1.1.1

The Alphabet

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Pronunciation

It is important to understand the differences between the pronunciation of the alphabet in English and French.

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Vowel sounds

  • A [ah]
  • E [eh]
  • I [ee]
  • O [o]
  • U [ew]
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Vowel sounds (cont.)

  • Vowel sounds make sure we are understood correctly in French.
  • Unlike English, all French vowel sounds are short.
  • Join vowels with consonants to create short words, and practice saying them out loud. For example:
    • MA
    • ME
    • MI
    • MO
    • MU
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Silent letters

  • There are many silent letters in French.
  • Silent letters are usually at the end of the words.
    • For example, je chante, tu chantes, il/elle chante, ils/elles chantent all sound the same.
    • There is no pronunciation of -e -es or -ent.
  • The letter 'H' is always silent at the beginning of a word.
    • For example, hotel = 'otel'.
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Silent letters (cont.)

  • Never pronounce the -s or -z at the end of verbs.
    • For example, nous chantons [noo shanton] and vous chantez [voo shanteh].
  • Never pronounce the -s or -z at the end of plural nouns or adjectives.
    • For example, les petits pois [leh pertee pwa].
  • The consonant is only pronounced in the feminine form when the adjective has an extra -e at the end.
    • For example, petit [pertee] petite [pertit], grand [gran] grande [grand]

Jump to other topics

1Phonics/Alphabet/Spellings

1.1Alphabet & Accents

2Family & Relationships

3Home

4Customs & Traditions in French Speaking Countries

5Lifestyle

6Sports & Games

7Health

8School

9Future Plans

10Leisure, Free Time & Media

11Town & Region

12Holidays

13Global Issues

14Grammar

14.1Present Tense

14.2Perfect Tense

14.3Imperfect Tense

14.4Future Tense

14.5Conditional Tense

14.6Passive

14.7Imperative

15Other Grammar

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