A. French Sounds (Les sons du français)
In French, vowels and consonants are often combined to create specific sounds. There are about 36 different sounds in French (Click here (ICI))
Examples of Letter Combinations
| Letters | Sound | Example | Pronunciation Help |
|---|---|---|---|
| ou | /u/ | bonjour | sounds like “oo” |
| an / en | /ɑ̃/ | enfant | nasal sound |
| on | /ɔ̃/ | bonjour | nasal sound |
| ai | /ɛ/ | français | like “eh” |
| au | /o/ | eau | like “oh” |
Practice – Say each word aloud twice:
bonjour
enfant
français
eau
B. Stress in French (L’accent tonique)
In French, the stress is always on the last syllable of a word and on the last word of a sentence.
Word Stress Examples
| Word | Stressed syllable |
|---|---|
| bonjour | jour |
| merci | ci |
| français | çais |
Sentence Stress
Bonjour, comment ça va ?
Je m’appelle Sophie.
C. Silent “e” (E muet)
Most of the time, when a word ends with the letter “e”, this letter is silent.
Attention: this is only true if the “e” has NO accent.
Examples
| Silent e (no accent) | Pronounced e (with accent) |
|---|---|
| parle | café |
| Petite | été |
| table | Idée (the last sound is longer) |
D. Silent Final Consonants
About 90% of the time, when a word ends with a consonant, this consonant is silent.
Examples
· comment
· petit
· beaucoup (merci beaucoup)
E. Connection (La liaison)
In French, we often connect the final consonant of a word with the first vowel of the following word. You will learn these connections little by little.
Examples
Comment vous vous appelez ?
Comment vous épeler votre prénom ?
F. “-ez”. “-er”. “é”, at the end of words are pronounced the same /e/:
· Vous vous appelez
· L’atelier
· Écoutez
· Répétez
G. Practice
When you read sentences aloud, speak slowly and clearly, cut your words into syllables, and focus on:
· Silent letters
· Stress on the last syllable
· Connections between words
misc:
- ez is pronounced like “eh”
- qu: kah
- oi: wa
- e at the end: silent