Your Final French Pronunciation Information
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Understanding the pronunciation of the French language is likely one of the most beneficial methods to attain your language-learning targets. To be understood, to speak clearly, and to make a great impression on native audio system, it’s nicely well worth the effort to start out good pronunciation habits from the start. Even probably the most superior learners can profit from this complete French pronunciation information.
High French pronunciation challenges
Many learners battle with the sounds which can be distinctive to the French language or aren’t frequent in English, akin to:
- the French “u”
- nasal vowels
- the French “r”
Meet these challenges head-on by studying the intricacies of those sounds and making an attempt to mimic them.
The French “u” sound
Maybe probably the most uniquely French of its vowels, the French “u” sound doesn’t exist in English. English audio system might not initially hear the distinction between the “oo” sound in tous (all) and the “u” sound in tu (you), however the sounds do differ fairly a bit.
To study to pronounce the French “u” appropriately, you can begin by rounding your lips tightly as if you’re going to whistle. First, say the “oo” sound like “meals.” With out altering the form of your lips, change your sound to “ee” as in “toes.” Your tongue will change place inside your mouth, so you possibly can inform the way it feels to pronounce “u” appropriately.
You’ll hear the right French pronunciation of the “u” sound within the phrases:
- rue (avenue)
- J’ai vu (I noticed)
- musique (music)
Pronounce this sound in another way from “ou” in French to appropriately distinguish between related phrases and phrases.
- Tout va bien ? = Is every part going nicely?
- Tu vas bien ? = Are you doing nicely?
French nasal vowels
French has 4 nasal vowel sounds, and also you’ll hear them all through the French language.
- “on” in bonjour (hi there)
- “an” in anglais (English)
- “in” in vin (wine)
In some areas, you’ll nonetheless hear a fourth however more and more much less frequent nasal vowel:
Produce nasal vowels by pushing some air via your nasal passages, not simply via your mouth like in oral vowels. As you’re working towards the distinction, you possibly can pinch your nostril to dam the passage of air completely. For those who hear and really feel no distinction, you’re nonetheless announcing an oral vowel. Concentrate on directing air via your nostril by repositioning your tongue additional again to dam a number of the air.
You’ll be able to establish nasal vowels in written French when a phrase is spelled with:
- vowel + “n” or “m” on the finish of a phrase
- citron (lemon)
- fin (finish)
- pain (bread)
- on (casual we)
- faim (starvation)
- parfum (fragrance/scent)
- vowel + “n” or “m” and a consonant apart from “n” or “m”
- manger (to eat)
- quand (when)
- exemple (instance)
Needless to say “ent” on the finish of a verb is silent, as discovered within the third individual plural of standard French current tense verbs.
The French “r”
A problem for anybody studying to converse French, the “r” is pronounced from the again of the throat, very in contrast to English. You’ll hear it at first, center, and generally the top of phrases.
- rien (nothing)
- carte (map)
- mer (sea)
Needless to say the “er” is pronounced like “é” in infinitive verbs and different phrases that finish in “er,” akin to changer (to vary) and boulanger (baker).
To apply the French pronunciation of “r,” say the English phrase “get.” Now proceed announcing the “ge” however don’t shut the again of your throat to say the “g.” That is the approximate place. Now let some air out in that place. The entrance of your tongue will stay relaxed as air passes via the again of your throat. It would remind you of a light-weight gargle or growl. If you end up emphasizing it a bit an excessive amount of at first, you possibly can again off a bit when you get comfy.
With this sound in your repertoire, you possibly can precisely pronounce frequent French phrases and phrases like:
- rouge (pink)
- je préfère (I want)
- très (very)
- merci (thanks)
- bonsoir (good night)
Fundamentals of vowel and vowel mixture pronunciation in French
Each the Sorbonne in France and the Workplace Québécois de la Langue Française listing 16 open vowel sounds along with various nasal vowels and semi-vowels, which range barely between European and Canadian French dialects.
In time, you’ll be capable of join the precise vowel sound with the frequent spellings in French, together with when French accent marks will change pronunciation. The problem of studying French vowels as an English speaker is that there are sometimes no precise English equivalents. In comparison with these tough English equivalents, French vowels are sometimes pronounced extra towards the entrance of the mouth.
The French pronunciation of vowels tends to be extra “pure,” avoiding the diphthongs frequent in English. For instance, a French “o” will simply be the start of the English sound “oh,” however with out closing the lips to create a “w” on the finish of the vowel.
Fundamental French vowel pronunciation
Studying these vowels will enable you together with your pronunciation within the French language. These are fundamentals, however the place of the letter within the phrase or letter combos may also have an effect on the pronunciation, as you’ll see additional on this information.
| French Letter | Pronunciation | French Instance | English That means |
| a | “ah” like “father” | la desk | the desk |
| e | “euh” like “good” (the schwa sound) | je | I |
| i | “ee” like “tree” | la vie | life |
| o | “oh” like “so” | rose | pink |
| o | “uh” like “son” | le téléphone | the phone |
| u | French “u” sound (say “ee” with tightly rounded lips) | vu | noticed |
| y | “ee” like “tree” | il y a | there may be/there are |
Saying French vowel combos and accent marks
Combos of vowels make different French sounds. The English equivalents are approximate.
| French Letters | Pronunciation | French Instance | English That means |
| â | “ah” like “mama” | le château | the citadel |
| ai | “ai” like “bait” | mai | Could |
| au | “oh” like “so” | chaud | sizzling |
| eau | “oh” like “so” | le chapeau | the hat |
| ô | “oh” like “so” | l’hôpital | the hospital |
| oi | “wah” like “Washington” | le oiseau | the chook |
| ou | “ooh” like “meals” | nous | we |
| ui | “wee” like “we” | oui | sure |
| û | “ooh” like “meals” | août | August |
| eil/eille | “ay” like “day” | le soleil | the solar |
| eu | “euh” like “took” | le feu | the hearth |
The closed “e” sound
This pronunciation is closest to the “a” in “day” should you might cease midway via the “ay” sound earlier than it adjustments to “ee” on the finish. It may be spelled some ways in French.
| French Letters | French Instance | English That means |
| é | l’été | the summer season |
| -er | manger | to eat |
| -ez | le nez | the nostril |
| -ai | j’ai | I’ve |
| -ied | le pied | the foot |
The open “e” sound
That is extra much like the vowel in “mattress.” It may be spelled with numerous combos of letters and accents.
| French Letters | French Instance | English That means |
| è | très | very |
| ê | la tête | the pinnacle |
| e | sept | seven |
| ais | la fraise | the strawberry |
Fundamental pronunciation of French consonants and consonant combos
The vast majority of French consonants are related in sound to English however may be pronounced a bit softer. A couple of of them change sounds relying on the vowel that follows, and some consonant combos change their particular person sounds. Many consonants are silent on the ends of phrases, as you will notice additional on this information.
Saying primary consonants in French
These consonants have an analogous sound to their English equivalents. This French pronunciation information for consonants makes use of vocabulary for les animaux (animals).
| French Letter | Pronunciation | French Instance | English That means |
| b | “b” like “banana” | la baleine | the whale |
| d | “d” like “dolphin” | le dauphin | the dolphin |
| f | “f” like “flamingo” | le flamant rose | the pink flamingo |
| h | silent | le hamster | the hamster |
| j | “zh” just like the “s” in “measure” | le jaguar | the jaguar |
| ok | “ok” like “kangaroo” | le kangourou | the kangaroo |
| l | “l” like “lion” | le lion | the lion |
| m | “m” like “mouse” | le mouton | the sheep |
| n | “n” like “night time” | le narval | the narwhal |
| p | “p” like “panda” | le paresseux | the sloth |
| r | French “r” | le raton laveur | the racoon |
| t | “t” like “tiger” | le tigre | the tiger |
| v | “v” like “very” | la vache | the cow |
| w | “v” like “very” or “w” like “what” | (hardly ever used besides in borrowed phrases) | Wi-Fi |
| z | “z” like “zebra” | le zèbre | the zebra |
Consonants which have two completely different sounds
These consonants have completely different pronunciations relying on the encircling letters.
| French Letter | Pronunciation | French Instance | English That means |
| c in entrance of a/u/o | “ok” like “chameleon” | le caméléon | the chameleon |
| c in entrance of e/i/yç | “s” like “swan” | le cygne | the swan |
| g in entrance of a/u/o | “g” like “gorilla” | le gorille | the gorilla |
| g in entrance of e/i/y | “zh” just like the “s” in “measure” | la girafe | the giraffe |
| s (until between 2 vowels) | “s” like “snake” | le singe | the monkey |
| s between 2 vowels | “z” like “zebra” | l’oiseau | the chook |
| x on the finish of phrase or earlier than a consonant | “ks” just like the “x” in “six” | le phénix | the phoenix |
| x earlier than a vowel | “gz” just like the “x” in“instance” | l’exemple | the instance |
Consonant combos in French
Some consonants have completely different sounds when together.
| French Letter | Pronunciation | French Instance | English That means |
| ch | “sh” like ‘ship’ | le chameau | the camel |
| ph | “f” like ‘frog’ | le phacochère | the warthog |
| qu | “ok” like ‘kangaroo’ | le requin | the shark |
Silent letters in French
Learners are generally befuddled by the variety of silent letters in French. Not like Spanish the place each letter is pronounced, French spelling doesn’t match its pronunciation. Thankfully, you possibly can transcend the names of the French alphabet with these useful French pronunciation pointers.
Consonants on the finish of phrases are sometimes silent
This vocabulary listing for les events du corps (elements of the physique) exhibits that almost all consonants on the finish of a phrase are silent.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| le bras | leuh brah | the arm |
| le corps | leuh cohr | the physique |
| le dent | leuh dehn (nasal) | the tooth |
| le doigt | leuh dwah | the finger |
| le dos | leuh doh | the again |
| la important | lah mahn (nasal) | the hand |
| le nez | leuh nai | the nostril |
| le pied | leuh pyai | the foot |
| le poumon | leuh poo-mohn (nasal) | the lung |
| le sang | leuh sahn (nasal) | the blood |
The consonants in CaReFuL are sometimes pronounced on the ends of phrases
The consonants in CaReFuL (C, R, F, and L) are sometimes pronounced on the finish of phrases in French. That is true within the physique elements le coeur (coronary heart) and le nombril (navel).
Different frequent phrases on this class embody:
- le parc (the park)
- cher (costly)
- le chef (the chef)
- mal (badly)
As you’ve seen within the case of phrases ending in “er” (pronounced like “é”), there are exceptions to the principles and even exceptions to the exceptions.
- Despite the “cautious” tip, you don’t pronounce the ultimate consonant in l’estomac (the abdomen) or le nerf (the nerve).
- The ultimate consonant is pronounced in le cil (the eyelash) however not le sourcil (the eyebrow).
- The “s” is pronounced in l’os (the bone) however not in les os (the bones).
Because of this having an genuine supply of French like Rosetta Stone may be such a useful strategy to expose you to pure French pronunciation with out counting on guidelines alone.
Silent “e” on the finish of phrases
An unaccented “e” on the finish of a phrase is silent, nevertheless it permits you to pronounce the previous consonant sound.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| la bouche | lah boosh | the mouth |
| le coude | leuh cood | the elbow |
| l’épaule | lai-pohl | the shoulder |
| la jambe | lah jahmb | the leg |
| la paupière | lah poh-pyair | the eyelid |
| la poitrine | lah pwah-treen | the chest |
| la tête | lah teht | the pinnacle |
| le visage | leuh vee-zazh (“g” just like the “s” in “ “measure”) | the face |
Two-letter phrases ending in “e” are the exception, as you’ll pronounce the vowel. It’s a “schwa” sound, like “euh.”
- je (I)
- me (to me)
- te (to you)
- de (of)
- le (the)
- ce (this)
Additional “e” and “s” for adjective settlement are silent
The accented “é” is pronounced on the finish of phrases, as in enchanté (delighted). Including one other “e” for the female type enchantée or an “s” for the plural enchantés/enchantées, following French grammar guidelines for adjective settlement, doesn’t change this pronunciation.
The French “h” muet and aspiré
The French “h” muet (mute) is silent and handled no in another way than a vowel in terms of elisions akin to:
- J’habite (I stay)
- Je m’habille (I dress)
- L’homme (the person)
The “e” within the phrases je, me, and le have been changed by an apostrophe and linked to the subsequent phrase to keep away from awkward-sounding double vowel sounds.
In different French phrases, the “h” is aspiré (aspirated). It nonetheless isn’t pronounced like an English “h” however is handled extra like a silent consonant. It doesn’t enable the elision with phrases ending in a vowel.
- le hérisson (the hedgehog)
- le hamburger (the hamburger)
- la harpe (the harp)
Evaluate your pronunciations to native audio system’ with Rosetta Stone
As you’re studying French pronunciation, you wish to apply the principles and pointers to genuine French speech. Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine can let you know which sounds you’ve mastered and which of them want some adjustment by evaluating your pronunciation to a local speaker’s. It is going to catch these pesky exceptions the place the French pronunciation doesn’t observe the principles. Quickly you’ll be speaking confidently utilizing nasal vowels, silent letters, consonant combos, and French “u” and “r” sounds.
