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.  

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Jevous Souhaite Une Annee 2017 Pleine De Joie!  For those who don't speak French, it says “I wish you a 2017 full of joy”. But on the right side there are lots of other wishes: full of success, of delicious things, of love, of friendship, of laughter, of health, of hugs and many more. So adding them all up is my wish for all who read this blog. Please don't lose out on the amazing sale of my video course—30% is a huge discount and it is over the last day of this year. Give yourself the gift of a better French accent. Click on the image below and SIGN UP TODAY!

 Bonne Année. 

"HARD WORDS IN FRENCH" #14

Hard Words #14

This is a word you see in airports and train stations, welcoming visitors, so it's a good idea to know how to say it. It does feature a French vowel that we don't have in English and that many find challenging to say. I give a hint about how French speakers form this sound which is also the sound you have in “soeur” or “oeuf”.

HARD WORDS IN FRENCH #11

Hard words #11

Our word this time is the fun word for “frog”: grenouille. You will often see this on menus in French restaurants as “cuisse de grenouille” or frog's legs, so it's a good idea to know how to say it correctly. The second syllable is the same as the word for “noodle”, nouille. And once again, as in most of these hard words listed by expats, there is that “ill” combination which seems hard to say but is really just one sound, the semi-vowel “iyuh” as in il y a. In my video course, you learn how to say each French sound as well as how the French produce those sounds through what I call “the French mouth”. Find more information on the website under courses.

Experience France with Geri: Ile de la Cité Part 1

Way back in 1973 I was the director of the French student teacher program at UC Santa Barbara and visited the local high schools to evaluate and guide the young interns. Along the way the students in their classes got to know me and asked if I would take them to France. And so began a delightful career that lasted until 2005. I always tried to give my participants the most authentic “France Experience” (the original name of my tours) possible-- from the teenagers who were my first and longest fellow-travelers, to the adult wine tours I led in the late 1990's. I thought it would be fun to share these travels on this blog site, and for the first in this series, will begin with my favorite tour day in Paris. This is the day we visit Ile de la Cité, literally from one tip of the island to the other. 

At around 9:30 in the morning, we go to the open air market at the Maubert-Mutualité métro stop at Place Maubert, ( 5e arrondissement) to buy provisions for a picnic we will have later. Don't forget your shopping bag or filet, and be sure to have some utensils with you, like a knife for spreading and cutting, a corkscrew and a small cup for drinking if you have wine. This market is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the year and is a real cultural experience. There is even a little section for “bio”, organic produce. And if you don't find what you want at the market, there are several permanent stores at the same location for bread (la boulangerie), cheese (la fromagerie) and wine (of course). 

 After gathering all the delicious breads, cheeses, and charcuterie, we will cross Bd. St-Germain and walk down the little street rue de Bièvre, just opposite the market. A little anecdote: for years this street was closed to automobile traffic and two policemen were always on duty as French President Mitterand lived in an apartment on this street. The street is named after a creek (la Bièvre) still active underground and running to the Seine. You arrive at the Seine and cross the river on Pont de l'Archevêché. This brings you to one of the best photo ops of Notre Dame Cathedral so don't hesitate to spend a little time here with perhaps boats gliding past below or moored along the banks. The next stop on this tour will be looked at in the next blog as we actually start our day on Ile de la Cité. This spot is practically unknown and more rarely visited but it will touch you in many ways. Don't miss the next installment!

My love for France doesn't stop with its physical attractions. I am also passionate about the sound of the language. I came out of retirement to share with the world my particular take on how to correct our English language accents so we sound more authentically French. I think I have something to offer to the non-native French speakers of the world and a gift to give to the propogation of the purity and the beauty of this language we all love. Please look at my website (pronouncingfrench.com) for more information on myself and the course being released on January 31, 2016, Mastering French Pronunciation. Dedicated to French teachers, students, expats living in France, those doing business with France, and all who would like to sound more authentic when speaking the beautiful French language! Merci!.