Bonjour everyone, and welcome to your first step into the beautiful world of French! Today we’re diving into the French alphabet and its unique pronunciation. Whether you’re a complete beginner or just brushing up on your French, you’re in the right place.
By the end of this video, you’ll not only recognize each letter but also master their sounds, which are the building blocks of French pronunciation. So, let’s get started and turn those ‘Bonjour’s into confident conversations!
[lwptoc]The Basics of the French Alphabet
The French alphabet is made up 26 letters, just like the English alphabet, but the letters are of course pronounced differently.
Before actually practicing the alphabet in its usual order, it is useful to take a look at how we can group certain letters that have similar pronunciation. The symbols on the table’s heading are from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
| [a] | [e] | [ɛ] | [i] | [ɘ] | [y] | [o] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | F | I | E | Q | O |
| H | C | L | J | U | ||
| K | D | M | X | |||
| G | N | Y | ||||
| P | R | |||||
| T | S | |||||
| V | Y | |||||
| W | Z |
I recommend watching the video above to listen to these sounds and practice them at the same time. Once you feel you have a good grasp of these different sounds, you can practice saying the alphabet in order.
Some Tricky Pronunciations and Possible Confusions
Now that you’re familiar with the basic sounds of each letter, let’s focus on a few that often trip up new learners. These special pronunciations are crucial for polishing your French accent. We’ll cover each tricky letter, provide tips on how to pronounce them, and I’ll give you some simple words as examples.
J and G
First up is the letter ‘J’, pronounced jee in English, but in French, it’s pronounced zh. It sounds like the ‘s’ in ‘measure’ or the ‘g’ in ‘genre’. Try saying the French word for day, jour. When spelling a word, it’s also easy to get confused between J and G
The Letter R
Next is the infamous French ‘R’. Unlike the English ‘R’, the French ‘R’ is guttural and is pronounced in the back of the throat. It’s a bit like gargling. Let’s practice with the word rouge, which means red. Say roo-zh. Remember, it’s all in the throat!
The letter U
The letter ‘U’ can be tricky as well. To make the French ‘U’ sound, start by shaping your lips as if you were intending to say ‘oo’ as in ‘boot’, but instead try to say ‘ee’ as in ‘see’. It’s a tight, forward sound. Practice with the word lune, which means moon.
Practicing Spelling
Spelling your name or words is a great way to practice the French alphabet.
- To ask how a word is spelled, you can ask Comment ça s’écrit ?
- To answer, you say Ça s’écrit…
For example with my name:
- I can tell you Je m’appelle Julien (my name is Julien)
- Comment ça s’écrit ?
- Ça s’écrit J, U, L, I, E, N
Another example:
- “Rouge”, comment ça s’écrit ?
- Ça s’écrit R, O, U, G, E
French Accents and Their Impact
Welcome to a crucial part of French pronunciation—the accents. French uses several accents that change the sounds of letters, and understanding these can make a huge difference in your pronunciation – when on an E or below a C.
Let’s start with an overview of what accents are used in the French language:
| Accent aigu | Accent grave | Accent circonflexe | Tréma | Cédille |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| à | â | ç | ||
| é | è | ê | ë | |
| î | ï | |||
| ô | ||||
| ù | û | ü |
Accent Aigu – Acute Accent
First up, we have the acute accent, marked as é. This accent only appears on ‘e’ and changes its pronunciation greatly. A great example is café, which means coffee.
Accent Grave – Grave Accent
Next is the grave accent, seen as è, à, and ù. On ‘e’, it’s pronounced eh, like in ‘pet’. An example is mère, meaning mother. Try saying it, mehr.
The grave accent on ‘a’ and ‘u’ doesn’t change pronunciation much but helps distinguish words. For ‘à’ as in là (there), say it just like la (the). For ‘ù’, used rarely, pronounce it as a standard ‘u’.
Accent Circonflexe – Circumflex Accent
The circumflex, or little hat, can appear over ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’. It often indicates that an ‘s’ used to follow the letter in older French. It slightly changes the sound. For ‘ê’, as in fête (party), it’s a longer eh sound. Say fet.
Le Tréma – The Diaeresis
The diaeresis, or tréma, appears over ‘e’, ‘i’, and ‘u’. It tells you to pronounce the vowel separately from the one before it. In the word Noël, meaning Christmas, pronounce each ‘e’ and ‘l’ distinctly as No-el.
La Cédille – The Cedilla
Finally, the cedilla under the ‘c’ makes it sound like an ‘s’ instead of a ‘k’. It’s used before ‘a’, ‘o’, and ‘u’ to keep the soft ‘s’ sound. For example, garçon, meaning boy, is pronounced gar-son.
Spelling Words With Accents
When you want to spell a word that contains an accent, you will need to first say the letter, followed by what accent is on that letter. Look at these examples:
For the word élève (pupil)
- Élève, comment ça s’écrit?
- Ça s’écrit E accent aigu, L, E accent grave, V, E.
Another example, the word garçon (boy)
- Comment ça s’écrit, garçon?
- Ça s’écrit G, A, R, C cédille, O, N.
