12 1.13: Structure – Ça se prononce comment ?
In this section, you will learn how to:
- Pronounce consonants and vowels
- Identify silent letters
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
On étudie !
La prononciation des consonnes et des voyelles
Les consonnes
Most consonants are pronounced similarly in English and France, but not exactly the same. Two things that are significantly different in french and often challenging for English speakers are (1) silent consonants that we write but don’t pronounce (see below) and (2) the pronunciation of the letter r. Here are the consonants that are most different from English:
| Consonnes | Prononciation | Exemples |
|---|---|---|
| r | How to pronounce r | Lorsque j’arrive à la gare |
| ç | Pronounce it like s in English | Ça, leçon |
| h | silent | hôpital, halles, haine |
Note
The ideal gas law is easy to remember and apply in solving problems, as long as you get the proper values a
There are many subtle differences between the way we pronounce consonants in English and French. To explore these, you can watch this tutorial on the pronunciation of consonants. Later, you will learn how to pronounce clusters of consonants, such as ss, th, qu, etc.
Les voyelles
Vowels are usually more challenging for French learners. Written vowels are the same in French and English: a, e, i, o, u. However, in spoken French there are at leaast 15 different vowel sounds. Here are the vowel sounds you will need to practice:
| Voyelles | Prononciation | Exemples |
|---|---|---|
| i | like “ee” in see | fini, lit, difficile |
| u | How to pronounce u | Tu, chute, rue |
| é | How to pronounce é | Pied, chez, marcher, clé |
| è, ê | How to pronounce è & ê | Mère, fête |
| e | How to pronounce e | Le, ce, de |
| eu | How to pronounce eu | Peu, queue, peur, jeuner |
| o | How to pronounce o | Sot, tôt, dos |
| on | How to pronounce on | Son, ton, Breton |
| ou | like “oo” in zoo | Coupe, fou, poubelle |
| oi | How to pronounce oi | Moi, toi, froid, boîte |
| oin | How to pronounce oin | Coin, besoin, soin |
| œ | How to pronounce œ | Sœur, cœur, œuf |
| au, eau | How to pronounce au, eau | Beau, faux |
| en, an, em, am | How to pronounce en, an, em, am | An, bilan, silence, |
| in, ain, un | How to pronounce in, ain, un | Pain, lapin, sain, fin, un |
- Practice pronouncing French vowels with this video tutorial on Vowel sounds in French.
- Practice pronouncing different combinations of vowels with this video: vowel sounds in combination.
Les lettres muettes (Silent letters)
Both consonants and vowels may be silent (unpronounced) in French. Here are some examples (silent letters in boldface):
hôpital, haleine parler, Didier français lent, dansent appétit, tout faux quand
The letter H is always silent, but other letters are only silent in certain situations. Most final consonants are not pronounced in French. For example:
Sometimes, clusters of vowels ae silent, such as:
C’est donnent étudiants
An unaccented -e (or -es) at the end of a word is usually silent:
française plage rêves nuages
The consonants -c, -r, -f, and -l are usually pronounced at the end of a words:
parc bonjour actif animal
Here is a useful summary of silent letters:
Le H muet
La lettre h est toujours muette :
| Lettre | Exemples |
|---|---|
|
–h– |
habitude, homme, hôpital, orthographe, haut |
Lettre muettes en fin de mot
The following letters are generally silent at the end of a word.
|
Lettre |
Exemples |
Prononcé quand il est suivi par –e |
|---|---|---|
| -d |
canard , quand |
fade, stade |
| -p |
trop |
clope |
| -s |
tas, draps |
phase |
| -t |
chocolat, appétit |
petite |
| -x |
prix |
— |
| -z |
nez |
— |
| -e |
jeune, fille, danse, père. |
Note
- When these letters are followed by the plural -s, they remain silent: draps, petits, grands, filles etc.
- The letters d, p, s, t, x and z may be pronounced whenever there is a liaison.
Lettre muettes en fin de mot sous certaines conditions (The CRFL rule)
According to the CRFL (i.e., “carfeul”) rule, if a word ends with a c, r, f, or l, you are going to pronounce them. However, under certain conditions these consonants will be silent:
|
Consonnes |
Conditions et exemples |
Exceptions et cas spéciaux |
|---|---|---|
| -c |
précédé par “n” : franc, banc, tronc |
mots particuliers : estomac, porc, tabac, clerc |
| -r |
(a) infinitifs (-er) : parler, aimer, danser (b) substantifs et adjectifs : escalier, premier |
Exception : r prononcé : amour, hiver, amer, cancer, enfer, cuiller, fleur Cas spécial : r muet : monsieur |
| -f |
mots particuliers : nerf, clef, cerf, serf |
Cas spécial : f muet dans le pluriel : des oeufs |
| -l |
(a) mots de plus d’une syllabe : fusil, gentil, outil (b) mots particuliers : soûl, cul |
Learning how to pronounce correctly takes time and practice. Above all, you need to listen to as much French as possible.
- Watch this video for a general introduction to French Pronunciation.
- Watch this tutorial on Silent letters, then answer this question: What are the CRFL and Big Good Quality Kale rules?
- You can practice your French pronunciation with this Video tutorial: Pronounce the 100 most common French words. Try to repeat everything you hear (practice makes perfect).
- You can listen to how specific words are pronounced by visiting the How to Pronounce channel on YouTube.
- You can hear audio recordings of French words and more at: audiofrench.com. If you want to go all out, consult the French Pronunciation: Ultimate Guide.
- Have fun practicing your pronunciation with these tongue-twisters, or virelangues. Also try les virelangues.
- Practice French pronunciation with this video of illustrated French sounds.
On pratique !
Activité
Ecoutez et identifiez si les lettres prononcées sont des voyelles ou des consonnes.
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
- Voyelle ou consonne ?
