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FRENCH DIFFICULT CONSONANTS
French consonants are pronounced almost like in English, except that you don't linger on them; let them explode and move on to the vowel that follows. You can't pronounce French with a lazy mouth. Remember to articulate.
Another few words of caution: In French, the consonants at the end of a word are not usually pronounced, except for c, f, r, and l (the consonants in the word careful).
| LETTER |
SOUND |
AS IN |
WORD |
NOTES |
|
| c |
c |
cash |
cache |
generally |
| c |
s |
set |
cette |
before e, i and y |
| ç |
s |
set |
ça |
only occurs before a, o, and u |
| g |
g |
god |
gant |
generally |
| g |
zh |
measure |
gens |
before e, i and y |
| h |
|
hour |
hier |
always silent |
| j |
zh |
measure |
je |
|
| m |
m |
more |
moi |
syllable initial |
| n |
n |
not |
non |
syllable initial |
| r |
r |
|
rouge |
|
| s |
s |
sit |
soie |
generally |
| s |
z |
zip |
pause |
between vowels |
| x |
ks |
fix |
fixe |
generally |
| x |
gz |
exam |
exercise |
between vowels (ex-) |
| y |
y |
yet |
yeux |
before a vowel |
- r - pronounced at the back of the throat, with your uvula. Needs lots of practise.
Combinations
Of the several consonant and vowel-consonant combinations used in French, two are pronounced as in English: ph and sc (pronounced [s] before e or i).
| LETTER |
SOUND |
AS IN |
WORD |
NOTES |
|
| ch |
sh |
ship |
chic |
|
| gn |
ny |
onion |
Boulogne |
run the sounds together |
| il |
y |
yet |
oeuil |
see below |
| qu |
k |
quiche |
quand |
pronounced (kw) in a few words |
| tch |
ch |
check |
tchèque |
very rare |
| th |
t |
Thomas |
thé |
rare |
| ti |
sy |
pass you |
action |
before a vowel, similary '-tie' is pronounced like French 'si' |
Back to:
 French Pronunciation
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