Language/French/Grammar/French-Vowels-and-Consonants
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As a complete beginner in French, understanding the French alphabet and its pronunciation is essential. In this lesson, you will learn about French vowels and consonants, and how to pronounce them correctly in words.
French Vowels
The French language has 12 vowels with distinct sounds, classified as either monophthongs (simple vowel sounds) or diphthongs (a combination of two vowel sounds).
Monophthongs
The following are the 7 monophthongs in French with their respective IPA symbols, pronunciations, and English translations:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | father |
| e | /ɛ/ | set |
| i | /i/ | bee |
| o | /ɔ/ | awe |
| u | /y/ | few |
| è | /ɛ/ | set |
| é | /e/ | they (or as in the "ay" of "say") |
Diphthongs
The following are the 5 diphthongs in French with their respective IPA symbols, pronunciations, and English translations:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ai/ei | /ɛ/ + /i/ | grey |
| au/eau | /o/ + /o/ | beau (beautiful) |
| e+i | /e/ + /i/ | gay |
| oi | /w/ + /a/ | deux (two) |
| ou | /w/ + /ɔ/ | mood |
French Consonants
French has 21 consonants, which are divided into two categories: voiced and unvoiced.
Unvoiced Consonants
The following are the 11 unvoiced consonants in French with their respective IPA symbols, pronunciations, and English translations:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| p | /p/ | spin |
| t | /t/ | stack |
| k | /k/ | skate |
| f | /f/ | phone |
| s | /s/ | snake |
| ch | /ʃ/ | she |
| h | /h/ | hotel |
| ph | /f/ | pharmacy |
| th | /t/ | theater |
| c | /k/ | scenic |
| qu | /k/ | queen |
Voiced Consonants
The following are the 10 voiced consonants in French with their respective IPA symbols, pronunciations, and English translations:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| b | /b/ | ball |
| d | /d/ | drive |
| g | /ɡ/ | game |
| v | /v/ | voice |
| z | /z/ | zoo |
| j | /ʒ/ | pleasure |
| l | /l/ | lamp |
| m | /m/ | map |
| n | /n/ | name |
| r | /ʁ/ | red |
Practice Exercises
Now that you know the French vowels and consonants, try practicing their pronunciation with the following words:
- Monophthongs: ami (friend), belle (beautiful), chapeau (hat), debout (standing), partie (part), tu (you), le (the)
- Diphthongs: bateau (boat), feu (fire), lait (milk), moi (me), oui (yes)
Summary
Learning the correct pronunciation of French vowels and consonants is essential for understanding and communicating in the language. Understanding the subtle differences between each sound will help you to improve your overall French accent.
Sources
Videos
Learn French Language | 20 Basic Consonants - YouTube
French Lesson 127 - Pronunciation of consonants in French - How ...
1 Hour to Improve Your French Writing Skills - YouTube
Learn French pronunciation - The consonants - YouTube
Learn French Pronunciation in 12 Minutes - YouTube