Pronunciation

PRONUNCIATION

There is nothing worse than knowing the right word but once you pronounce it, people don’t understand you !! So let’s have a look at a few pronunciation rules.

Once you know how to pronounce the word, your brain identifies it very rapidly when it hears it, so by pronouncing well, you make yourself understood and you understand others much better.

The most common problems when pronouncing are the following :

-tion :

The English speakers tend to pronounce this ending /shion/ when the French speakers say /ssssion/. There is no doubt when hearing a person pronouncing the word « communication » /comunicashion/ that this person is from an English speaking country. Most of the time, the French will understand you and think you have a cute accent, but sometimes people don’t make too many efforts in understanding foreigners, so they may not get what you’re saying, so why not trying the French way ?

-er = -é = et = ez :

All these letters are pronounced the same way.

Ex : /jouer = joué = jouez = jouet/

Jouer (infinitive verb)

J’ai joué (verbe au passé composé)

Vous jouez (verbe au présent)

Un jouet (a toy)

Consonants :

If a word ends with a consonant, this very consonant drops silent.

Ex : Petit = /peti/

Grand = /gran/

Un pot de fleurs = /po/

OF COURSE a rule has exceptions (especially in French) so there are words for which we do pronounce the last consonant.

Ex : En fait /t/

Sauf /f/

Donc /k/

Fils /sss/

Sac /k/

Mec /k/

Truc /k/

Vowels :

When a word ends with a vowel, this vowel, makes you pronounce the last consonant of the word.

Ex : Petite = /t/

Grande = /d/

Linking the words together :

When a word ends with a consonant we said it drops silent BUT NOT if the next word starts with a vowel.

Ex :

Petit à petit = /petitapeti/

De temps en temps= /detanzantan/

Trois enfants = / trwazenfen/

Vous avez = / voozavé/

---

• October 29th, 2024
• Grammar for Dummies

Les Salutations: Greetings in French

If you’re venturing into the world of the French language, one of the first things you’ll want to learn is how to greet people. Greetings are essential in any language; they set the tone for interactions and help you make a good first impression. In this blog, we’ll explore greetings,…

Continue Reading

---

• December 2nd, 2022
• Grammar for Dummies

10 English words the French can’t pronounce and 10 French words the English can’t pronounce

Did you know the French can’t say ‘hedge-hog’ and the English struggle with ‘roi’. Read on to learn more English words the French can’t pronounce and also French words the English can’t pronounce.   English tongue-twisters   Thorough and Through “fuh-ruh” and “froo” The ‘th’ sound doesn’t exist in French,…

Continue Reading

---

• December 12th, 2021
• Grammar for Dummies

Christmas in France – What to expect

Just like everywhere else in the world, Father Christmas (known as Père Noël or Papa Noël in France) brings gifts to children who have been well-behaved on Christmas Day. The sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) is the main decoration in homes, streets, shops, and offices. On le Réveillon (Christmas Eve),…

Continue Reading

---

• December 8th, 2021
• Grammar for Dummies

Vous or Tu : Which one do I use?!

The subject pronouns Tu and Vous can be quite confusing for English speakers when they are first learning French, considering we only have one subject pronoun to mean you in English. However, once you get your head around how to use it, you will see it’s not as difficult as…

Continue Reading

---