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Master French Pronunciation in Just 1 Hour: Intensive Course for Beginners — Transcript

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0:00Do you want to stop mispronouncing French words
0:03and finally be understood when you speak French?
0:07Students tend to focus on learning grammar
0:10and making perfect French sentences.
0:14But all that grammar and vocabulary is useless
0:19if you don't understand
0:20how to pronounce French words correctly.
0:23Today's video will teach you
0:26everything you need to know about French pronunciation.
0:29It's a complete French course
0:32in which I've compiled five French lessons for beginners.
0:36Whether you're an absolute beginner, a beginner
0:40or even a more advanced learner
0:43who just wants to brush up
0:45on the basics of French pronunciation,
0:48this one-hour course will help you
0:51read French words with confidence,
0:54reduce your French accent
0:56and master French pronunciation quickly.
1:00Let’s dive in!
1:02In this lesson, you're going to learn the difference between
1:05letters of the alphabet
1:07and sounds of the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA.
1:14You will learn to associate each symbol of the IPA with its French sound.
1:21After watching it, you’ll finally be able to read phonetics.
1:26The French alphabet has twenty-six letters.
1:29These letters are used to write French words.
1:32But these same words are pronounced using the IPA.
1:37IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet.
1:42This is the IPA for French.
1:44And, these are the thirty-four sounds of French.
1:48Each symbol represents one and only one sound,
1:52but it can be written with different French letters.
1:56For example, this symbol,
1:57it is pronounced [ɛ̃].
1:59But, in French words, it can be spelled:
2:03pain bread
2:04intéressant interesting
2:07plein full
2:08faim hunger
2:10Learning phonetics, I mean all these symbols and the sound they represent,
2:16will allow you to pronounce any French word perfectly,
2:19even those you don’t know.
2:21For example, instead of looking at the letters of this word
2:25and trying to pronounce them, maybe saying “monsieur”
2:30you'll see the actual sounds that combine to produce the word
2:34and you’ll pronounce it correctly: monsieur.
2:38And if you’re wondering where you can find French words written phonetically,
2:43well most of my videos have them,
2:45and you can look up words online in the Larousse bilingual dictionary.
2:49Now, let’s learn, or review, all the French sounds.
2:53For each sound, I'll write on the screen
2:56whether the exact or similar sound exists in English.
3:00If it's a sound that doesn't exist in English,
3:03I'll give you quick and easy tips on how to make it.
3:07Please note that I based this video on my French accent.
3:12I’m from Paris.
3:13The IPA is divided into two main sections: vowels and consonants.
3:20The top half of the table shows all of the French vowel sounds.
3:25Vowels are the biggest challenge,
3:28as there are only six vowel letters in French:
3:31A, E, I, O, U, Y;
3:35but there are sixteen different vowel sounds.
3:39This is why you need the IPA.
3:42Vowels are divided into three sections: oral, nasal, and semi.
3:49On this left side, you'll find all the oral vowel sounds.
3:54With the oral vowels, the sound only comes out of your mouth.
3:59Let's go through them.
4:01I'll say each sound twice, then you can listen to it in French words.
4:06Be sure to repeat after me and practice out loud.
4:10[a] or [ɑ]
4:14amour love
4:17acheter to buy
4:19[i]
4:23idée idea
4:25image picture
4:28[y]
4:32utile useful
4:35urgent urgent
4:38[u]
4:41oublier to forget
4:44ouvert open
4:47[o]
4:52aujourd’hui today
4:54osé bold
4:57[ɔ]
5:01océan ocean
5:04orage storm
5:06[ø] or [ə]
5:11Europe Europe
5:13vœu wish
5:15[œ]
5:20œuf egg
5:23heure hour
5:26[e]
5:31été summer
5:34écouter to listen
5:37[ɛ]
5:43elle she, her
5:46herbe grass
5:49On the middle, you'll find all the nasal vowel sounds.
5:53You can remember the nasal symbols thanks to the little waves above the letters.
5:59With nasal vowels, the sound comes out of your nose and mouth.
6:04Nasal vowels are an essential feature of the French language,
6:09so don't overlook them. Let's go through them now.
6:13[ɔ̃]
6:17honte shame
6:18oncle uncle
6:21[ɑ̃]
6:25encore again
6:27ange angel
6:30[ɛ̃]
6:34Inde India
6:36imprévu unexpected
6:39Finally, on the right, you'll find all the semi-vowel sounds.
6:44Semi-vowels, also known as semi-consonants, can't be used on their own.
6:49By this I mean they need an oral or nasal vowel in the same syllable.
6:56Let's go through them.
6:58[j]
7:01chien dog
7:04crayon pencil
7:07[ɥ]
7:12lui him
7:14nuit night
7:16[w]
7:20loin far (away)
7:22oui yes
7:24Now, let’s talk about the consonants.
7:28The bottom half of the IPA table shows all of the French consonant sounds.
7:34There are two main types of French consonant sounds: unvoiced and voiced.
7:40Voiced consonant sounds are made using the vocal cords,
7:45you can feel them vibrating, whereas unvoiced consonants are not.
7:51Let’s go through the unvoiced consonant sounds.
7:55[p]
7:59Paris Paris
8:01penser to think
8:04[t]
8:08tête head
8:10tapis carpet
8:12[k]
8:16café coffee
8:18couleur color
8:22[s]
8:27salut hi
8:30cerise cherry
8:34[ʃ]
8:39chocolat chocolate
8:42chemin path
8:45[f]
8:50famille family
8:53photo photo
8:55Now, let’s go through the voiced consonant sounds.
9:00[b]
9:05beurre butter
9:07bisous kiss
9:10[d]
9:14dimanche Sunday
9:17doigt finger
9:20[g]
9:25gâteau cake
9:27glace ice cream
9:30[z]
9:35zéro zero
9:38rose pink
9:41[ʒ]
9:46genou knee
9:49jeudi Thursday
9:52[v]
9:57voiture car
10:01vendredi Friday
10:05[ l ]
10:10lundi Monday
10:13larme tear
10:16[r]
10:21regarder to look at
10:24rêver to dream
10:27[m]
10:32manger to eat
10:35mardi Tuesday
10:38[n]
10:43non no
10:46neige snow
10:49[ɲ]
10:54poignet wrist
10:57ignorer to ignore
11:00[ŋ]
11:04parking parking lot
11:07smoking tuxedo
11:11In this lesson, I’m going to teach you
11:15everything you need to know about French vowels:
11:18how to pronounce them in the alphabet and in French words,
11:23and you’ll also learn all the vowel combinations.
11:27After watching it, French vowels will hold no secrets for you.
11:33In the alphabet, A is pronounced:
11:36[a]
11:37Inside French words, the letter A alone, without any other vowel,
11:42is also pronounced [a].
11:45It can be written with or without an accent.
11:48chat cat
11:51rat rat
11:53à peu près about, around
11:55pâtes pasta
11:57AN and AM are pronounced [ɑ̃].
12:02[ɑ̃] is a nasal vowel.
12:05ange angel
12:07jambe leg
12:09Let’s review the rules for nasal vowels,
12:12AN and AM are pronounced [ɑ̃],
12:16if they are at the end of a word:
12:19écran screen
12:21bilan assessment
12:23If they are followed by a silent consonant:
12:27gant glove
12:29blanc white
12:31If they are followed by a pronounced consonant, other than N or M:
12:36ampoule bulb
12:39chambre bedroom
12:41Otherwise, AN and AM are not nasal vowels:
12:46année year
12:49banane banana
12:51ami friend
12:54flamme flame
12:57AI is pronounced [e] or [ɛ].
13:01The letter I can be written with or without a circumflex accent.
13:06aimer to love
13:08aide help
13:10traité treaty
13:12s’il te plaît please
13:15Now, let’s talk about how to know
13:18when it’s pronounced [e], its close pronunciation,
13:21and when it’s pronounced [ɛ], its open pronunciation.
13:25AI is pronounced [ɛ]
13:27if at the end of a word and followed by a silent consonant:
13:32mais but
13:33baie bay
13:36AI is pronounced [ɛ]
13:38if followed by a pronounced consonant that is pronounced in the same syllable:
13:43faire to do, make
13:46capitaine captain
13:48AI is pronounced [e]
13:50if followed by a pronounced consonant and a pronounced vowel,
13:54meaning that the consonant is not pronounced in the same syllable as AI:
13:59aider to help
14:01baisser to lower
14:04AIL and AILL are pronounced [aj]:
14:09portail gate
14:11corail coral
14:14volaille poultry
14:17ailleurs somewhere else
14:20AIL is only pronounced [aj] if it is at the end of a word:
14:27travail work
14:29aile wing
14:31AIN and AIM are pronounced [ɛ̃].
14:36[ɛ̃] is a nasal vowel.
14:39main hand
14:41faim hunger
14:44Remember the rules for nasal vowels, AIN and AIM are pronounced [ɛ̃]:
14:51If they are at the end of a word:
14:54pain bread
14:55châtain chestnut brown
14:58or if they are followed by a silent consonant:
15:01saint saint
15:04contraint forced
15:06or if they are followed by a pronounced consonant, other than N or M:
15:13craindre to fear
15:16vaincu defeated
15:18Otherwise, AIN and AIM are not nasal vowels:
15:25fontaine fountain
15:28aimer to love
15:31AU is pronounced [o].
15:35aube dawn
15:37gauche left
15:40sauce sauce, gravy
15:43travaux work
15:46In the alphabet, E is pronounced:
15:49[ø]
15:50Inside French words, the letter E alone, without any other vowel,
15:55can be pronounced [ə], [e] or [ɛ].
15:59revenir to come back
16:02effacer to erase
16:06hiver winter
16:09Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [ə], [e] or [ɛ].
16:14E is pronounced [ə] in one syllable word ending with -E:
16:20je I
16:22le the (masculine)
16:24ce this (masculine)
16:26de from, of
16:29E is pronounced [ə] when it is not the first letter of the word,
16:33it is followed by a single pronounced consonant and a pronounced vowel.
16:39recommencer to start again
16:42demain tomorrow
16:45mercredi Wednesday
16:48calmement quietly
16:51E is pronounced [e] if followed by a silent consonant at the end of words, except T:
16:59mes my (plural)
17:02nez nose
17:04manger to eat
17:07pied foot
17:09E is pronounced [e] if followed by a double consonant and a pronounced vowel:
17:15impeccable spotless
17:19effort effort
17:22dessin drawing
17:26cellule cell
17:29E is pronounced [ɛ] in words ending with -ET:
17:34poulet chicken
17:36trajet journey
17:39chalet wooden cottage
17:41violet purple
17:44E is pronounced [ɛ] if followed by a pronounced consonant that is pronounced in the same syllable:
17:52belle beautiful
17:54hôtel hotel
17:57escale stopover
18:01baguette baguette
18:04E with an acute accent is pronounced [e]:
18:07été summer
18:10beauté beauty
18:12sécurité safety
18:16journée day
18:18E with a grave accent is pronounced [ε]:
18:23frère brother
18:25crème cream
18:28mètre metre
18:31colère anger
18:34E with a circumflex accent can be pronounced [e] or [ε]:
18:39fête party
18:41pêcher to fish
18:44crêpe crêpe, pancake
18:46gênant annoying
18:49Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [e] or [ɛ].
18:55It’s pronounced [ɛ] if followed by a silent consonant at the end of words:
19:00arrêt stop
19:02forêt forest
19:05It’s pronounced [ɛ] if followed by a pronounced consonant in the same syllable:
19:11tête head
19:13arête fish bone
19:15It’s is pronounced [e] if followed by a pronounced consonant and a pronounced vowel,
19:20meaning that the consonant is not pronounced in the same syllable:
19:25têtu stubborn
19:27gêné embarrassed
19:29EN and EM are pronounced [ɑ̃] or [ɛ̃], both are nasal vowels:
19:38lent slow
19:40moyen average
19:43Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [ɑ̃] or [ɛ̃]:
19:48EN is only pronounced [ɛ̃]
19:51when it is at the end of a word and not followed by a silent consonant:
19:56parisien Parisian (masculine)
19:59européen European
20:02Otherwise, EN is pronounced [ɑ̃]:
20:06argent silver, money
20:09sentir to smell
20:12gencive gum
20:14enfant child
20:17However, it is a little different for verb endings.
20:22In some verb endings, EN is pronounced [ɛ̃] even if it is followed by a silent consonant,
20:29I go more in details with the rules for verbs in the last section of this video.
20:35Again, nasal vowel rules apply, EN and EM are nasal vowels
20:41if they are at the end of a word:
20:43ancien ancient
20:46or if they are followed by a silent consonant:
20:49temps weather, time
20:51or by a pronounced consonant, other than N or M:
20:56enlever to remove
20:58Otherwise, EN and EM are not nasal vowels:
21:04menace threat
21:07parisienne Parisian (feminine)
21:10EAU is pronounced [o]:
21:14eau water
21:16oiseau bird
21:19ciseaux scissors
21:22Verseau Aquarius
21:25EI can be pronounced [e] or [ɛ]:
21:30baleine whale
21:33veineux venous
21:36Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [e] or [ɛ].
21:41EI is pronounced [ɛ] if followed by a pronounced consonant in the same syllable:
21:47seize sixteen
21:49beige beige
21:52EI is pronounced [e] if followed by pronounced consonant and a pronounced vowel:
21:58neiger to snow
22:01enseigner to teach
22:04EIL and EILL are pronounced [εj]:
22:10soleil sun
22:13conseil advice
22:15abeille bee
22:18bouteille bottle
22:21EIN is pronounced [ε̃].
22:25sein breast
22:27rein kidney
22:29peindre to paint
22:32atteindre to reach
22:35As usual, rules for nasal vowels apply, EIN is pronounced [ε̃]
22:41if it’s at the end of a word, followed by a silent consonant
22:46or by a pronounced consonant, other than N or M.
22:49Otherwise, EIN is not a nasal vowel:
22:53plein full (masculine)
22:56pleine full (feminine)
22:58EU is pronounced [ø] or [œ].
23:02bleu blue
23:04seul alone
23:07Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [ø], its close pronunciation,
23:13or [œ], its open pronunciation:
23:17EU is pronounced [ø] if at the end of a word:
23:21feu fire
23:23EU is pronounced [ø] if followed by a silent consonant at the end of a word:
23:29deux two
23:31EU is pronounced [ø] if followed by a [z] sound,
23:37[z] like the little bee: [zzzzzz].
23:40serveuse waitress
23:43EU is pronounced [ø] if followed by a [t] sound.
23:48émeute riot
23:52EU is pronounced [ø] if U has a circumflex accent:
23:57jeûne fasting
24:00EU is only pronounced [œ] if followed by a pronounced consonant,
24:05other than a [z] or [t] sound:
24:08beurre butter
24:11heureux happy
24:13jeune young
24:16peureux fearful
24:18EUIL and EUILL are pronounced [ɶj]:
24:25écureuil squirrel
24:28fauteuil armchair
24:31feuille leaf
24:34portefeuille wallet
24:38In the alphabet, I is pronounced:
24:41[i]
24:42Inside French words, the letter I alone, without any other vowel,
24:48is also pronounced [i].
24:50It can be written with or without an accent.
24:53riz rice
24:56île island
24:58maïs corn
25:01With AI, the dieresis on the letter I
25:05indicates that you must pronounce each vowel separately:
25:09naïf innocent
25:12haïr to hate
25:14IN and IM are pronounced [ɛ̃]:
25:18vingt twenty
25:20important important
25:23sapin fir tree
25:26infecté infected
25:29As usual, rules for nasal vowels apply, IN and IM are only pronounced [ɛ̃]
25:35if they are at the end of a word, followed by a silent consonant
25:38or by a pronounced consonant, other than another N or M.
25:43Otherwise, IN and IM are not nasal vowels:
25:47fin thin (masculine)
25:49fine thin (feminine)
25:52ILL is pronounced [ij]:
25:55fille girl
25:57grille gate
25:59ILL is only pronounced [ij]
26:02if preceded by a consonant and followed by a vowel, except in:
26:07ville town, city
26:09mille one thousand
26:12tranquille quiet, peaceful
26:15Lille Lille (French city)
26:18If the vowel I is followed by at least another vowel,
26:22I is pronounced [j], like Y in the English word “yes”.
26:27[j] is a semi-vowel. It cannot be pronounced alone.
26:31It needs to be pronounced with another vowel sound in the same syllable:
26:35liasse bundle
26:38chien dog
26:40violon violin
26:43avion plane
26:45In the alphabet, O is pronounced:
26:48[o]
26:49Inside French words, the letter O alone, without any other vowel,
26:54can be pronounced [o] or [ɔ]:
26:57lavabo washbowl
27:00chocolat chocolate
27:03Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [o], its close pronunciation,
27:08or [ɔ], its open pronunciation.
27:11O is pronounced [o] when at the end of a word:
27:15vidéo video
27:18O is pronounced [o] when followed by a silent consonant at the end of words:
27:24dos back
27:26O is pronounced [o] when followed by a [z] sound:
27:31chose thing
27:34O is pronounced [ɔ] when followed by a pronounced consonant, other than a [z] sound:
27:40homme man
27:42important important
27:45rocher rock
27:47motif reason
27:50Ô is pronounced [o]:
27:54bientôt soon
27:56côté side
27:59ON and OM are pronounced [ɔ̃].
28:03[ɔ̃] is a nasal vowel.
28:06donc so, therefore
28:09complet complete
28:11leçon lesson
28:14ombre shade
28:16As usual, rules for nasal vowels apply, ON and OM are only pronounced [ɔ̃]
28:22if they are at the end of a word, followed by a silent consonant
28:26or by a pronounced consonant, other than another N or M.
28:31Otherwise, ON and OM are not nasal vowels:
28:35bon good (masculine)
28:38bonne good (feminine)
28:40OEU is pronounced [ø] or [œ]:
28:45œuf egg
28:47œufs eggs
28:49Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [ø], its close pronunciation,
28:54or [œ], its open pronunciation:
28:57It is pronounced [ø] if at the end of a word:
29:01vœu wish
29:03It is pronounced [ø] if at the end of a word and followed by a silent consonant:
29:08nœud knot
29:10It is pronounced [œ] if followed by a pronounced consonant:
29:14sœur sister
29:17OI is pronounced [wa]:
29:20moi me
29:22avoir to have
29:25soirée evening
29:28voiture car
29:31With OI, the dieresis on the letter I
29:35indicates that you must pronounce each vowel separately:
29:38égoïste selfish
29:41héroïque heroic
29:44OIN is pronounced [wε̃]:
29:47loin far
29:49point point
29:52soin care
29:54coincé stuck
29:57As usual, rules for nasal vowels apply, OIN is only pronounced [wε̃]
30:03if it’s at the end of a word, followed by a silent consonant
30:07or by a pronounced consonant, other than another N or M.
30:12Otherwise, OIN is not a nasal vowel:
30:16moins less
30:19moine monk
30:21OU is pronounced [u], U can be written with or without an accent.
30:27lourd heavy
30:30toujours always
30:33coût cost, price
30:35où where
30:37OUILL is pronounced [uj]:
30:41grenouille frog
30:44mouillé wet
30:47bouillon broth
30:50Brouilly Brouilly (wine)
30:53If the digraph OU is followed by at least another vowel,
30:58OU is pronounced [w], like W in the English word “weekend”.
31:02[w] is a semi-vowel. It cannot be pronounced alone.
31:06It needs to be pronounced with another vowel sound in the same syllable:
31:10oui yes
31:12pingouin penguin
31:15tatouage tattoo
31:17jouet toy
31:19In the alphabet, U is pronounced:
31:23[y]
31:23Inside French words, the letter U alone, without any other vowel,
31:28is also pronounced [y]. It can be written with or without a circumflex accent.
31:33tu you (informal)
31:35mûr ripe
31:37salut hi
31:40peinture paint
31:42UN and UM are pronounced [ε̃].
31:46brun brown, dark
31:48humble humble
31:50As usual, rules for nasal vowels apply, UN and UM are only pronounced [ε̃]
31:57if they are at the end of a word, followed by a silent consonant
32:01or by a pronounced consonant, other than N or M.
32:04Otherwise, UN and UM are not nasal vowels:
32:09un a, an (masculine)
32:10une a, an (feminine)
32:13If the vowel U is followed by any other vowel, U is pronounced [ɥ],
32:19it’s like the way we pronounce the letter U in French.
32:22[ɥ] is a semi-vowel. It cannot be pronounced alone.
32:26It needs to be pronounced with another vowel sound in the same syllable:
32:30nuage cloud
32:33muet mute
32:35sueur sweat
32:38nuit night
32:41In the alphabet, Y is pronounced:
32:44[i.grεk]
32:45Inside French words, Y can be pronounced [i] or [j].
32:50cygne swan
32:53yeux eyes
32:55Now, let’s talk about how to know when it’s pronounced [i] or [j]:
32:59Y is pronounced [i] when at the beginning of a word and followed by a consonant:
33:05Yves Yves (first name)
33:07Y is pronounced [i] when at the end of a word and preceded by a consonant:
33:13rugby rugby
33:15Y is pronounced [i] when between consonants:
33:19stylo pen
33:22Y is pronounced [j] when at the beginning of a word and followed by a vowel:
33:28yoga yoga
33:31Y is pronounced [j] when between vowels:
33:35crayon pencil
33:38When you see the letter Y between vowels, think about the letter Y as two Is
33:45as it’s also going to affect the pronunciation of the vowel that precedes:
33:50voyager to travel
33:53essayer to try
33:55appuyer to press, push down
33:58payer to pay
34:01In this lesson, I teach you
34:04everything you need to know about French consonants:
34:08how to pronounce them in the alphabet and in French words,
34:13you’ll learn all the pronunciation rules for hard and soft consonant pronunciation
34:20and you will also learn all the consonant combinations.
34:25After watching it, reading French words will be like a walk in the park.
34:32In the alphabet, B is pronounced:
34:35[be]
34:36Inside French words, B is pronounced [b]:
34:41bonjour hello
34:44berceau cradle
34:47BB is also pronounced [b]:
34:50abbaye abbey
34:53dribbler to dribble
34:55In the alphabet, C is pronounced:
34:59[se]
35:00Inside French words, C followed by E, I or Y,
35:05one of the soft vowels, is pronounced [s].
35:09You can remember the soft vowels with the word “yeti”.
35:13puce chip
35:16citron lemon
35:18C followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
35:23is pronounced [k].
35:25You can remember the hard vowels with the word “auto”.
35:30café coffee
35:32écorce bark, peel
35:34C followed by a consonant is pronounced [k]:
35:38crabe crab
35:40acteur actor
35:43CC followed by E, I or Y, one of the soft vowels,
35:49is pronounced [ks]:
35:51coccyx coccyx
35:54succès success
35:57CC followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
36:01is pronounced [k]:
36:03accaparer to monopolize
36:06occupé busy
36:08CC followed by a consonant is pronounced [k]:
36:13raccrocher to hang up
36:16acclamer to acclaim
36:18C-cedilla (ç) is pronounced [s]:
36:22leçon lesson
36:24ça this, that, it
36:27CH is pronounced [ʃ]:
36:31bouche mouth
36:33chien dog
36:36However, in some words, CH is pronounced [k]:
36:41technique technical
36:43orchestre orchestra
36:46In the alphabet, D is pronounced:
36:49[de]
36:50Inside French words, D is pronounced [d]:
36:55demain tomorrow
36:58idée idea
37:00DD is also pronounced [d]:
37:04caddie caddy
37:07addition bill
37:10In the alphabet, F is pronounced:
37:13[εf]
37:15Inside French words, F is pronounced [f]:
37:19fier proud
37:22soif thirst
37:25FF is also pronounced [f]:
37:29griffe claw
37:32siffler to whistle
37:34In the alphabet, G is pronounced:
37:38[ʒe]
37:39Inside French words, G followed by E, I or Y,
37:44one of the soft vowels, is pronounced [ʒ]:
37:48gênant annoying
37:51bougie candle
37:54G followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
37:59is pronounced [g]:
38:01gare station
38:04goutte drop
38:07G followed by a consonant is pronounced [g]:
38:11graine seed
38:14glaçon ice cube
38:17GG followed by E, I or Y, one of the soft vowels,
38:22is pronounced [gʒ]. And it’s quite rare:
38:26suggestion suggestion
38:29GG followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
38:34is pronounced [g]. It’s also quite rare:
38:38toboggan slide
38:40GG followed by a consonant is pronounced [g]:
38:45aggraver to aggravate
38:47agglutiner to pack together
38:50GU followed by E, I or Y, one of the soft vowels,
38:56is pronounced [g]:
38:58bague ring
39:01gynécologue gynecologist
39:05GE followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
39:10is pronounced [ʒ]:
39:12pigeon pigeon
39:15bougeoir candleholder
39:18With U, the letters E and U are pronounced together,
39:22and G is pronounced [ʒ] as it is followed by E, a soft vowel:
39:28nuageux cloudy
39:31courageux brave
39:34GN is pronounced [ɲ]:
39:37gagner to win
39:40poignet wrist
39:42In the alphabet, H is pronounced:
39:46[aʃ]
39:47Inside French words, H is silent.
39:51thé tea
39:53rhume cold
39:56adhésif adhesive
39:59athlète athlete
40:02In the alphabet, J is pronounced:
40:05[ʒi]
40:06Inside French words, J is pronounced [ʒ]:
40:11jeudi Thusrday
40:13jouer to play
40:16bonjour hello
40:19jambe leg
40:23In the alphabet, K is pronounced:
40:26[ka]
40:27Inside French words, K is pronounced [k]:
40:31kilogramme kilogramme
40:34ski skiing
40:37anorak anorak (jacket)
40:40kiffer to love (slang)
40:43In the alphabet, L is pronounced:
40:46[εl]
40:47Inside French words, L is pronounced [l]:
40:51ciel sky
40:54film movie
40:57LL is also pronounced [l]:
41:01allure speed
41:04vallée valley
41:07In the alphabet, M is pronounced:
41:10[εm]
41:11Inside French words, M is pronounced [m]:
41:15monde world
41:18maman mom
41:21MM is also pronounced [m]:
41:25gommer to erase
41:27comme as, like
41:30In the alphabet, N is pronounced:
41:33[εn]
41:34Inside French words, N is pronounced [n]:
41:39neveu nephew
41:42peine sorrow
41:44NN is also pronounced [n]:
41:49année year
41:51connu known
41:54In the alphabet, P is pronounced:
41:57[pe]
41:58Inside French words, P is pronounced [p]:
42:02pays country
42:05épicé spicy
42:08PP is also pronounced [p]:
42:11appuyer to press
42:14grippe flu
42:16PH is pronounced [f]:
42:20pharmacie drugstore
42:23phrase sentence
42:26In the alphabet, Q is pronounced:
42:29[ky]
42:30Inside French words, Q is pronounced [k]:
42:34cinq five
42:37coq rooster
42:39QU is also pronounced [k] when followed by another vowel:
42:44cirque circus
42:47manquer to miss
42:50In the alphabet, R is pronounced:
42:53[εr]
42:54Inside French words, R is pronounced [r]:
42:59bruit sound
43:01frère brother
43:04RR is also pronounced [r]:
43:08terre earth
43:11curry curry
43:14In the alphabet, S is pronounced:
43:17[εs]
43:18Inside French words, S at the beginning of a word is pronounced [s]:
43:24stylo pen
43:27saumon salmon
43:30S between a consonant and a vowel is pronounced [s]:
43:36penser to think
43:38morsure bite
43:42S between a vowel and a consonant is also pronounced [s]:
43:48féminisme feminism
43:52espace space
43:55S between two vowels is pronounced [z]:
44:01dose dosage
44:03vase mud
44:06SS between two vowels is pronounced [s]:
44:12dessin drawing
44:14tasse cup
44:17SC followed by E, I or Y, one of the soft vowels,
44:22is pronounced [s]:
44:25scène stage, scene
44:27ascenseur elevator
44:31SC followed by A, U or O, one of the hard vowels,
44:36is pronounced [sk]:
44:39escalader to climb
44:42scanner to scan
44:45SC followed by a consonant is pronounced [sk]:
44:51escroc swindler
44:54muscle muscle
44:57In the alphabet, T is pronounced:
45:00[te]
45:01Inside French words, T is pronounced [t]:
45:05coton cotton
45:08météo weather forecast
45:11TT is also pronounced [t]:
45:15omelette omelette
45:18attendre to wait for
45:20Be careful, the ending -TION is pronounced [sjɔ̃]:
45:27action action
45:30direction direction
45:33situation situation
45:37condition condition
45:40In the alphabet, V is pronounced:
45:43[ve]
45:45Inside French words, V is pronounced [v].
45:49vert green
45:52cheval horse
45:55In the alphabet, W is pronounced:
45:58[du.blə.ve]
46:01Inside French words, W can be pronounced [v]
46:04or [w], like W in the English word “we”.
46:09wagon wagon
46:11kiwi kiwi fruit
46:14Wi-Fi Wi-Fi
46:16week-end weekend
46:19There is no rule to know how to pronounce W in French words.
46:24However, this consonant is quite rare,
46:27and often pronounced [w], like W in the English word “we”.
46:32In the alphabet, X is pronounced:
46:35[iks]
46:36Inside French words, X between two vowels is pronounced [ks]:
46:42taxe tax
46:44vexé hurt, offended
46:48X at the beginning of a word is quite rare and it’s pronounced [gz]:
46:53xénon xenon
46:56Be careful with words starting with EX, X is pronounced [ks] if followed by a consonant,
47:04and [gz] if followed by a vowel:
47:08excuse excuse
47:11exposition exhibition
47:14exister to exist
47:17exemple example
47:19In the alphabet, Z is pronounced:
47:22[zεd]
47:24Inside French words, Z is pronounced [z]:
47:28zoo zoo
47:30bizarre weird
47:33In this lesson, I go in details about all the silent letters in French
47:39to make sure they don’t ruin your pronunciation.
47:42After watching it, you’ll finally master French pronunciation.
47:471 – E as the final letter of a word is silent.
47:52Île Island
47:53I don’t say [i-lə], I say [il].
47:58These two words are pronounced exactly the same.
48:01Île Island
48:02Il He
48:04E can be preceded by a consonant.
48:06Un homme A man
48:09Un téléphone A phone
48:12Des moules Mussels
48:14Une voiture A car
48:17Une chaise A chair
48:19E can also be preceded by a vowel.
48:22Une idée An idea
48:24La joue The cheek
48:27La pharmacie The drugstore
48:29La banlieue The suburb
48:32La pluie The rain
48:34There are two exceptions to this rule.
48:37E is pronounced in two letter words.
48:40Je I
48:41Le The
48:43E is pronounced if it has an accent.
48:46J’ai mangé I ate
48:50Listen to the difference:
48:52Je mange I am eating
48:54J’ai mangé I ate
48:572 – Silent E inside words
49:01Some words have a silent E in them.
49:04Un paiement A payment
49:06Un licenciement A dismissal
49:10Des remerciements Thanks
49:13Un aboiement A bark
49:16Un éternuement A sneeze
49:20The letter E is not pronounced
49:22when it’s between the letter G and a hard vowel: A, U, O.
49:28You can remember them with the word AUTO.
49:31The letter E is there to preserve the soft pronunciation of G: [ʒ].
49:36We often see this in the conjugation of verbs ending in -GER.
49:41Nous mangeons we are eating
49:44Je me changeais I was changing my clothes
49:48Partageons ! Let’s share!
49:51In French words, when the letter E is preceded by one pronounced consonant
49:57and followed by one pronounced consonant then it is usually not pronounced.
50:02This might be different in some French regions,
50:05but I based this video on my French accent. I’m from Paris.
50:10Un boulevard A boulevard
50:13Lentement Slowly
50:16Acheter To buy
50:18Here, there are two consonants CH
50:21but they make only one consonant sound: [ʃ].
50:25Acheter To buy
50:27Samedi Saturday
50:29Une avenue An avenue
50:323 - Silent final consonants in French
50:35These consonants as the final letter of a word are silent in French:
50:41D, G, P, S, T, X, and Z.
50:49D’accord ! Ok!
50:51Gourmand Greedy
50:54Sourd Deaf
50:56Un poing A fist
50:59Long Long
51:01Du shampoing Shampoo
51:04Beaucoup A lot
51:07Trop Too much
51:09Un champ A field
51:11Jamais Never
51:14Le bras The arm
51:16Une souris A mouse
51:18Un fruit A fruit
51:21Un concert A concert
51:24La forêt The forest
51:27Un choix A choice
51:29Le prix The price
51:31Deux Two
51:34Le nez The nose
51:36Assez Enough
51:38Du riz Rice
51:41Some words have more than one silent final consonant.
51:45Le respect The respect
51:47Un doigt A finger
51:50Le poids The weight
51:52Le corps The body
51:55Le temps The weather
51:58As you can see, most final consonants are silent in French.
52:02So, you can remember the non-silent final consonants with the word “careful”.
52:07C, R, F, L are pronounced as final consonants.
52:13Avec With
52:15Le trafic The traffic
52:18Un déclic A trigger
52:20Hier Yesterday
52:23La mer The sea
52:25En hiver In winter
52:28Neuf Nine
52:30La soif The thirst
52:32Un apéritif A drink
52:35Le vol The flight
52:38En avril In April
52:40Un bol A bowl
52:43The letters B, K and Q are quite rare as final consonants
52:47and they are also pronounced.
52:49Un club A club
52:52Cinq Five
52:53Un bifteck A steak
52:56These rules are not hard and fast rules.
52:59Like English, French is full of exceptions that like to come at you from all angles.
53:04But, you will learn the exceptions as you encounter them!
53:094 – S and X for plurals are silent
53:13Plural don’t affect a noun or an adjective pronunciation.
53:18La belle femme A beautiful woman
53:21Les belles femmes Beautiful women
53:24Un bon gâteau A good cake
53:27De bons gâteaux Good cakes
53:305 - H is mute in French
53:33The letter H is always silent in French. There is no aspiration!
53:39Un homme A man
53:42Du thé Some tea
53:44De l’aneth Some dill
53:47The letters PH make the sound: [f].
53:51Une photo A photo
53:53The letters CH make the sound: [ʃ].
53:57Dimanche Sunday
53:59In some words, the letters CH are pronounced: [k].
54:03La psychologie The psychology
54:076 – Verb endings
54:09The final R of the infinitive of verbs ending in -ER is not pronounced.
54:15Manger To eat
54:17Aller To go
54:19Penser To think
54:21The ending -ENT of verbs for the third person of the plural,
54:27I mean for “ils” (they – masculine) and “elles” (they - feminine),
54:33for all verbs and all tenses is always silent.
54:39Ils aiment They like
54:42Elles étaient They were
54:44Ils prendraient They would take
54:487 – Silent M and N
54:51The letters M and N are silent when they are nasal vowels.
54:56How to recognise French nasal vowels?
54:59If there is one or more vowels followed by N or M at the end of a word.
55:05Le pain The bread
55:07If there is one or more vowels followed by N or M and a silent consonant.
55:14Comment How
55:15And, if there is one or more vowels followed by N or M and a pronounced consonant.
55:22Other than N or M.
55:24Bonjour Hello
55:27The vowel sound is nasalised and we do not pronounce N or M.
55:33Le pain The bread
55:34Comment How
55:36Bonjour Hello
55:38The letter N is not pronounced when it’s between the letter G and another vowel.
55:44GN is pronounced [ɲ].
55:47It is a bit tricky for English speakers as there is no English equivalent.
55:52You can check out this video next to learn how to make the [ɲ] sound.
55:58La montagne The mountain
56:00En Espagne In Spain
56:04Gagner To win
56:06Un oignon An onion
56:09En Allemagne In Germany
56:128 - Silent U
56:14The letter U is not pronounced when it’s between the letter Q and another vowel.
56:20Une question A question
56:23Quatre Four
56:25The letter U is not pronounced when it’s between the letter G and a soft vowel: E, I, or Y.
56:33Une bague A ring
56:36Un guide A guide
56:399 – And there are also sometimes random silent consonants inside words.
56:45Here are the most common ones:
56:47En automne In fall
56:50L’asthme Asthma
56:53Longtemps For a long time
56:56Condamner To sentence
56:58Un baptême A baptism
57:02Compter To count
57:04Sept Seven
57:07Un fils A son
57:10Un rondpoint A roundabout
57:13Une sculpture A sculpture
57:17In this lesson, I explain everything you need to know about French liaison:
57:23what it is and why they are important.
57:27You'll see lots of examples to help you
57:30understand and remember the liaison rules.
57:34Understanding how the French link words
57:38will help you better understand native speakers,
57:42but it’s also the key to sound fluent in French.
57:47A liaison is when the final silent consonant of a word
57:52is pronounced with the vowel sound of the word that follows.
57:56For example:
57:57Mon My
57:58It ends with a silent N.
58:01However, if I use it in this phrase,
58:04there is a liaison between “mon” which ends with the silent consonant N
58:09and “ami” which starts with the vowel A.
58:13The consonant N is not silent anymore
58:16and it is pronounced with the vowel sound that follows.
58:19C’est mon ami He’s my friend
58:25But in this sentence, there is no liaison
58:28as the word that follows “mon” starts with a consonant.
58:32The final consonant N of “mon” remains silent.
58:37C’est mon chat It’s my cat.
58:42The liaison adds an extra sound.
58:45Chez at one’s place
58:46Je suis chez elle. I'm at her place.
58:51On We (informal)
58:53On est arrivés. We've arrived.
58:57Premier First
59:00J’habite au premier étage. I live on the second floor.
59:08The liaison can add seven different consonant sounds.
59:12[z] is added when the liaison is made
59:16with the final silent consonants S, X and Z.
59:22Des Some
59:23J’ai des enfants. I have children.
59:29Deux Two
59:31Elle a deux ans. She's two years old.
59:36Chez at one’s place
59:37Je vais chez eux. I'm going to their house.
59:43[n] is added when the liaison is made
59:47with the final silent consonant N.
59:50En In
59:51J’habite en Angleterre. I live in England.
59:59[t] is added when the liaison is made
1:00:02with the final silent consonants T and D.
1:00:07Petit Small, little, short
1:00:09C’est un petit ordinateur. It's a small computer.
1:00:17Grand Tall, big, large, great
1:00:18C’est un grand homme. He's a great man.
1:00:25As you can see, the word “homme” starts with the consonant H.
1:00:29But, as H is silent, the word starts with the vowel sound [ɔ].
1:00:34Liaisons can happen between the final silent consonant of a word
1:00:39and the word that follows if it begins with a vowel or a mute H.
1:00:44[v] is added when the liaison is made between the number nine
1:00:50and the words “heures” (hours, o’clock) and “ans” (years, years old).
1:00:52Neuf Nine
1:00:55Il est neuf heures. It's nine o'clock.
1:01:01J’ai dix-neuf ans. I'm nineteen years old.
1:01:07“Neuf” doesn’t end with a silent consonant.
1:01:11But its [f] sound is pronounced [v] with “heures” (hours, o’clock) and “ans” (years, years old).
1:01:17With all the other words, the consonant F is not silent and it is pronounced [f].
1:01:23Il y a neuf étudiants. There are nine students.
1:01:29[r] is added when the liaison is made
1:01:33with the final silent consonant R.
1:01:36Premier First
1:01:39Elle attend son premier enfant. She is expecting her first child.
1:01:46[p] is added when the liaison is made
1:01:49with the final silent consonant P.
1:01:52Trop Too, too much
1:01:54C’est trop important. It's too important.
1:02:00[g] is added when the liaison is made
1:02:03with the final silent consonant G.
1:02:07Long Long
1:02:08C’est un long hiver. It's a long winter.
1:02:15Liaisons are important.
1:02:17Not only the French might not understand you
1:02:21if you forget a compulsory liaison or make a forbidden liaison,
1:02:25but liaisons can help you differentiate between singular and plural.
1:02:31Il He
1:02:32Ils They (masculine or mixed group)
1:02:34Il aime le chocolat. He likes chocolate.
1:02:40Ils aiment le chocolat. They like chocolate.
1:02:47leur their (singular)
1:02:50leurs their (plural)
1:02:52Ils sont venus avec leur enfant. They came with their child.
1:03:02Ils sont venus avec leurs enfants. They came with their children.
1:03:12Liaisons can help you differentiate between different ideas.
1:03:16Six Six
1:03:18The [s] sound of number six is replaced by a [z] sound in the liaison.
1:03:25Six ans Six years
1:03:27Six cents Six hundred
1:03:30The number six is pronounced [si] when the word that follows starts with a consonant.
1:03:37The same happens with number 10:
1:03:39Dix Ten
1:03:41Dix hommes Ten men
1:03:44Dix femmes Ten women
1:03:48Liaisons can also help you differentiate between masculine and feminine.
1:03:54Grand Tall, big, large, great (masculine)
1:03:55Grande Tall, big, large (fem.)
1:03:57Grand ami Great (male) friend
1:04:00Grande amie Great (female) friend
1:04:03There are compulsory, prohibited and optional liaisons.
1:04:09The liaison is compulsory between a determiner and the noun or adjective that follows it.
1:04:16The determiner can be an article:
1:04:19Un A, an
1:04:20Un arbre A tree
1:04:23Des Some
1:04:24Des assiettes Plates
1:04:28Les The (plural)
1:04:29Les épinards Spinach
1:04:33The determiner can also be a possessive adjective:
1:04:37Mon My (masculine)
1:04:39Mon œil My eye
1:04:42Ses His/her (plural)
1:04:44Ses yeux His/her eyes
1:04:46Nos Our (plural)
1:04:48Nos amis Our friends
1:04:51The determiner can be a demonstrative adjective:
1:04:54Ces These
1:04:56Ces étudiants These students
1:05:00Ces abeilles These bees
1:05:03Ces enfants These children
1:05:06The determiner can be a number:
1:05:08Deux Two
1:05:10Deux ans Two years
1:05:12Trois Three
1:05:14Trois objets Three objects
1:05:17Dix Ten
1:05:19Dix élèves Ten students
1:05:22The determiner can be an indefinite adjective:
1:05:26Aucun None
1:05:28Aucun homme No man
1:05:32Quelques A few, some
1:05:34Quelques heures A few hours
1:05:36Plusieurs Several
1:05:39Plusieurs araignées Several spiders
1:05:43The liaison is compulsory between an adjective and the noun that follows it.
1:05:49Gros Large, big, thick, fat
1:05:51De gros ennuis Serious trouble
1:05:54Grand Tall, big, large, great
1:05:56Un grand homme A great man
1:05:59Petit Small, little, short
1:06:01Un petit ordinateur A small computer
1:06:06The liaison is compulsory between the subject pronoun and the verb that follows it.
1:06:12On We (informal)
1:06:13On est We are
1:06:15Vous You (formal or plural)
1:06:17Vous avez You have
1:06:19Elles They (feminine)
1:06:21Elles habitent They live
1:06:23The liaison is compulsory between the object pronoun and the verb that follows it.
1:06:29Les Them
1:06:30Je les appelle. I'm calling them.
1:06:34En Some
1:06:36Il n’y en a plus. There are no more.
1:06:40Nous Us
1:06:42Ça nous arrive. It happens to us.
1:06:46The liaison is compulsory between two pronouns.
1:06:51Ils They (masculine or mixed group)
1:06:53Ils y pensent. They're thinking about it.
1:06:57Nous Us
1:06:58Il nous en a parlé. He told us about it.
1:07:03Elles They (feminine)
1:07:05Elles y sont déjà allées. They've already been there.
1:07:10The liaison is compulsory between the verb and pronoun that follows it.
1:07:16Allons
1:07:18Allons-y ! Let's go !
1:07:20Prends Take
1:07:22Prends-en ! Have some!
1:07:24Ont
1:07:26Ont-ils appelé ? Did they call?
1:07:29The liaison is compulsory after a one-syllable preposition:
1:07:34Dans In, within, during
1:07:35Dans une heure In an hour
1:07:39Chez At one’s place
1:07:40Elle est chez elle. She's at home.
1:07:44Sans Without
1:07:46Sans oignon Without onion
1:07:48En In, during
1:07:50En Irlande In Ireland
1:07:52Sous Under
1:07:54Sous un pont Under a bridge
1:07:57The liaison is compulsory between a one-syllable adverb and the adjective that follows it.
1:08:03Plus More
1:08:05C’est plus avantageux. It's more advantageous.
1:08:09Très Very
1:08:11C’est très important. It's very important.
1:08:15Bien Well
1:08:16Un stade bien avancé A well-advanced stage
1:08:21The liaison is compulsory within most compound words and fixed expressions.
1:08:27Les Champs-Élysées The Champs-Élysées
1:08:30Les États-Unis The United States
1:08:33Un sous-entendu An innuendo
1:08:36Avant-hier The day before yesterday
1:08:38De temps en temps From time to time
1:08:41De plus en plus More and more
1:08:44De moins en moins Less and less
1:08:47Plus ou moins More or less
1:08:49Petit à petit Little by little
1:08:52Tout à l’heure Earlier / later
1:08:54Tout à fait Exactly, certainly
1:08:56The liaison is forbidden after “et”.
1:09:00The final T of “et” never comes to life with the liaison, it always remains silent.
1:09:08Et And
1:09:09Une fille et un garçon A girl and a boy
1:09:13Un homme et une femme A man and a woman
1:09:18The liaison is forbidden before an aspirated H.
1:09:23In French, there are two H:
1:09:25the mute H and the aspirated H.
1:09:28Both H are silent.
1:09:30The difference is that the mute H allows the liaison and the aspirated H prohibits it.
1:09:37There’s no rule to know when an H is mute and when it is aspirated.
1:09:42To find out whether the initial H of a word is mute or aspirated, you can consult Wikipedia
1:09:50or the Larousse bilingual dictionary.
1:09:52This apostrophe indicates an aspirated H.
1:09:55Both links are in the description.
1:09:58En haut Upstairs
1:10:00Un hamac A hammock
1:10:03The liaison is forbidden before the numbers eight and eleven.
1:10:09Les huit garçons The eight boys
1:10:12Les onze filles The eleven girls
1:10:16The liaison is forbidden between the singular noun and the adjective that follows it.
1:10:22Un étudiant étranger A foreign student
1:10:26Un garçon anglais An English boy
1:10:30The liaison is forbidden between the subject and verb that follows it,
1:10:36if the subject is a polysyllabic pronoun
1:10:39or a nominal group (such as a determiner + noun, determiner + noun + adjective and so on...).
1:10:49Quelqu’un arrive. Someone’s coming.
1:10:52Les enfants appellent. The children are calling.
1:10:56Un enfant courageux arrive. A brave child is coming.
1:11:02The liaison is forbidden before first names.
1:11:07Chez Annabelle At Annabelle's
1:11:10Chez Olivia At Olivia's
1:11:14Chez Alex At Alex's
1:11:17The liaison is forbidden after interrogative adverbs:
1:11:22Quand arrivez-vous ? When will you arrive?
1:11:25Combien en veux-tu ? How many do you want?
1:11:29Comment as-tu su ? How did you know?
1:11:35With the exception of this question in which the liaison is required:
1:11:39Comment allez-vous ? How are you? (plural or formal)
1:11:43And except when “quand” is followed by “est-ce que”,
1:11:47in this case the liaison is also compulsory:
1:11:51Quand est-ce que vous arrivez ? When will you arrive?
1:11:56Quand arrivez-vous ? When will you arrive?
1:12:00Quand est-ce que tu as mangé ? When did you eat?
1:12:05Quand as-tu mangé ? When did you eat?
1:12:08For all other cases, the liaison is optional.
1:12:12However, optional liaisons are quite formal.
1:12:16Optional liaisons are rarely used in everyday life.
1:12:20Congratulations on completing French pronunciation 101!
1:12:25You now know everything about French pronunciation for beginners.
1:12:31If you want to be mistaken for a more advanced learner,
1:12:35then you should watch these lessons
1:12:38in which I explain in details
1:12:40how to pronounce the most difficult French sounds.
1:12:44À la semaine prochaine ! See you next week!

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