<p>In French, if the letter <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span> is followed by <span style="font-style: italic;">a</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">o</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">u</span>, it is called a <strong>hard <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span></strong> and is pronounced [g] (same as the letter <span style="font-style: italic;">j</span>). When it's followed by <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">y</span>, it is called <strong>soft <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span></strong> and is pronounced [ʒ]. To change the pronunciation of a hard <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span> into soft, we need to add an <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span> after <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span>. For example:
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p style="font-style: italic;">manger → nous mangeons</p>
<p style="font-style: italic;">manger → il mangeait</p>
<p style="font-style: italic;">juger → il jugeait</p>
French conjugation explanation