Basics of French pronunciation
Bonjour à toutes et à tous, today, let’s talk about the basics of French pronunciation. One of the hardest parts of learning French by yourself is that French native speakers do not pronounce words exactly how they are spelled. But that is also the beauty of the French language, isn’t it?
Here are the essential rules that you will need to remember about French pronunciation.
Accents, Ligatures, and Vowels
In French, accents will either change the pronunciation of a letter (especially on the letter “e”), or the definition of a word (ou ≠ où). Accents only exist on some letters, which you may see below.
Ligatures, on the other hand, are two letters that are attached, forming one.
To master the basics of French pronunciation, here is the complete list of vowels that are used in French:
There is only one consonant that has an accent, and you might have already seen it, even as a beginner, in the words “français” and “ça“. You’ve guessed it, the letter “ç” (C cédille). This letter is pronounced “ss”.
Common vowel combinations
Now that we’ve been through the basics, let’s take a look at some common combinations.
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Silent consonants
Another rule to remember in the basics of French pronunciation is that there are consonants that always (or almost) stay silent at the end of a word. These consonants are : -t , -d, -s, -x.
You can see that in words such as:
Tarot (taroh), coquet (cokeh), penaud (penoh), français (franseh), choix (shwah), and many more.
Nasal vowels
Something quite particular in French: nasal vowels.
These are vowels that we pronounce… using the nose!
Same sounds, different spelling
You might also encounter the same sounds, but with a different spelling. For example:
– in / im / ain / ein
Internet / Important / Main / Plein
– é / er / ez
Été / Manger / Sautez
– au / o / eau
Auto / Stylo / Château
– y / i
Stylo / Mardi
Silent letters
Word stress?
When it comes to the basics of French pronunciation, one key difference between French and English lies in word stress. In English, we often emphasize different syllables within a word, but in French, it’s quite different. The stress will not be in the word itself, but in different parts of a sentence, in which you might stress the final syllables.
Let’s Break it Down
In English, we might say “teacher” with the stress on the first syllable: “TEA-cher.” But in French, for a similar word like “professeur,” it will sound much more monotonous “pro-fes-seur”.
However, there will be variations within the sentences themselves.
You might hear the variations in these sentences:
Je m’appelle Eden, j’enseigne le français aux étrangers.
Before a comma or a period, you will definitely hear a pause or the tone go lower.
Je m’appelle Eden / j’enseigne le français / aux étrangers.
↘️ ⏸️ ↘️
For questions, the last syllable will actually be pronounced a bit higher in tone:
Et toi, qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? ↗️
Why Does This Matter?
Understanding word stress in French is crucial for both your comprehension and pronunciation. When you know where the stress typically falls, you can sound more natural when speaking. It also helps you identify word boundaries and separate words in a sentence, making it easier to follow spoken French.
Here are some examples to practice, as you know these words in English:
“restaurant” (re-stau-rant)
“piano” (pi-ah-no)
“chocolat” (cho-co-la)
“boulangerie” (bou-lan-je-ree)
Take these examples and try to focus on pronouncing each syllable the same way. It might feel a bit different from English, but with practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
Remember, pronunciation is all about practice, so keep working on it, and you’ll sound more like a native French speaker in no time.
