Spanish Words That Start With G (30 Essentials)
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
These thirty words come straight from the G page of my notebook: the ones my students need every day, and the ones they keep tripping over. Three things to watch. G is soft, like a raspy H, before e and i — gente, girar, gemelo — and hard everywhere else: gato, grande, gustar. In guerra and guitarra the u is silent; it is there only to keep the G hard. And mind the false friend gracioso, which means funny, not gracious. I grew up saying gafas and grifo in Valencia; here in Mexico City everyone says lentes and llave. Learn the first ten cold — they turn up in almost every conversation.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gracias Always plural. "Gracias a" also means "thanks to": gracias a ti. | thank you, thanks | Muchas gracias por tu ayuda. Thank you very much for your help. | |
| 2 | gato Masculine; a female cat is "gata". Also the jack you use to lift a car. | cat | Mi gato duerme todo el día. My cat sleeps all day. | |
| 3 | grande Same form for both genders. Before any singular noun it shortens to "gran": un gran problema, una gran casa. | big, large | Necesito una maleta más grande. I need a bigger suitcase. | |
| 4 | gustar Works backwards: the thing liked is the subject, so plurals take "gustan": me gustan los perros. | to like (literally: to be pleasing to) | Me gusta el café con leche. I like coffee with milk. | |
| 5 | gente Feminine and grammatically singular: la gente está, never están. | people | Hay mucha gente en la plaza. There are a lot of people in the square. | |
| 6 | genial Informal, same form for both genders. Very common as a one-word reply: "¡Genial!" | great, brilliant | ¡Qué idea tan genial! What a great idea! | |
| 7 | ganar Also used for money: gana poco. "Ganarse la vida" = to earn a living. | to win, to earn | Ganaron el partido en el último minuto. They won the match in the last minute. | |
| 8 | guapo Used for men and women (guapo/guapa). In Spain also a friendly form of address: ¡hola, guapa! | good-looking, handsome, pretty | Tu hermana es muy guapa. Your sister is very good-looking. | |
| 9 | gris Same form for both genders: un jersey gris, una falda gris. | grey | El cielo está gris desde ayer. The sky has been grey since yesterday. | |
| 10 | grupo Masculine. Also a music band: mi grupo favorito. | group, band | Somos un grupo de seis personas. We're a group of six people. | |
| 11 | guardar Also for files: guardar el documento. "Guardar un secreto" = to keep a secret. | to keep, to put away, to save | Guarda el pan en la bolsa, por favor. Put the bread away in the bag, please. | |
| 12 | gastar Mainly for money, energy or supplies. For time, Spanish prefers "pasar": pasé dos horas allí. | to spend (money), to use up | Gasté demasiado dinero este mes. I spent too much money this month. | |
| 13 | gafas Feminine and always plural. Spain; in Mexico and most of Latin America: lentes or anteojos. | glasses, spectacles | No encuentro mis gafas de sol. I can't find my sunglasses. | |
| 14 | galleta Feminine. Colloquially in Spain "una galleta" can also mean a slap. | biscuit, cookie | ¿Quieres una galleta con el té? Do you want a biscuit with your tea? | |
| 15 | gritar "Gritar a alguien" = to shout at someone; "gritar de dolor" = to scream in pain. | to shout, to scream | No me grites, te oigo bien. Don't shout at me, I can hear you fine. | |
| 16 | gordo Blunt when used about people; "gordito" is softer, and in Mexico "gordo/gorda" is a common term of affection. | fat, thick | El perro del vecino está un poco gordo. The neighbour's dog is a bit fat. | |
| 17 | gracioso False friend: it does not mean "gracious". Forms: gracioso/graciosa. "Hacerse el gracioso" = to play the clown. | funny, amusing | Tu amigo es muy gracioso. Your friend is really funny. | |
| 18 | generoso Forms: generoso/generosa. Soft G before e, pronounced like a raspy H. | generous | Fue muy generoso con la propina. He was very generous with the tip. | |
| 19 | girar Standard in Spain for directions; in Mexico people normally say "dar vuelta a la derecha". | to turn, to spin | Gira a la derecha en el semáforo. Turn right at the traffic light. | |
| 20 | golpe Masculine. "De golpe" = suddenly; "golpe de Estado" = coup. | blow, knock, hit | Se dio un golpe en la rodilla. He banged his knee. | |
| 21 | garganta Feminine. Also a gorge or ravine in a landscape. | throat | Me duele la garganta al hablar. My throat hurts when I talk. | |
| 22 | guerra Feminine; the u is silent. "Dar guerra" = to be a handful, said of children. | war | Mi abuelo nació después de la guerra. My grandfather was born after the war. | |
| 23 | gobierno Masculine, and it always takes a singular verb, unlike British English. | government | El gobierno anunció nuevas medidas. The government announced new measures. | |
| 24 | guitarra Feminine; the u is silent. Instruments go with "tocar", never "jugar". | guitar | Toco la guitarra los fines de semana. I play the guitar at weekends. | |
| 25 | guante Masculine, usually plural. "Venir como anillo al dedo" is the fit idiom; "de guante blanco" = smooth, refined. | glove | Ponte los guantes, hace frío. Put your gloves on, it's cold. | |
| 26 | grifo Masculine. Spain; Mexico: llave (del agua); Argentina and Uruguay: canilla. | tap, faucet | Cierra bien el grifo de la cocina. Turn the kitchen tap off properly. | |
| 27 | ganas Feminine plural. Used as tener ganas de + infinitive. "Con ganas" = enthusiastically. | desire, urge (to feel like) | No tengo ganas de salir hoy. I don't feel like going out today. | |
| 28 | gemelo Identical twins; fraternal ones are "mellizos". In the plural, "gemelos" also means cufflinks or opera glasses. | twin | Mi hermano y yo somos gemelos. My brother and I are twins. | |
| 29 | grave Same form for both genders. Used for illnesses, problems and accidents. Also "deep, low-pitched": una voz grave. | serious, severe | Tranquilo, no es nada grave. Relax, it's nothing serious. | |
| 30 | guiar The preterite is written "guio", with no accent, under current spelling rules. Reflexive "guiarse por" = to go by, to follow. | to guide, to lead | Ella nos guio por el centro histórico. She guided us around the historic centre. |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- Why does the G in "gente" sound different from the G in "gato"?
- Before e and i, Spanish G is soft — a raspy H sound, identical to J: gente, girar, generoso, gemelo. Before a, o, u and consonants it is a hard G: gato, gordo, gustar, grande, gris. To keep the hard sound before e or i, Spanish writes a silent u: guerra and guitarra have a hard G and the u is not pronounced at all.
- Which words in this deck change between Spain and Latin America?
- Three to watch. "Gafas" is standard in Spain, while Mexico and most of Latin America say lentes or anteojos. "Grifo" is Spain; Mexico uses llave (del agua) and Argentina canilla. "Girar" for turning a corner is normal in Spain, but in Mexico you will hear "dar vuelta a la derecha". All three are understood everywhere; they just sound foreign.
- Why is it "me gusta" and not "yo gusto"?
- Gustar means "to be pleasing", so the thing you like is the grammatical subject. "Me gusta el café" is literally "coffee pleases me". The verb agrees with that thing: me gusta el café, me gustan los gatos. The same structure works for people: me gusta tu amigo (with a romantic reading). "Yo gusto" sounds plainly wrong to a native ear.
- Is "gracioso" the same as English "gracious"?
- No, it is a false friend. "Gracioso" means funny or amusing: una película graciosa, un niño muy gracioso. For English "gracious" use amable, cortés or elegante, depending on the sense. Mind the tone too: "te crees muy gracioso" (you think you're so funny) is a complaint, not a compliment.
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