FRENCH     ... a site about the french language  
 
Home Verbs Nouns Adjectives Adverbs Figures etc. Pronunciation Phrases About France Links
The most important rules for pronunciation Print this page:
You can click on the emphasized french words to hear them pronunciated. The pronunciations is from (see Links)
Pressure: In french the pressure is always on the last syllable of the word.
 
 For words with a wovel as the first letter, the s, the x and the z from the ending of an antecedent word is transmitted as a s-sound to the beginning of the next word starting with a wovel. Ex: - -
 
 h is never pronounced in the beginning of a word. Words beginning with an h, are pronounced as if beginning with the following wovel. This means that words beginning with h, behaves the same way according to transmisson of s, x and z, as above. Ex: -
 
 But also other consonants, as for example t an f, are transmitted to the next word, if it is beginning with a wovel. Ex: -
Yet there are local exceptions, for example is the s in the town of Nyons pronounced locally.
 
 st in the end of a word is not pronounced. Ex: -
But there are exceptions: Ex: -
 
The alphabet:
Letter Pronunciation   Exsamples
a
ai
au 		Both like a in gas and barn. The example contain both types.
Like ai in train.
Like o in low, with a little more rounded lips.

b As in Englishb
c
ç 		In front of e, i and y like s, otherwise like c in constant.
Like s. 		-
d As in english.
e Is not pronounced in the end of words.
In some cases it is pronounced as the first e in terminate.
In other cases like e in restaurant.

é
è
ê
eu 		like the first e in especially.
Like e in length.
As above
As the first e in terminate.


er, et, ez In words ending on er/et/ez the ending is pronunced like the first e in select. - -
f As in English.
g Like g in generous in front of e, i and y, otherwise like g in go. -
h Is not pronounced in English. See above.
i
ï 		like e in letter.
Like ee in bee.
j Like si in extension.
k Is seldom used, and when used, it is in names of foreign origin.
l
ll 		As in English.
In some words like y in yonder. In other words like ll in villain.
-
m
n 		As in English
After a wovel it is pronounced as ng in long. Othervise as n in English.
-
o
oi
ou 		Like o in low, with a little more rounded lips.
The o like above and i like a in are.
like ou in souvenir. 		-

p As in English.
qu Like k. -
r Might be 'rolled' a little bit, and is more straight pronounced than in english.
s As in English.
t As in English.
u som y i lys.
v Som på dansk.
w, x w bruges kun i navne af udenlandsk oprindelse.
x udtales som ks.
y there is no sound alike in English. Listen to the example.
z Like s