French Pronunciation
Notes
French Letter Combination
English Phonetic Spelling
Examples
ai
a “eh” sound
j’ai
lait
mais
maison
raison
an(g)
a “anh” sound
mange
orange
sandwich
sang
au
a “oh” sound
au
chaud
eau
a long “oh” sound
bateau
beau
chapeau
gâteau
l’eau
en
a “en” sound
en
prend
vend
in
a “ehn” sound
singe
(i)ll
a “y” sound
famille
travailler
(exception = aller)
ou
a long “oo” sound
ou
où
trou
vous
nous
tion
a “sion” sound
addition
nation
portion
u
a “ü” sound
tu
Rules for Pronouncing the Last Letter of a Word:
1. when a vowel at the end of the word has an accent
o
râpé (grated)
2. when a vowel follows a consonant
o
vende
pronounce the “d”, lightly pronounce the “e”
o
vend is pronounced with a hint of “d”
o
suisse (pronounce the “s”); suis (don’t pronounce the “s”)
o
complet (don’t pronounce the “t”); complete (pronounce the “t”)
o
plat (don’t pronounce the “t”); plante (pronounce the “t”)
