Pronouncing French

In this section we have used a simple system to help you pronounce the phrases. We have designed it so that as you read the pronunciation of the phrases you can follow the French. This will help you to recognize the different sounds and enable you to read French without relying on the guide. Here are a few rules you should know:

e is sometimes weak and sounds like uh. This happens either in very short words je zhuh, le luh, se suh, etc., or when the e falls at the end of a syllable:
retard ruhtar, demain duhmañ.

h is not pronounced: hôtel ohtel, homard omar.

There are nasal vowels in French (represented by ñ):
un uñ, fin fañ, on oñ, dans doñ, bain bañ, en oñ.

Final consonants are often silent: Paris pa-ree, Londres loñdr. However, sometimes the ending is pronounced if it is followed by a word which begins with a vowel:
avez-vous avay voo but vous avez vooz avay.