French spellings and their sounds—Part 1

These you can count on--they are (almost) always like this

There are many times it is very hard to guess how to pronounce a word in French based on its spelling. In Part 2 we will look at some of these challenging ones. But in this article, I want to show you many French spellings that will ALMOST always have that sound. Of course there are aways exceptions and I have noted some of them in this article.

Most of these sounds come from vowels. Vowels are the foundation of French so we need to become very familiar with how to pronounce them.

The spelling “i” [i] ALMOST always has the sound as in ski: il, finit, midi, ski. These are cases where the “i” stands alone. Note: when the”i” is attached to a nasal consonant it becomes the nasal vowel [ɛ̃] as in “vingt” or “voisin” or “pain” (for more on nasal vowels see my blog on this subject. (https://pronouncingfrench.com/blog/frenchnasalvowels) The letter “i” is also different when attached to other vowels as in j'ai or ill (see below)

An “e” with the“accent aigu” (´) is always pronounced [e] as in café. Or allée, parlé, évident, télé

The vowel “e” with an “accent grave (`) or an “accent circonflex” (ˆ)is always pronounced [ɛ] as in chèvre, père, pêche.

The vowel ”e” followed by a pronounced consonant is also said like the above examples: telle, cette, elle. But the letter “e” can also be a “mute e” as in je, que, le, venir. So the letter”e” without an accent can have several pronunciations.

The spelling ”a” is almost always pronounced [a] as in la, classe, absent, salle. Sometimes it has a more open sound, as in “pas” or “cas”. Note: when followed by an “n” or an “m”, the “a” forms a nasal vowel as in France.

The spelling oi” is always pronounced “wah” as in moi, voilà, la foi

The spelling “au” (plus ô, ose and osse) are always pronounced [o] as in chose, grosse, autre, faute, drôle.

All other spellings of “o” in French are pronounced with the “open o” [ɔ] as in comment, école, professeur. This sound is similar to the English sound in “autumn”

The spelling “ou” is always pronounced [u] as in vous, toute, où, pouvez

Th spelling “u” in French (when it is a stand-alone vowel) is always the sharp “u” sound [y] as in tu, voulu, j'ai lu, utile, uni, This sound is hard for many English speakers. It is little bit like the sound at the end of the English word “few”. Note: when combined with other letters, the “u” makes other sounds as in the combination “ou” which is pronounced [u] as in vous. Or when followed by a nasal consonant, it becomes the nasal vowel [ɛ̃] as in vingt.

The spelling “il” or “ille” is pronounced [j] as in Versailles, Marseille, fouiller, travail, merveilleux. This sound is what is called a semi-vowel and has the sound like the English “y” as in “yes” or “yellow”. Note: in other contexts,”il” can be said [il] as in il or tranquil

The spelling “qu” is always pronounced “k” as in que, quel, attaque, qualité

one “s” between vowels is pronounced like a “z”: chose, choisi, saisi. tisane

Two s's between vowels is pronounced like “s”: choisisse finissent, possible

a “c” or a “g” followed by an “i” or an “e” is “soft”: as in: gîte, gèle, mangeons, général

or: ceci, cette, célébrer, ici

Followed by an “a”, “o” or “u”, these consonants are “hard” as in: gare, gouter, guide

or: catastrophe, couter, cuisine

the spelling “gn: is always pronounced “ny” as in: signe, agneau

The spelling “eu” varies a lot. If it is in an open syllable, that is, a syllable that ends in a vowel sound, it is pronounced [ɸ] a in deux, il peut, il veut

If the “eu” is followed by a pronounced consonant, it is pronounced [œ] as in soeur, peur, heure, jeune, seul, ils peuvent

Of course, most readers will already know that most final consonants are not pronounced, with the exception of c,r, f,and l, the consonants in the English word “careful”. : donc, mer, bref, mal. But even this rule has exceptions: for example the "f" in cerf is not pronounced.

The spelling -tion or -sion is pronounced [sjɔ̃] as in “nation” “conversation” “tension”

I have probably missed some other “almost always like this” spellings, so I invite you to send me an email with your suggestions.

Hard Sounds in French—Part 2: “eu” plus a pronounced consonant

In this article, we will examine another of the “combination vowels”, that is, those vowels that have the tongue position of one vowel, but the lip position of a different one.

This is the vowel spelled “eu” when it is followed by a pronounced consonant. Since we do not have this sound in English, most students find it rather challenging. You find it in words like coiffeur, soeur, jeune, seul, ils peuvent. (phonetic symbol [œ]. Notice that in each case, the spelling “eu” is “closed off” by a consonant sound.

There are other cases where the”eu” is NOT closed off by a pronounced consonant and this is a different sound, as in “deux, il peut, je veux, il pleut.

So for the “eu” sound in words like ”professeur” the tongue is going to say the vowel “e” as in “sept” or “fête” or “elle” (phonetic symbol [ɛ]). To make this sound, the tongue is just slightly rounded in the front of the mouth. (Remember again, that in the “French mouth” the tip of the tongue is always behind the lower teeth with tension in the tip.)

Keep saying that sound as in “elle”. But then, you have to round your lips AS IF you were saying the “o” of “école” or “comment”. (phonetic symbol [ɔ]). In my video course, Mastering French Pronunciation, I teach that the correct lip position for this vowel has the corners of the lips coming in towards each other, with tension in the lips. This sound is fairly close to the English “au” as in “autumn”. So you pass from “cette” to “soeur”, from “quel” to “coeur”. It's a little hard to describe these sounds without hearing them, so be on the look-out for a video that I will post soon on my You Tube channel so you can hear the sounds. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Ei4rO_PLwhmyClIe6ABog).

In the Rick Steves' little book, French Phrase book and Dictionary, he gives some English equivalents for those who may not know any French at all. These substitute sounds he offers are NOT the correct French sound, but they may get you close enough to the sound to be understood by the French listener. So for the sound in “seul” or “jeune” he suggests the English “uh” as in “but”. And for words with an “r” like “soeur” he suggests the English “ur” as in “purr”. But to make the authentic French sound, refer to the paragraph above.

In Part 3 of this series, we will look at this sound again, this time with some different spellings—just to confuse the student of French! Again, send me an email to let me know how you are doing.  

Hard Sounds in French—part 1--”u”

Most French vowels are not THAT much different from English ones. (Although as I am fond of saying, “there is NO sound in French that is exactly the same as English due to the radically different basic mouth position of the two languages”)

But there are two vowels in particular that need some extra help. These are what we call “combination vowels”--so named because they are a combination of the tongue position of one vowel, and the lip position of a different one.

In this article, we will look at one of these: the sound spelled “u” as in “tu” or “vue” or “futur”. (phonetic symbol is [y]. Most students who have trouble with this sound replace it with the sound spelled “ou” as in “vous” or “fou”. (phonetic symbol is [u]. But this incorrect sound changes the meaning of words and so it is not an acceptable substitute. Here are a few examples: j'ai bu—le bout; j'ai lu—le loup; tu—tout. “Tu vas bien” is very different from “Tout va bien.!”

The secret to pronouncing this French vowel is to take the tongue position of “i” inside the mouth. (as in 'ski”) This is “the note” to hit to get this sound right. To make an “i” the tongue is rounded very high in the front of the mouth. Remember, as I teach in my video course, Mastering French Pronunciation, in the “French mouth” the tip of the tongue is always behind the front teeth with tension in the tip. And the rounding of the tongue to make the sound “i” is right behind the upper teeth along the gum ridge. (If you look in a mirror, you can see the tongue.)

Now, the other half of this sound is rounding the lips. And here is the problem: when rounding the lips, as if to say “ou”, many students also change their tongue position as if to say “ou”, and that makes the sound come out as ou”. So instead of “tu vas bien” it comes out as “tout va bien”--an entirely different meaning. The secret, again, is to hold fast to the “i” position of the tongue, at the same time as rounding the lips.

In the Rick Steves' little book, French Phrase book and Dictionary, he presents a fun way to produce this sound: “pucker your lips and say 'i.'” But once more, the key is to keep saying ”i” no matter what!

For students who have a hard time with this vowel, I have suggested actually replacing the “u” sound by the “i” sound. Say 'j'ai bi le ji” (j'ai bu le jus); or “Ti vas bien” (Tu vas bien); j'ai vi le garçon (j'ai vu le garçon). Although this would sound strange to the French listener, it would sound closer to the desired “u” sound than replacing it with “ou” as in “jai bou le jou”. Repeat the “wrong” way over and over (j'ai bi, j'ai bi, j'ai bi etc. and then finally round the lips around that sound, and you will fall naturally onto the correct sound.

I hope this helps a bit in pronouncing this challenging sound. Send me an email to let me know how you're doing.  

NEW VIDEO SERIES! FRENCH PRONUNCIATION TIPS & TRICKS!

French Pronunciation Tips and Tricks

In this series I am sharing teachings based on the material in my video course, Mastering French Pronunciation.

As English speakers, we are not aware that we glide from one sound to another on our vowels. This glide does not exist in French, so if we carry that habit over when we speak French, it results in an English accent. The trick, as always, is learning how to speak with “the French mouth”.

Commemorating the historic events in France of May, '68

Paris, May 1968

Fifty-one years ago this month May, 1968, one of the major events of the second half of the 20th century took place in Paris. Called “les évènements de mai”, France was virtually shut down by student demonstrations joined by union members throughout the country.

I was in Paris during these demonstrations and riots, where I was working with my French professor who had just concluded a study on the pronunciation of Parisians from the “classe dirigeante”, and on which my own teaching is based. I also had the opportunity to teach language lab courses in American English in the English department of the Sorbonne.

One evening shortly after the demonstrations began, there was a meeting of the students and professors of the English department at the Théâtre de l'Odéon. Already changes in the air could be seen as the professors and students sat together on the stage in seeming equality. At the end of that meeting, it was decided to march to the Sorbonne, a few blocks away, to confront the riot police surrounding the building. The department chairman said, “We demand entrance to our house”. There the police stood, shoulder to shoulder, shields in front. They politely refused the gentleman, and I quickly realized that this was not my fight, and I felt it was best to get out of there quickly. I probably got one of the last métros back to my apartment before the métros became filled with choking tear gas.

As part of this movement, students occupied the universities (as American students did in the 1970 protests against the war in Vietnam). I remember one day along the side of the Sorbonne, students were throwing archives of old exams and other papers from the windows onto the street below. The streets were lined with burned cars and holes where “les pavés” had been dug up to throw at the police. It was quite an experience!

For a variety of different reasons, the unionized workers in factories all over the country started to sympathize with the student movement and to go on strike as a protest about their working conditions and salaries. This led to the shut-down of just about every service or business connected to the government. The métro stopped running, as did the trains. There were no traffic signals, no post office, no telephone, no flights and no transtlantic ships sailing. Of course all of this was way before computers or cell phones. Parents of foreign students were unable to reach them and to know if they were all right, after following the riots on TV in their home countries.

Since gasoline supplies were cut off due to the strike, auto traffic was at a standstill. I remember seeing “little old ladies” with gloved hands asking for a ride from the few cars that still had fuel. You could have had a picnic on the Champs-Elysées! But not on the day when an estimated crowd of 800,000 people marched in Paris in solidarity with the students.

These events lasted the whole month of May, but eventually the government made some concessions, strikers went back to work and things calmed down. But these “évènements de mai” are seen as a turning point and as a symbol of the emerging youth movement which was beginning to stand for human rights, women's rights and against senseless wars.

And the movement followed me. In 1970, while teaching phonetics at the University of California Santa Barbara, the students protesting the war in Vietnam burned the Bank of America to the ground, in the student community where I lived. Again, burning cars, destruction, curfews, riot police, tear gas. And memories of Paris in '68.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/may-1968-paris-student-riots-demonstrations-sorbonne-nanterre-de-gaulle-a8335866.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/05/world/europe/france-may-1968-revolution.html

"Four Letter Words" by Géraldine Lepère of Comme une Française

Géraldine Lepère of Comme une Française has boldly gone into the realm of "4-letter words" in French and guides us as to what we can say or avoid. Watch her video below. If you enjoy that then you will enjoy a conversation Géraldine and I had about French pronunciation in the video below it.

"Some French slang sounds disgusting–especially when you try to translate it literally.

They’re colourful (but mostly brown), and thrown around quite liberally in everyday situations.

Which words are we swearing with? What do they really mean? What alternatives can you use instead? Let’s find out, “bordel”!

"French pronunciation can be tough. That’s why I’m very happy to welcome Geri Metz, “The French Phonetics Fanatic,” in today’s special interview episode!

Geri is a wonderful woman, and an amazing teacher. And her actual first name is Geraldine! We’ve had a really interesting conversation about your difficulties in learning French, her ideas and experience... and the tips that will help you get a “quick win”, to get you on the journey to a flawless French pronunciation."

LE 14 JUILLET!

 I wonder if any place does fireworks like the French version in Paris each year. I was pleased to get this video of the 2017 display and wanted to share it with you all. It's a half hour long, but spectacular. Enjoy!

THE MAGICAL CITY OF LYON

The city of Lyon has a special energy for several reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is that it is the spot where two mighty rivers merge—la confluence—of the Saône and the Rhone. It is an exciting and powerful moment when that much water flows together. The article that accompanies this blog shows a picture of this spot as well as other parts of Lyon, but there are some aspects of this lovely city that I appreciate and that the article leaves out, so I want to add a few words of my own.

Lyon has two captivating historical parts: its origins were on a hill overlooking the city when the Romans founded the city they called Lugdunum in 43 BCE. Here you can visit a large Roman theater with a capacity of 10,000 spectators! It's an inspiring site and close by is the basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière, with its décor that always reminds me of a wedding cake!
Just below the hill is my favorite part of the city, le Vieux Lyon, a whole “quartier” from the 16th century. Adding to the charm of the narrow streets and ancient buildings is the presence of pathways through buildings that join two streets. In the 16th century Lyon was the capital of silk weaving in France and the merchants would carry their wares along inner passageways to protect them from the rain. These passages are called “traboules”. There are 230 traboules in Lyon, and although many are closed to the public, in Vieux Lyon you can walk through 33 of them. Often at the end of a corridor you will open into a delightful inner courtyard with an ancient well and dwellings above where people still live in the historic buildings with their lovely Renaissance arches. It is an experience not to be missed. The longest traboule is at number 54 Rue saint-Jean. It goes through five courtyards to reach Rue du Boeuf, at number 27. So if you get the chance, don't miss Lyon.

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