Pronuncation

• Vowel Sounds I
• Vowel Sounds II
• Nasal Vowels
• Accents
• Consonants
• Final Consonants
• Liaison

Consonants

The French r 'gargle' is uttered by placing the tongue at the back of the throat.

	vers sœur près tribu poetry sweat near tribe tourner irlandais grenouille nerveux to turn Irish frog nervous

	haut héros heure high hero hour, time homme hier hôpital man yesterday hospital

h apiré words - of foreign, typically germanic language origin

	haricot hasard hibou homard haine bean chance owl lobster hatred hausse honte haïr harceler hâter increase shame to hate to badger to hasten

Letter combination ch is normally pronounced like English sh (left column), but in a few words ch is pronounced like English k (right column).

	chanter schéma to sing diagram chaos chœur choléra psychologie chaos choir cholera psychology

	thé théorie méthode tea theory method enthousiasme athlétisme enthusiasm track and field

	champagne enseignement vigne champagne information vine ignition gnome

The letter c before i, e is pronounced like English s. Before a, u, or o it is pronounced like k. When a tail, known as the cedilla, hangs down from the c - ç, it is pronounced like an s.

	célèbre ciel cinq ça français garçon famous sky five that French boy, waiter cahier calme curieux notebook calm curious

The letter l is normally pronounced like the English l. However, in the letter combination ille the l is pronounced [j]. The same is true when the letter combination il ends a word. There are a few exceptions to this rule; they are listed in the right column.

	fille orteil oeil travailler il travaille bouteille feuille mouiller daughter toe eye he works to work bottle leaf to moisten mille ville belle tranquille village thousand city beautiful tranquil village