French pronunciation can be weird and difficult. For instance:
- Un bonbon (= candy)
- Une fourrure (= fur)
- Des doigts (= fingers)
Which letters are silent? What’s the nasal sound? How can you master the French “r” sound? Let’s dive in.
C’est parti !
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Watch the full video lesson on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Commeunefrancaise
1) The French “R”
- The French R is notoriously difficult.
- It’s not the rolled Spanish “R.”
- Your tongue should be stuck at the back of your mouth.
The French “R” seems quite hard to pronounce for learners. Sometimes, it’s because they’re afraid to overdo it. But going all in on the French accent is often the key to correct French pronunciation! So don’t worry about that.
Repeat after me with the examples in the video:
- Ra re ri ro ru.
- Bonjour.
- Merci.
- Marie et Murielle se marient. (= Marie and Murielle are getting married)
Fantastic!
And of course, many French people still keep their French “R” when speaking another language. I know I do!
2) Le “U” vs. “Ou”
The other weird French letter is: “U”
As in Murielle for instance.
Or in Jacques Dutronc (learn more.)
Pronouncing “u” can be difficult. This might become part of your own accent when speaking French. It’s OK if you don’t pronounce it perfectly!
But you need to practice hearing the difference between “u” and “ou.” It can change the meaning of a word!
For instance:
- La rue (= The street.) vs La roue (= The wheel.)
- Dessus (= Over, on top) vs Dessous (= Under.)
- La mûre (= The blackberry) vs L’amour (= Love)
The “ou” sound is easy to pronounce, but the French “u” can be more difficult.
You can think of “u” like:
- a closed “ee” sound, or
- like a forward “ou” sound.
Which one do you prefer?
Close “ee” :
- Start with a smile: “ee”. As in la vie (= life)
- Now keep that sound, but push your lips forward in a small circle.
- Listen to the new sound: “u.” As in la vue (= sight)
Forward “ou” :
- Start with “ou” : la roue (= the wheel)
- Then push your tongue forward just behind your teeth, at the top of your mouth
- Listen to the new sound: “u.” As in la rue (= the street)
Don’t worry, it will come with practice. But now you’ll pay a bit more attention to that difference when you hear French people speak.
3) Le “E”
Click here to learn more : French Pronunciation Fundamentals – é, è and “eu.” – Comme une Française
Some rules about pronouncing “e”, “é” and “è” :
- “Je”, “te,” “se”, “le”… → In two-letter words, “e” sounds like “uh”.
Example: Je ne sais pas. (= I do not know) - The accent (diacritic mark on top of the letter) changes the pronunciation: é and è are a different sound than “uh.”
Example: Le fiancé (= the groom, an engaged man), un problème (= a problem) - At the end of a word, it’s silent, when there’s no accent on it. Feminine words often end in a silent “e”, like la fiancée (an engaged woman). But many masculine words also end in “e”, like “un livre” = a book.
Practice with me! Pronounce:
- Livré = delivered
- Une rose = a rose
- Je lis un livre. = I’m reading a book.
4) Les Nasales
The key to pronouncing French nasal vowels: the air should pass through your nose.
For example, with the vowel “i” (“ee”), move the back of your tongue to the back of your mouth. The air has to flow through your nose a bit, and it sounds like: “in / ain” the French nasal sound.
L’ami (= the close friend) → La main (= the hand)
By the way, l’ami really is a close friend. For someone you’re merely friendly with, we’d say la pote / le pote or une copine / un copain. With a nasal sound once again: un copain.
(yeah, “un” / “ain” / “in” are different possible spellings of the “same” sound. Click here to learn more : French Pronunciation Fundamentals Part 2 : Nasal Sounds)
You can do the same thing with the vowel “A” and make the nasal sound “An.”
Ma → Maman (= mommy)
Or with the vowel “O” and make the sound “On.”
Un bobo (= a scratch, an owie) → Un bonbon (= A sweet, a piece of candy)
5) Silent Letters
In French, we love our silent letters, they’re everywhere. I think they used to be pronounced, but we got lazy and started dropping them. They stayed in the spelling though.
Here are some silent letters you probably know:
- Petit = small
- Trop = too much
- Deux = two
- Aimer = to love, and all infinitives in -er
- Elles se marient = They get married, and most verb endings
Sometimes, silent letters can pile up too:
- Le temps = time
- Vingt doigts = twenty fingers
- Jacques Dutronc
So, as a rule of thumb, you could say: A consonant at the end of a word is usually silent.
But you’ll always find exceptions!
Like:
- Huit = eight
- Dix = ten
- Le bus = the bus
- La mer = the sea
Etc.
You really need to learn each pronunciation. More than that, you need to try out a pronunciation, and if you’re not sure, ask if it’s correct. We know it’s not intuitive at all!
But is it all a mess? Well… Yes. But there’s one rule that’s almost always true: The “s” at the end of a plural is silent.
So you’ll hear Les copains, les Français, les Françaises, etc.
Or… Les amis.
Oh, what can you hear? Yes, it’s la liaison !
6) La Liaison
In a French word, there are letters you should pronounce.
There are letters that are silent.
And then, there are silent letters that wake up and come back with a twist.
That’s la liaison!
“La liaison” is a bridge between words. It helps smooth out the gap between a word ending with a silent consonant, and a word that starts with a vowel.
For example: “Les / amis” is a bit harsh, without la liaison. We’re not fans of hearing two vowels in a row, in French, it slows down the flow. So we add back the silent “s” of “les” – except this time it sounds like “z”. Les (z) amis. Les amis.
- Un enfant (= a child) [“n” sound in la liaison]
- Un petit ami (= a boyfriend, literally a “small friend”) [t]
- Mes amis = my friends [z]
- Trois ans = three years [z]
- Ils sont ici. = They’re here. [t] (optional liaison)
- Le tronc d’un grand arbre = The trunk of a tall tree [t] → With “la liaison”, a silent “d” now sounds like “t.”
There are some specific rules for when and where using the “liaison.” Not every possible liaison is mandatory – some are optional, some are forbidden. I actually have a whole lesson on this topic specifically!
Click here to learn more : How to Use ‘La Liaison’ Properly (Rules + Examples) – Comme une Française
Revisit this whole lesson anytime, or check out my other lessons for deeper dives into these topics.
À tout de suite.
I’ll see you in the next video!
I hope you enjoyed this mini version of our immersive challenge. Feel free to watch the video again, repeat the French lines, and test your vocabulary. Don’t forget to check our 30 day challenge for more details 🙂
Merci beaucoup for joining me. À bientôt !
