French Pronunciation Guide135

French pronunciation can be tricky for English speakers, but with a little practice, you can master the basics. Here's a quick guide to help you get started.

Vowels

French vowels are pronounced differently than English vowels. The following table shows the most common French vowels and their pronunciations:

Letter
Pronunciation


a
ah


e
eh


i
ee


o
oh


u
oo


y
ee

Some vowels are pronounced differently when they are followed by certain consonants. For example, the vowel "a" is pronounced "aw" when it is followed by the letter "l".

Consonants

French consonants are pronounced differently than English consonants. The following table shows the most common French consonants and their pronunciations:

Letter
Pronunciation


b
b


c
s


d
d


f
f


g
g


h
silent


j
zh


k
k


l
l


m
m


n
n


p
p


q
k


r
r


s
s


t
t


v
v


w
v


x
ks


y
ee


z
z

Some consonants are pronounced differently when they are followed by certain vowels. For example, the consonant "c" is pronounced "s" when it is followed by the vowel "i".

Nasal Vowels

French has four nasal vowels: ã, ẽ, ĩ, and õ. Nasal vowels are pronounced with the air passing through the nose. The following table shows the pronunciations of the nasal vowels:

Letter
Pronunciation


ã
awn


ẽ
en


ĩ
een


õ
ohn

Nasal vowels are used in many common French words, such as "bon" (good) and "vin" (wine).

Liaison and Enchaînement

Liaison and enchaînement are two pronunciation rules that are used to make French speech sound more fluid. Liaison is the linking of the final consonant of a word to the initial vowel of the following word. Enchaînement is the linking of the final consonant of a word to the final vowel of the previous word.

Liaison and enchaînement are not always used, but they are common in everyday speech. For example, the phrase "je suis" (I am) is pronounced "zh'sui" when liaison is used.

Accent

French words have a stressed syllable, which is pronounced with more force than the other syllables in the word. The stressed syllable is usually the final syllable, but there are some exceptions. For example, the word "bonjour" (hello) has the stress on the second syllable.

The stress of a word can change its meaning. For example, the word "élève" (student) has the stress on the first syllable when it means "student", but the stress on the second syllable when it means "to raise".

Conclusion

French pronunciation can be challenging, but it is essential for speaking and understanding the language. With a little practice, you can master the basics of French pronunciation and start speaking like a native speaker.

2025-02-12

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