In this article, you will:
- discover all the sounds in French
- the consonants in French
- the vowels in French
- the nasal vowels in French
This article will help you answer the following questions:
- How to learn all the sounds in French?
- How to master the sounds in French?
- How to improve your pronunciation in French?
The consonants in French:
/b/
The sound /b/ which is represented by the letter (b) at the beginning of a word as in "bateau" or in the middle of a word as in "abeille".
/d/
The sound /d/ represented by the letter (d) at the beginning of a word as in "domino" or in the middle of a word as in "addition".
/f/
The sound /f/ represented by the letter (f) as in "fleur" or by (ph) as in "téléphone".
/g/
The sound /g/ represented by the letter (g) at the beginning of a word as in "gĂąteau".
/k/
The sound /k/ represented by the letters (c, k, qu) as in "clé", "kilo", "aquarium".
/l/
The sound /l/ represented by the letter (l) at the beginning of a word as in "lion" or at the end of a word as in "sol".
/m/
The sound /m/ represented by the letter (m) at the beginning of a word as in "maison" or in the middle of a word as in "femme".
/n/
The sound /n/ represented by the letter (n) at the beginning of a word as in "neige" or in the middle of a word as in "tonnerre".
/ÉČ/
The sound /ÉČ/ represented by the combination of letters (gn) as in “gnou” or in "oignon".
/p/
The sound /p/ represented by the letter (p) at the beginning of a word as in "pomme" or in the middle of a word as in "groupe".
/Ê/
The sound /Ê/ represented by the letter (r) at the beginning of a word as in "rouge" or in the middle of a word as in "carrĂ©".
/s/
The sound /s/ represented by the letters (s, ss) as in "soleil", "poisson", or by the letters (sc) as in "scie" or by the c cĂ©dille (ç) as in “ça”. But also in the combination of letters (ti) in certain words as in “attention”
/Ê/
The sound /Ê/ represented by the combination (ch) as in "chapeau" or by the combination of letters (sh) as in "shampooing"
/t/
The sound /t/ represented by the letter (t) at the beginning of a word as in "table" or in the middle of a word as in “chĂąteau”.
/v/
The sound /v/ represented by the letter (v) at the beginning of a word as in "voiture" or (w) as in "wagon".
/z/
The sound /z/ represented by the letter (z) at the beginning of a word as in "zĂšbre" or by (s) in the middle of a word as in "rose".
/Ê/
The sound /Ê/ represented by the letter (j) at the beginning of a word as in "journal" or by the letter (g) before an (i), an (e) or a (y) as in "genou”, “girafe” or “gyrophare”
/j/
The sound /j/ represented by the letter (y) as in “payer”, this sound can also be represented by the combination of letters (ille) as in the words “famille” or “fille”.
/w/
The sound /w/ represented by the combination (w) as in "kiwi" or by the combination of letters (oui) as in “pingouin”.
The vowels in French:
/a/
The sound /a/ is represented by the letter (a) as in "chat" or "patte".
/É/
The sound /É/ is represented by the letter (Ăą) as in "pĂąte".
The sound /É/ is a bit longer and more open than the previous sound /a/.
Patte /a/
PĂąte /É/
/e/
The sound /e/ is represented by the letters (é, er, ez) as in "été", "parler", "nez", or by (es) as in "les".
/É/
The sound /É/ is represented by the letters (Ăš, ĂȘ, ai, ei) as in "fĂȘte", "prĂšs", "reine", “faire”.
/i/
The sound /i/ is represented by the letters (i, Ăź, y) as in "Ăźle", "fil" or “idylle”.
/o/
The sound /o/ is represented by the letters (eau, au, o) as in "eau", "auberge", "dos".
/É/
The sound /É/ is represented by (o) as in “or”, “pomme”, “bestiole”. It's here an (o) more open than the previous (o).
/u/
The sound /u/ is represented by (ou) as in "outil" or represented by two (oo) as in the English word “cool”.
/y/
The sound /y/ is represented by (u) as in "lune" or in “urgent”.
/Ăž/
The sound /Ăž/ is represented by (eu) as in “jeu” or “peu” or by the letters (Ću) as in “vĆu”
/Ć/
The sound /Ć/ is represented by (eu, Ć, Ću,ue) as in “peur”, "sĆur", "cĆur", “cueillir*”,* “neuf”.
/É/
The sound /É/ is represented by the letter (e) without accent as in "le", "je" or exceptionally by the letters (on) as in “monsieur”.
The nasal vowels in French:
/ÉÌ/
The sound /ÉÌ/ is represented by (in, im, ain, aim, ein, eim, en, un, yn or ym) as in "pain", "daim", "plein", “thym”, “rein”, “citoyen”, “impossible”.
/ÉÌ/
The sound /ÉÌ/ is represented by (an, am, en, em) as in "champ", "ample", "empreinte", “enfant”.
/ÉÌ/
The sound /ÉÌ/ is represented by (on, om) as in "nom", "ombre".
