: luz becomes luces (lights), comezar becomes comecei (I started), and tocar becomes toquei (I played). See Plural With -es and Spelling Changes in Verb Forms.

Seseo. In parts of western Galicia, speakers say the th sound as s. This is a regional pronunciation, not a mistake, but the spelling is always c or z. See Regional Pronunciations: Gheada and Seseo.

Examples (5)

  1. Vivo nunha cidade pequena.

    I live in a small city.

    Word by Word: I-live in-a city small.

    The c of cidade sounds like th, and the qu of pequena sounds like k.

  2. Queres un zume de mazá?

    Would you like an apple juice?

    Word by Word: Want-you a juice of apple?

  3. Hai queixo na cociña.

    There is cheese in the kitchen.

    Word by Word: There-is cheese in-the kitchen.

    In cociña, the first c sounds like k and the second like th.

  4. Onte comecei un curso de galego.

    Yesterday I started a Galician course.

    Comezar becomes comecei: z changes to c before e.

  5. As luces están acesas.

    The lights are on.

    Word by Word: The lights are lit.

    Luz becomes luces in the plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing z before e or i.

    As luzes están acesas.
    As luces están acesas.

    Before e or i, the th sound is written c. That is why luz becomes luces.

  • Keeping c before e in a verb form.

    Onte tocei o piano.
    Onte toquei o piano.

    To keep the k sound before e, c becomes qu: toquei, busquei, saquei.

  • Using k in a Galician word.

    Camiñei tres kilómetros.
    Camiñei tres quilómetros.

    Galician spells the k sound with c or qu, never k, in its own words.

How It Connects

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

c / z / quLevel 1C, Z and QU

Learn This First

The vowel after c or qu helps determine the consonant spelling.