French has a number of sounds that do not exist in English. Are some more important than others? It's hard to say, but here is a look at three candidates that are both common and troublesome.
1. The u sound
The pronunciation of this common vowel is very different from that of its English counterpart. The lips are rounded into something akin to a pout. It's almost like whistling. Here are some examples of words with this sound:
lu, connu, su, du, pu, rue, bu, plu, truite, mu
This difficult sound is important because when mispronounced it tends to sound like "oo". Here are pairs of words that illustrate the difference:
pu - pou
bu - boue
rue - roue
mue - moue
su - sou
cul - cou
Longer words with u can be challenging, as in:
construire, instruire, l'instruction, l'instrument, la puanteur, la lueur
Here are some phrases using this sound:
Le concert nous a beaucoup plu. (We liked the concert very much.)
J'ai su qu'elle ne viendra pas. (I found out that she will not be coming.)
J'habite la rue Ste-Catherine. (I live on Ste. Catherine Street.)
Elle a bu du vin. (She drank some wine.)
L'homme est bien connu de la police. (The man is well known to the police.)
Je ne comprend plus rien. (I don't understand a thing.)
2. The French r
One of the most challenging sounds of French for English-speakers is the consonant r.
The sound associated with the letter r in French is totally different from the sound of the English letter r. In fact, there are two kinds of r in French. A somewhat archaic pronunciation that you will hear in old French movies and songs, in parts of France, Canada and Africa is a vibrating sound made with the tip of the tongue flapping against the roof of the mouth. This is called a rolled r. In French, this pronunciation is often described as "rouler les r".
The other more contemporary sound, very typical of the city of Paris, is produced way at the back of the mouth and is a rasping sound akin to what is made when coughing. The rolled r sound is probably easier to learn, but this guttural r is what you want to master.
The sound of the r will vary slightly if it is at the beginning, middle or end of a sequence of sounds. It is strongest at the beginning of a word and weakest at the end.
Beware of a special complication when reading aloud written French. The r is not pronounced at all at the end of French verbs ending in -er. This includes the largest group of verbs such as: aller, louer, noter, parler, manger, etc. In words other than these verbs, the final r is pronounced. (Remember that in the vast majority of French words the final written letter, except for r, is not pronounced). Here are groups of words that sound the same despite differences in spelling:
paire, pair
par, part
cher, chair, chaire
ver, vers, verre, vert
bonheur, bonne heure
serre, sert
beur, beurre
Here are verbs ending in pronounced r:
voir, boire, avoir, faire, construire, maintenir, prendre, tendre
3. The sound of eu.
Although it is written with two letters, eu, this is actually one sound. Something like the articulation of the u sound, the lips are not as rounded and extended. This sound is found in words like:
deux, peu, peux, peut, feu, pleut
Note that the eu spelling is also used for a different but similar sound in words like:
oeuf, coeur, gueule, neuf, meuble
The real challenge of pronouncing French is to articulate these sounds in sentences. This is where those mouth muscles get the workout. Here are some examples.
Je n'en peux plus. (I can't take it anymore)
Le barrage est construit en pierre. (The dam is built of stone.)
Il pleut aujourd'hui. (It is raining today.)
Stanley Aleong specializes in methods for learning foreign languages at the advanced level. He believes that an excellent strategy for achieving advanced proficiency in French or Spanish is to work with many carefully selected authentic examples. To learn more about some very effective learning tools based on this principle, visit Advanced French / Spanish.
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