Regional Pronunciations: Gheada and Seseo

Level 5

In much of western Galicia, g is pronounced as a breathy sound like English h (gheada), and in some western areas z and soft c sound like s (seseo).

How It Works

Gheada

With gheada, the sound written g (and gu before e and i) is said as a breathy sound, like the h in English house. Near some coasts and in some towns it can sound closer to the Spanish j. So gato (cat) sounds like "hato" and amigo sounds like "amiho".

It is the most common pronunciation in the western half of the language area: most of the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra and the west of Lugo and Ourense. Many speakers there use it naturally in everyday life.

Seseo

Standard Galician has two different sounds: z and c before e or i sound like English th in thin, while s is a real s. With seseo, speakers use an s-type sound for both. So cinco sounds like "sinco" and fixemos a cea sounds like "fixemos a sea". Seseo is found in parts of the west, especially along the coast of A Coruña and in parts of the Rías Baixas.

Where they fit

  • The Real Academia Galega accepts both as valid regional features. They are not errors, and you should not correct a speaker who uses them.
  • The standard spoken model used in most news broadcasts and classrooms has a hard g and the th-like z sound. Some public speakers, singers and poets use gheada and seseo on purpose.
  • As a learner, aim for the standard sounds, but learn to recognise these ones so you understand people from those areas.

Spelling never changes. Whoever says it, the word is written gato, amigo, cinco, cea. See G and GU and C, Z and QU.

Examples (5)

  1. O gato durme ao pé da lareira.

    The cat is sleeping by the fireplace.

    A speaker with gheada says gato with a breathy h-like sound, but it is still written gato.

  2. Os meus amigos veñen o domingo.

    My friends are coming on Sunday.

    With gheada, amigos and domingo both have the breathy sound where g is written.

  3. Chegamos ás cinco e cuarto.

    We arrived at a quarter past five.

    With seseo, cinco sounds like "sinco". With gheada, chegamos has the breathy sound too.

  4. Fixemos a cea na cociña nova.

    We made dinner in the new kitchen.

    With seseo, cea and cociña are said with s-type sounds, so cea sounds like sea.

  5. A xente de Galicia fala de moitas maneiras.

    People in Galicia speak in many different ways.

    Galicia is a good test word: gheada changes the g and seseo changes the c.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the gheada sound with gh.

    Levei o ghato ao veterinario.
    Levei o gato ao veterinario.

    Gheada is a way of pronouncing g. Standard spelling always writes g, whatever sound the speaker uses.

  • Writing s for z or c because of seseo.

    Fasemos a sea ás sinco.
    Facemos a cea ás cinco.

    Seseo changes only the pronunciation. The written words keep c and z.

How It Connects

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Regional Pronunciations: Gheada and SeseoLevel 5

Learn This First

Gheada and seseo are regional pronunciations whose spelling remains standard.

Words in This Pattern

seseo