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.