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The letter combinations eu and œu are pronounced [], when they are found within a syllable that ends in a vowel (an open syllable),

	bleu adieu deux jeu nœud blue good-bye two game not elle veut Dieu heureux dangereux peu she wants God happy dangerous little

and pronounced [œ] when the syllable ends in a consonant (a closed syllable).

	sœur fleur beurre odeur ils veulent sister flower butter odor they want jeune œuf œil deuil peur young egg eye mourning fear

One noteworthy exception is the verb avoir in the past tense. Despite the eu letter combination, it is always pronounced [y].

	eu   eût

After the letters c and g, the letter combination eu is reversed to become ue. Nevertheless, it is still pronounced just like eu.

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The letter combination ou is pronounced [u].

	où journal toujours where newspaper always tourner nous jour to turn we day

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The letter combinations eau and au are pronounced [o]. In addition o, ô, have the [o] sound when they are in an open syllable.

	au beau maux faux l'eau beautiful evil, bad false water côte zone vos gros mot tôt coast zone your large, fat word soon

and the [] sound when part of a closed syllable.  

	je donne il sonne gomme note I give it rings eraser note sotte sol dehors mort silly ground outside death

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The letters i and y are pronounced as [i].  This sound is similiar to the vowel of English be.

	lit stylo ici midi bed pen here southern France île ville active island village active

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The letter a is pronounced [a]

	maladie madame safari sickness ils batent là-bas they beat, hit over there

Thethe letters oi are pronounced [wa]. The letter e is pronounced [a] when it comes before the letters mm and nn.

	oiseau oui poison bird yes poison femme fréquemment woman frequently