The sounds of French
Reading French, sound by sound.
Nasal vowels, a u and an r unique to French, and lots of written letters that are not pronounced. A few rules are enough to read almost every word.
eau
obateau
The sounds
The sounds to know
Choose a group, then a sound. Listen to it in common words, at normal speed or slowly.
Sound
Reading rules
What is written but not pronounced, and what links words together.
petit
Silent final consonant
Most final consonants are not pronounced: petit /pəti/, Paris /paʁi/. Often pronounced: c, r, f, l (sac, mer, neuf, sel).
table
Final e
It is not pronounced: table /tabl/, France /fʁɑ̃s/. It only makes the consonant before it heard.
les amis
Liaison
A silent final consonant is pronounced before a word starting with a vowel: les amis /lezami/, nous avons /nuzavɔ̃/.
l’eau
Elision
le, la, je, ne, que lose their vowel before a vowel or a silent h: l’eau, j’ai, je n’aime pas.
café
Final stress
The stress falls on the last pronounced syllable of the word group: ca-FÉ, un ca-fé au-LAIT.
Reading