150 French Pronunciation Tips for Beginners231

Learning to pronounce French correctly can be a daunting task for beginners, but with a little practice and patience, you'll be speaking like a native in no time. Here are 150 tips to help you master French pronunciation:

1. The French alphabet: The French alphabet has 26 letters, including 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 21 consonants. The letters are pronounced differently from English, so it's important to learn the correct pronunciation from the beginning.

2. The nasal vowels: French has four nasal vowels: a (pronounced like the "a" in "bang"), e (pronounced like the "a" in "van"), i (pronounced like the "e" in "pin"), and u (pronounced like the "oo" in "moon"). When you pronounce a nasal vowel, the air should flow out of your nose as well as your mouth.

3. The cedilla: The cedilla (ç) is a diacritic that is placed under the letter c to indicate that it should be pronounced like an "s". For example, the word "façon" is pronounced "fa-son".

4. The accent circonflexe: The accent circonflexe (^) is a diacritic that is placed over a vowel to indicate that it was originally followed by a letter that has now been dropped. For example, the word "tête" was originally spelled "teste", and the accent circonflexe indicates that the "s" was dropped.

5. The liaison: The liaison is a phenomenon that occurs when the final consonant of a word is pronounced with the initial vowel of the following word. For example, the words "le" and "ami" are pronounced "le-za-mi".

6. The elision: The elision is a phenomenon that occurs when the final vowel of a word is dropped when it is followed by a word that begins with a vowel. For example, the words "je" and "aime" are pronounced "j'aime".

7. The enchaînement: The enchaînement is a phenomenon that occurs when the final consonant of a word is pronounced with the initial consonant of the following word. For example, the words "il" and "fait" are pronounced "il-ffe".

8. The French "r": The French "r" is pronounced differently from the English "r". It is pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth.

9. The French "u": The French "u" is pronounced differently from the English "u". It is pronounced with the lips rounded and the tongue in the back of the mouth.

10. The French "w": The French "w" is pronounced differently from the English "w". It is pronounced with the lips rounded and the tongue in the front of the mouth.

11. The French "j": The French "j" is pronounced differently from the English "j". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

12. The French "ch": The French "ch" is pronounced differently from the English "ch". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth and the lips rounded.

13. The French "gn": The French "gn" is pronounced differently from the English "gn". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth and the lips rounded.

14. The French "an": The French "an" is pronounced differently from the English "an". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth and the lips rounded.

15. The French "en": The French "en" is pronounced differently from the English "en". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth and the lips rounded.

150. The French "un": The French "un" is pronounced differently from the English "un". It is pronounced with the tongue against the roof of the mouth and the lips rounded.

With these tips in mind, you'll be well on your way to speaking French like a native. Bon courage!

2025-01-12

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