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• easy to understand the language you may hear from French speakers in a given situation
• easy to speak free audio download available on www.collins.co.uk/easylearningresources
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The Collins Easy Learning French Conversation is part of the best-selling Collins Easy Learning range, which includes the highly acclaimed Collins Easy Learning French Dictionary. Collins Easy Learning French Grammar and Collins Easy Learning French Verbs support you with all your grammatical needs, and the Collins Easy Learning French Words allows you to learn and practise your French vocabulary. The Collins Easy Learning series is the ideal language reference range to help you learn French.
There are some sounds in French which need a bit of practice, such as the French r, which is much more noticeable than an English r, and the very sharp u sound to be heard in words like rue and plu, which is different from the oo sound in an English word like ruin.
As in English, not all the letters in French words are pronounced – especially final consonants. The final consonant is not sounded in the following, for example: vert (green), grand (tall), petit (small), and ouvert (open). However, if the final consonant is followed by an e, for example in the feminine form of the adjective, the consonant is pronounced. The feminine forms verte, grande, petite, and ouverte all end with consonant sounds.
These are the main ways in which French vowels are pronounced:
| a | – a as in fat (patte, casserole) aw (bas, cas) followed by n: en as in encore (dans, sans, plan) |
| e | – uh (le, premier, repas) e as in set (merci, restaurant) followed by n: en as in encore (vent, entrer, cent) followed by r: ay (parler, dîner) |
| é | – ay (occupé, région) |
| è | – ai as in air (père, règle) |
| i | – ee (il, billet, vie, samedi) followed by n: a as in sang (matin, fin, vin) |
| o | – o as in spot (donner, mort) oh (mot, poser) |
| u | – followed by n: u as in sung (lundi, brun) |
To make the u sound for words like rue and pure, place your lips as if you were going to whistle and make a sharp ee sound at the front of your mouth.
| ai | – e as in set (mais, lait) followed by n: a as in sang (pain, copain) |
| au | – o as in gosh (gauche) |
| eu | – euh (peu, deux) |
| eau | – oh (couteau) |
| ou | – oo (genou, couscous) |
BON À SAVOIR!
Two words you will often hear – oui (yes) and lui (him) are examples of a breathy w sound – they’re pronounced rather like hwee and lwhee.
Most French consonants are pronounced the same as their English equivalents. Some consonants, however, are pronounced differently depending on which vowel follows:
| c | – k as in keen when it is followed by a, o or u (cadeau, couteau, cumin) – note that when a cedilla (ç) is added to the c, it will sound like s in sit (ça, garçon, déçu)– s as in ceiling when it is followed by e, i or y (séance, citron, cyprès) |
| ch | – sh as in shop (chemise, mouchoir) |
| g | – g as in gate when it is followed by a, o or u (gaz, égouter, aigu)– s as in leisure when it is followed by e, i or y (juge, gilet, gym) |
| gn | – ni as in onion (oignon, campagne) |
| j | – s as in leisure (jeter, Jules) |
| q, qu | – k as in keen (chaque, question) |
| s | – z as in zoo when it is between vowels (heureuse, oiseau)– s as in sit when it isn’t (cassé, sauce, désastre) |
| th | – t as in take (maths, thermostat, théâtre) |
| t in -tion | – s as in sit (natation, national) |
Some consonants are pronounced differently to English:
| h | – when it begins a word, it can be ‘silent’ (l’homme, un hôtel) or ‘aspirate’ (les haricots, le hall). When the h is silent, the word behaves as though it starts with a vowel and forms a liaison with the preceding word where appropriate (see below). When the h is aspirate, no liaison is made. |
| r | – rr: a raspy sound in the back of the throat (rue, rouge, rare) |
| ll | – y as in yes (fille, paille) |
BON À SAVOIR!
Note, however, that mille (one thousand) is pronounced to rhyme with peel.
In English words, a particular syllable is stressed (concert, dentist), whereas in French each syllable has its own length and each is pronounced with the same intensity.
Liaison is what happens when a French word ending in a consonant which would usually be silent, for example, petit (small), les (the), precedes a word starting with a vowel or a ‘silent’ h. The silent consonant is sounded to make the words flow more easily.
petit ami
