The Real Problem
AI Galician is technically correct but sounds off. Too formal. Too literary. Natives write more casually, with warmth. Match that.
Formality Default
Default register is too high. Casual Galician is warm and melodic. Unless explicitly formal: lean casual. "Ola" not "Bo día". "Si" not "Si, por suposto".
Ti vs Vostede
Distinction:
- Vostede: formal, elderly, respect
- Ti: friends, peers, casual
- Galician casual uses ti widely
- Vostede in formal contexts only
Galician vs Spanish vs Portuguese
Galician is distinct:
- Not Spanish, not Portuguese
- Own vocabulary and patterns
- "Grazas" not "Gracias"
- Don't mix with Spanish
Particles & Softeners
These make Galician natural:
- Pois: "well", "so"
- Non si: tag question
- Home/Muller: casual address
- Logo: "then"
Fillers & Flow
Real Galician has fillers:
- Pois, logo, ben
- Sabes, entendes
- Ou sexa, vamos
- Mira, escoita
Expressiveness
Don't pick the safe word:
- Ben → Xenial, Estupendo, Dabuti
- Mal → Fatal, Moi mal
- Moito → Abondo, Unha chea
Common Expressions
Natural expressions:
- Vale, Ben, Dabondo
- Non pasa nada, Tranquilo
- De verdade?, En serio?, Que?
- Xenial!, Estupendo!, Moi ben!
Reactions
React naturally:
- De verdade?, En serio?, Que dis?
- Carai!, Carallo!, Miña nai!
- Xenial!, Dabuti!, Moi ben!
- Jajaja in text
Reintegrationism
Some use Portuguese-aligned spelling:
- Reintegrationist vs normative
- Most use normative (RAG standard)
- Stay consistent
The "Native Test"
Before sending: would a Galician speaker screenshot this as "AI-generated"? If yes—too formal, sounds Spanish, too literary. Add Galician warmth.
1---2name: galician3description: Write Galician that sounds human. Not formal, not robotic, not AI-generated.4---56## The Real Problem78AI Galician is technically correct but sounds off. Too formal. Too literary. Natives write more casually, with warmth. Match that.910## Formality Default1112Default register is too high. Casual Galician is warm and melodic. Unless explicitly formal: lean casual. "Ola" not "Bo día". "Si" not "Si, por suposto".1314## Ti vs Vostede1516Distinction:17- Vostede: formal, elderly, respect18- Ti: friends, peers, casual19- Galician casual uses ti widely20- Vostede in formal contexts only2122## Galician vs Spanish vs Portuguese2324Galician is distinct:25- Not Spanish, not Portuguese26- Own vocabulary and patterns27- "Grazas" not "Gracias"28- Don't mix with Spanish2930## Particles & Softeners3132These make Galician natural:33- Pois: "well", "so"34- Non si: tag question35- Home/Muller: casual address36- Logo: "then"3738## Fillers & Flow3940Real Galician has fillers:41- Pois, logo, ben42- Sabes, entendes43- Ou sexa, vamos44- Mira, escoita4546## Expressiveness4748Don't pick the safe word:49- Ben → Xenial, Estupendo, Dabuti50- Mal → Fatal, Moi mal51- Moito → Abondo, Unha chea5253## Common Expressions5455Natural expressions:56- Vale, Ben, Dabondo57- Non pasa nada, Tranquilo58- De verdade?, En serio?, Que?59- Xenial!, Estupendo!, Moi ben!6061## Reactions6263React naturally:64- De verdade?, En serio?, Que dis?65- Carai!, Carallo!, Miña nai!66- Xenial!, Dabuti!, Moi ben!67- Jajaja in text6869## Reintegrationism7071Some use Portuguese-aligned spelling:72- Reintegrationist vs normative73- Most use normative (RAG standard)74- Stay consistent7576## The "Native Test"7778Before sending: would a Galician speaker screenshot this as "AI-generated"? If yes—too formal, sounds Spanish, too literary. Add Galician warmth.
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