In life, one of the most appreciated values is the truth. For many this is synonymous with happiness. She is based on sincerity, but because we all have the opportunity to decide, in the end we choose the lifestyle that suits us best, even if it goes hand in hand with pretending.
One of the characteristics that is undoubtedly the direct enemy of the truth is the act of pretending. We do this when we lead a double life, we want to take advantage of the circumstances or it is simply not convenient for us that the truth about a specific issue comes to light.
In any case, always remember that by pretending, we can deceive many but never ourselves, because in the depths of our hearts, we know what we have done. This can become a weight that threatens our inner peace.
Now, another thing that steals our peace, linked to this word, is the spelling doubt when we are going to write it. This word is complicated not only because of what it represents, but because it represents a phonetological dilemma that occasionally leads to misspellings.
Sometimes we tend to doubt if the proper way is to pretend instead of pretending or vice versa. For this reason, and taking advantage of the topic of what is really true, below, we will show you quickly and easily how you should write it. In addition to this, we will delve a little into the meaning and what this term implies in different areas of life.
Instructions for How to write pretend or pretend
- First of all, the most important thing is that you know that the correct way to write it is with “g”, that is, pretend instead of pretend; in fact the second form, not recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE).
- The biggest drawback with this word is that the graphemes <g> and <j>are homophones, that is, even when they are written differently, they are actually pronounced the same with the phoneme /j/. Which lends itself to multiple confusions.
- Also, being an irregular verb, it tends to vary in its root, when it is conjugated in some specific tenses.
- For example, in this case feignir, when conjugated in the first person of the present indicative, becomes As you see, it automatically changes its morphological root, this change from the grapheme <g> to <j>, is what produces the confusion.
Meaning of the word pretend
It comes from the Latin “finger”. It is an irregular verb of the third conjugation, fully approved by the RAE. It alludes to implying something contrary to what is really intended, which is why it is considered an act of simulation. For example:
- He tries to pretend that he didn’t like it, but the truth is that he did.
- I can’t pretend about it.
From a grammatical point of view, it can be used as a transitive, reflexive, or pronominal verb. It is made up of two syllables ( fin-gir), it has a prosodic accent, that is, even when the force of the voice falls audibly on the second syllable, it does not actually carry a visible or spelling accent.
One piece of information that can help you solve this inconvenience of misspelling is to remember that verbs that end in -gir- are generally written with <g>. There are only a few exceptions to the rule, of which perhaps the most common is “creaking”.
Why the doubt?
As you will see, the use of the grapheme < g>, like that of < j>, is not problematic when preceding the open vowels a, o and the closed vowel u. Doubts always arise when the phoneme /j/ precedes / e/ or / i/. As a rule to correct you on this, as we told you before, the RAE indicates that the endings of the infinitive verbs -ger and -gir must generally be written with the grapheme < g >.
But why the doubt? It is well known that we cannot write as we speak, but the history of the language confirms that the oral precedents are usually forceful in the evolution of Spanish. This is a matter of phonetics, simply. Come on! don’t frown on you; If you do not know what we are talking about, we will explain the term better.
Phonetics is one of the branches of linguistics, which is responsible for studying phonemes; that is, the pronunciation of sounds and their transformations into a structure. In other words, when we talk about phonetics, we talk about pronunciation, among other things.
Understand that the confusion has been going on for centuries, since previously, in the same Latin alphabet, the grapheme < j > was a calligraphic variant of <i>. Thus, we see that in the 17th century, many words had the letter «x» instead, which was pronounced /ʃ/, like /sh/ in English.
Then, the phoneme evolved towards /j/ which corresponds to the current grapheme <j>; for which reason an orthographic reform was necessary already in the 18th century, changing the grapheme <x> for <j>. Currently, traces of this phenomenon remain in words such as México and Texas or Axarquía, which are pronounced with the phoneme /j/.
What do you need for How to write pretend or pretend?
- Have a Spanish language dictionary at home. You can find a physical version or get a free download online to keep it digital on your computer. In addition to this, the RAE has online versions with a very intuitive interface that will help you clear up your doubts and make your searches a pleasant experience.
- You can find several versions of the RAE’s Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts. It is a very useful tool because it not only presents the definition and classification of the terms, but also explains aspects of their use and evolution internationally.
- You will need to read about diachrony of the language. In other words, if you are interested in learning spelling, you necessarily have to know the history of the language, because there are rules that only concern etymological criteria and their uses are strict.
- Also, practice makes perfect. Get in the habit of writing paying attention to spelling and you will see the difference. Remember that many times the immediacy of technology makes us lose good writing habits, but if you put your batteries into it, you will see that this is a piece of cake the more you practice.
Tips for How to write pretend or pretend
In short, pretending is considered an act of hypocrisy, which turns out to be extremely repudiated by most belief systems. However, at some point we have all done it, regardless of the reason that motivated us.
For some it is not a problem, but others disagree, the truth is, whatever your position, try to be responsible for your actions. However, you cannot pretend to know the language when you make spelling mistakes, so so that you don’t eat a brown from those who know the language, better apply yourself to follow our advice. When we frequently lie to the people around us, they end up moving away from us, because a break automatically occurs, sometimes irreparable in the relationship. We need to be consistent in the way we speak and act, since many times one does not support the other, leaving us in disrepute in front of others.
Lastly, our greatest advice is not to drown in a glass of water, that little by little in study and practice you will memorize structures and improve spelling… And live, it’s two days! Enjoy your language and He pokes around investigating her.