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Pronunciation Guide
Vowel pronunciation:
- a — pronounced like ‘ah’ in English — la (the)
- à — also pronounced like ‘ah’ —là (there)
- â — pronounced like ‘ah’ but longer â— ne (donkey)
- e — when placed in the middle of a syllable, it is pronounced like ai in ‘fair’ — mer (sea)
- e — when placed at the end of a syllable, it is pronounced like er in ‘her’ — le (the)
- e — when placed at the end of a word, is silent — tasse (cup)
- é — pronounced like ‘ay’ — été (summer)
- è — pronounced like ai in ‘fair’— père (father)
- ê — also pronounced like ai in ‘fair’— tête (head)
- i, y — pronounced like ee in ‘meet’ — ski (skiing)
- o — pronounced like o in ‘not’ — poste (post office)
- ô — pronounced like ‘oh’ — hôtel (hotel)
- u — this sound does not exist in English; say ‘ee’ with rounded lips — vu (seen)
- oi — pronounced like ‘wah’ — roi (king)
- ou — pronounced like ‘oo’ — roue (wheel)
- ai, ei — pronounced like e in ‘let’ — laine (wool)
- au, eau — pronounced like ‘oh’ — au (to the)
- eu, oeu — pronounced like er in ‘her’ — neuf (nine), soeur (sister)
Constants and combinations:
- c before e or i sounds like s — ceci (this)
- c elsewhere sounds like k — car (coach)
- ç sounds like s — ça (that)
- ch sounds like ‘sh’ — château (castle)
- g before e or i sounds like s in ‘measure’ — général (general)
- g elsewhere sounds like g in ‘go’ — gare (station)
- h is silent — hôtel (hotel)
- j sounds like s in ‘measure’ — je (l)
- qu, q sound like k — qui (who)
- r is pronounced at the back of the throat, similar to the sound we make when gargling — rire (to laugh)
- s when at the beginning of a word sounds like s — salle (room)
- s when between two vowels, sounds like z — rose (rose)
- er when at the end of a word of two syllables or more sounds like ‘ay’ — parler (to speak)
- ez when at the end of a word sounds like ‘ay’ — nez (nose)
- ail when at the end of a word sounds like ‘ah’ee’ — travail (work)
- eil, eille sound like ‘a’ee’ — soleil (sun)
- ill usually sounds like ‘ee’y’ — billet (ticket)
- gn sounds like ni in ‘onion’ — signal (signal)
*Note: except for the letters c, f, l, and r, consonants are usually not pronounced when at the end of a word (i.e. ballet)
Nasal sound pronunciation:
- om, on — like ong in ‘song’ — nom (name)
- um*, un — like ung in ‘sung’ — un (one)
- am, an, em, en — like ‘ahng’ — champ (field)
- im, in, aim, ain, ein — like ang in ‘sang’ — simple (easy)
- ien — like ‘ee-ang’ — bien (well)
Common phrases:
- bonjour — hello; literally means ‘good day’ (universally polite and friendly, good for both formal and informal situations)
- salut — hi or bye (more casual)
- S’il vous plaît / s’il te plaît — please; literally ‘if it pleases you’ (vous is the more polite version of you and you for a group of people, te is more informal)
- comment vous appelez-vous? / comment t’appelles-tu? — what is your name?
- je m’appelle… — my name is…
- oui — yes (informally, you can say ouais or ouaip; similar to how we use “yeah” or “yep” in English)
- non — no
- si — used for yes for negatively phrased questions (no direct English equivalent) in English
- Example: imagine someone asks you “Haven’t you seen the Eiffel tower?” If you say “yes,” it’s not that clear if you mean “yes, I have seen the Eiffel tower” or “yes, you’re right, I haven’t seen the Eiffel tower.”
- If you were to answer with si, it means that you have seen the Eiffel tower
- comment allez-vous? — how are you? (formal)
- ça va? — how are you? or how’s it going? (informal)
- ça va bien — it’s going well
- je voudrais parler français — I would like to speak French
- excusez-moi — excuse me
- pardon — sorry
- je ne comprends pas — I don’t understand
- que veut dire ça? — what does that mean?
- plus lentement — more slowly
- comment dit-on __ en français? — how do you say __ in French?
- où est…? — where is…?
- je voudrais… — I would like…
- c’est combien? — how much is it?
- où sont les toilettes? — where are the toilets?
- je ne peux pas manger… — I can’t eat…
- merci beaucoup — thanks a lot
- je t’aime — I love you (romantically)