Guide de Phonétique Française
Master French pronunciation with IPA symbols & interactive examples
Understanding IPA Symbols
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides a consistent way to represent sounds across all languages.
📋 How to Read IPA
Slashes indicate the abstract sound category (phoneme)
Brackets indicate the precise pronunciation
🎯 Key French IPA Symbols
| Symbol | Description | Example | English Approximation |
|---|---|---|---|
| /a/ | Open front vowel | patte [pat] | "ah" in "father" |
| /e/ | Close-mid front | été [ete] | "ay" in "say" (no glide) |
| /ɛ/ | Open-mid front | fête [fɛt] | "e" in "bed" |
| /i/ | Close front | vie [vi] | "ee" in "see" |
| /y/ | Close front rounded | tu [ty] | Say "ee" with rounded lips |
| /ø/ | Close-mid front rounded | deux [dø] | Say "ay" with rounded lips |
| /œ/ | Open-mid front rounded | cœur [kœʁ] | Say "e" in "bed" with rounded lips |
| /ʁ/ | Uvular fricative | rouge [ʁuʒ] | Gargle sound in throat |
French Vowel Sounds
French has 12 oral vowels and 4 nasal vowels. Master these for clear pronunciation.
A Front Unrounded Vowels
si [si] — if
Like "ee" in "see"
été [ete] — summer
Like "ay" without the glide
lait [lɛ] — milk
Like "e" in "bed"
chat [ʃa] — cat
Like "a" in "father"
★ Front Rounded (Unique!)
⚠️ These don't exist in English!
tu [ty] — you
Say /i/ with rounded lips
feu [fø] — fire
Say /e/ with rounded lips
sœur [sœʁ] — sister
Say /ɛ/ with rounded lips
O Back Vowels
vous [vu] — you (formal)
Like "oo" in "food"
beau [bo] — beautiful
Like "o" in "go" (no glide)
porte [pɔʁt] — door
Like "o" in "bought"
ə The French Schwa
le [lə] — the
"e muet" - often dropped in speech
💡 Tip: The schwa /ə/ is often silent in casual speech. "Samedi" can be [sam.di] instead of [sa.mə.di].
📊 French Vowel Chart
| Front | Central | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | ||
| Close | i | y | u | ||
| Close-mid | e | ø | ə | o | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | œ | ɔ | ||
| Open | a | ||||
Nasal Vowels
French has 4 nasal vowels. Air flows through both mouth and nose simultaneously.
🎯 How to Pronounce Nasal Vowels
- Say the corresponding oral vowel
- Lower your soft palate to let air through your nose
- The n or m is NOT pronounced as a consonant!
Written: an, am, en, em
dans [dɑ̃] — in
temps [tɑ̃] — time
enfant [ɑ̃fɑ̃] — child
Nasalized "ah" sound
Written: in, im, ain, ein, yn
vin [vɛ̃] — wine
pain [pɛ̃] — bread
plein [plɛ̃] — full
Nasalized "eh" sound
Written: on, om
bon [bɔ̃] — good
nom [nɔ̃] — name
maison [mɛzɔ̃] — house
Nasalized "oh" sound
Written: un, um
un [œ̃] — one
parfum [paʁfœ̃] — perfume
brun [bʁœ̃] — brown
⚠️ Merging with /ɛ̃/ in many dialects
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Pronouncing the n or m as a consonant
"pain" is NOT [paɪn] — it's [pɛ̃] with NO "n" sound!
Let air flow through your nose while holding the vowel
Practice: hum while saying the vowel
French Consonants
Most French consonants are similar to English, but some require special attention.
⭐ The French R — /ʁ/
The French "r" is produced in the throat (uvular), unlike the English "r" made with the tongue tip.
How to Produce It:
- Relax your tongue flat in your mouth
- Constrict the back of your throat slightly
- Let air flow through — like a gentle gargle
- It should feel scratchy, not rolled
Examples:
rouge [ʁuʒ] — red
Paris [paʁi] — Paris
merci [mɛʁsi] — thank you
partir [paʁtiʁ] — to leave
/ʒ/ Voiced Postalveolar
Like "s" in "pleasure"
je [ʒə] — I
beige [bɛʒ] — beige
jour [ʒuʁ] — day
/ʃ/ Voiceless Postalveolar
Like "sh" in "ship"
chat [ʃa] — cat
chaud [ʃo] — hot
machine [maʃin] — machine
/ɲ/ Palatal Nasal
Like "ny" in "canyon"
montagne [mɔ̃taɲ] — mountain
signe [siɲ] — sign
gagner [ɡaɲe] — to win
/j/ Palatal Approximant
Like "y" in "yes"
fille [fij] — girl
soleil [sɔlɛj] — sun
yeux [jø] — eyes
📝 Important Notes
No aspiration: French /p/, /t/, /k/ are unaspirated (no puff of air like in English "pen")
Dental consonants: /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/ are pronounced with tongue against teeth (not alveolar ridge)
Final consonants: Often silent (see Silent Letters section)
Liaison Rules
Liaison connects words by pronouncing normally-silent final consonants before vowels.
🔗 How Liaison Works
les [le] + amis [ami] → les‿amis [lezami]
The silent "s" becomes /z/ when followed by a vowel
✓ Obligatory Liaison
Article + Noun
les‿enfants [lezɑ̃fɑ̃] — the children
un‿ami [œ̃nami] — a friend
Pronoun + Verb
nous‿avons [nuzavɔ̃] — we have
ils‿arrivent [ilzaʁiv] — they arrive
Adjective + Noun
petit‿ami [pətitami] — boyfriend
grand‿homme [ɡʁɑ̃tɔm] — great man
Fixed Expressions
États-Unis [etazyni] — United States
de temps‿en temps — from time to time
✗ Forbidden Liaison
After "et" (and)
Paul et | Anne — NEVER "et‿Anne"
Before "h aspiré"
les | héros [le eʁo] — the heroes
After singular noun
un étudiant | intelligent
Before "onze" and "oui"
les | onze — the eleven
🔄 Consonant Changes in Liaison
| Written | Pronounced As | Example |
|---|---|---|
| s, x, z | /z/ | les‿amis [lezami] |
| d | /t/ | grand‿ami [ɡʁɑ̃tami] |
| n | /n/ | bon‿ami [bɔnami] |
| t | /t/ | petit‿enfant [pətitɑ̃fɑ̃] |
Silent Letters
French is famous for its silent letters. Learn the patterns to read naturally.
🤫 Silent Final Consonants
Most final consonants are silent. Remember: CaReFuL — C, R, F, L are often pronounced!
✓ CaReFuL Exceptions
These final consonants ARE usually pronounced:
📝 The Silent "e" (e muet)
Word-final "e" is silent:
table [tabl] — table
livre [livʁ] — book
France [fʁɑ̃s] — France
Mid-word "e" often dropped:
samedi [samdi] — Saturday
acheter [aʃte] — to buy
maintenant [mɛ̃tnɑ̃] — now
🔇 The Two Types of H
h muet (allows liaison)
l'homme [lɔm] — the man
les‿hôtels [lezotɛl]
l'heure [lœʁ] — the hour
h aspiré (blocks liaison)
le héros [lə eʁo] — the hero
les | haricots — beans
la honte [la ɔ̃t] — shame
Pronunciation Irregularities
French has many exceptions. Here are the most important ones to memorize.
⚡ High-Frequency Irregular Words
monsieur
Expected: [mɔ̃sjœʁ]
Actual: [məsjø] 👈
femme
Expected: [fɛm]
Actual: [fam] 👈
oignon
Expected: [waɲɔ̃]
Actual: [ɔɲɔ̃] 👈
fils (son)
Expected: [fil]
Actual: [fis] 👈
ville
Expected: [vij]
Actual: [vil] 👈
mille
Expected: [mij]
Actual: [mil] 👈
second
Expected: [səkɔ̃]
Actual: [səɡɔ̃] 👈
automne
Expected: [otɔmn]
Actual: [otɔn] 👈
📖 The "-tion" Pattern
"-tion" is always pronounced [sjɔ̃], not [ʃən] like in English!
nation [nasjɔ̃]
question [kɛstjɔ̃]
attention [atɑ̃sjɔ̃]
situation [sitɥasjɔ̃]
éducation [edykasjɔ̃]
information [ɛ̃fɔʁmasjɔ̃]
🔢 Number Irregularities
5, 6, 8, 10 change in context:
cinq: [sɛ̃k] alone, [sɛ̃] before consonant
six: [sis] alone, [si] before consonant, [siz] before vowel
huit: [ɥit] alone, [ɥi] before consonant
dix: [dis] alone, [di] before consonant, [diz] before vowel
Examples:
cinq enfants [sɛ̃kɑ̃fɑ̃]
cinq livres [sɛ̃ livʁ]
six ans [sizɑ̃]
six garçons [si ɡaʁsɔ̃]
Practice Stories
Click any word to see its pronunciation. Practice these stories aloud!
📖 Le Petit Déjeuner
BeginnerFull IPA Transcription:
[ʒə mə ʁevɛj a sɛtœʁ. ʒə pʁɑ̃ mɔ̃ pəti deʒøne dɑ̃ la kɥizin. ʒə mɑ̃ʒ dy pɛ̃ avɛk dy bœʁ e ʒə bwa dy kafe]
Translation: I wake up at seven o'clock. I have my breakfast in the kitchen. I eat bread with butter and I drink coffee.
📖 Une Promenade au Parc
IntermediateFull IPA Transcription:
[il fɛ bo oʒuʁdɥi. lezwazo ʃɑ̃t dɑ̃ lezaʁbʁ. ʒə maʁʃ dusəmɑ̃ syʁ lə ʃəmɛ̃. dezɑ̃fɑ̃ ʒu pʁɛ dy lak. il ʁi e kuʁ paʁtu]
Translation: It's beautiful today. The birds sing in the trees. I walk softly on the path. Children play near the lake. They laugh and run everywhere.
📖 Au Restaurant
AdvancedFull IPA Transcription:
[bɔ̃swaʁ məsjø. avevuz yn tabl puʁ dø? ʒə vudʁɛ lə pla dy ʒuʁ silvuplɛ. kɛskə vu ʁəkɔmɑ̃de kɔm vɛ̃? lə ʁəpa etɛ delisjø]
Translation: Good evening, sir. Do you have a table for two? I would like the dish of the day, please. What do you recommend as wine? The meal was delicious!
IPA:
Meaning:
Note: