c / ç

C and Ç

Level 1

Hard c is a k sound, soft c is an s sound, and ç is an s sound where c would be hard.

How It Works

The letter c works like g: its sound depends on the next letter.

Spelling	Sounds like	Examples
ca, co, cu	k	cap (head), cosina (kitchen)
ce, ci	s	cent (hundred), cinc (five)
ça, ço, çu, final ç	s	plaça (square), braç (arm)
que, qui	k	qué (what), qui (who)

The cedilla is never written before e or i, because c is already soft there. A verb stem changes to keep the sound: començar (to begin) has ç before the a, and comenci (I begin) has c before the i.

The u in qu is not read.

Examples (5)

cap
head
C before a is a k sound.
cent
hundred
C before e is an s sound.
plaça
square
Ç is an s sound before a.
braç
arm
Ç can end a word.
Qué fas?
What are you doing?
Qu before é is a k sound.

Common Mistakes

Writing z for the soft sound, as in Spanish.
plaza
plaça
Occitan writes the s sound before a with ç.

How It Connects

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

c / çLevel 1C and Ç

Learn This First

C and ç depend on the letter c and the cedilla, so the alphabet comes first.

The Occitan Alphabet
Know the letter c and the cedilla in the alphabet, because ç gives the soft sound before a, o and u: cent, plaça.
Level 1

Practice c / ç in Bubblegum

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