Spelling Changes in Verbs

Level 3

Some verbs change a letter to keep the same sound before e or i.

How It Works

Verbs that end in -jar, -çar and -gar keep the same consonant sound in every form. The spelling changes before e, è and i, and it stays as in the infinitive before a.

Infinitiveieutunosautres
manjar (eat)mangimanjasmanjam
començar (begin)comencicomençascomençam
jogar (play)jòguijògasjogam

The first person ends in -i, so it takes the changed letters: g instead of j (mangi), c instead of ç (comenci), and gu instead of g (jògui). The same change happens later in other tenses that start with e or i, such as the simple past mangèri and the subjunctive mange. In jògui, the accent marks the stressed stem vowel (compare jogam); it is not part of the spelling change.

Examples (5)

  1. Mangi un pauc de pan.

    I eat a little bread.

    Mangi has g before i.

  2. Manjam amassa lo ser.

    We eat together in the evening.

    Manjam keeps j before a.

  3. Comenci a sièis oras.

    I start at six.

    Comenci has c before i.

  4. Començam deman.

    We start tomorrow.

    Començam keeps ç before a.

  5. Jògui amb Maria, e jogam al pargue.

    I play with Maria, and we play in the park.

    Jògui has gu before i, and jogam has g before a.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the j before i.

    Manji amb ma sòrre.
    Mangi amb ma sòrre.

    Occitan writes this sound with g before e and i: mangi.

  • Keeping the ç before i.

    Començi a sièis oras.
    Comenci a sièis oras.

    Ç is only written before a, o and u. Before i, write c.

How It Connects

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

Spelling Changes in VerbsLevel 3

Learn This First

Spelling changes in verbs keep a sound steady before e and i, so the -ar present and the entries on g and c come first.