The pronunciation of the letter "g" in Spanish can vary depending on its placement within a word and the vowels that surround it. Here are the main rules to keep in mind:

Hard G (like the English "g" in "go"):

When the letter "g" appears before the vowels "a," "o," or "u," it is pronounced as a hard "g." For example:

"gato" (cat)

"gol" (goal)

"gusto" (taste)

Soft G (like the English "h" in "hot"):

When the letter "g" appears before the vowels "e" or "i," it is pronounced as a soft "g" similar to the English "h" in "hot." For example:

"gente" (people)

"girasol" (sunflower)

"gimnasio" (gymnasium)

The Letter G-g and the Diaeresis-

The term "diéresis" is translated to English as "dieresis." It refers to the two dots ( ¨ ) placed over a vowel, typically the letter "u," to indicate that it is pronounced separately from the vowel that precedes it.

Güe and güi:

When the letter "g" is followed by the vowels "e" or "i" but needs to maintain a hard sound, the letters "u" and "e" or "i" are added after the "g." In this case, the "u" is silent, and the "e" or "i" has the accent mark (¨) to indicate that it's pronounced separately from the "u." For example:

"pingüino" (penguin)

"bilingüe" (bilingual)