Un 2.2

Pronunciation – Oral Vowels

Vowels, as opposed to consonants, involve an unobstructed vocal tract. The pronunciation of some individual vowel letters in French are similar to those in English. French vowel letters, like in English, often change pronunciations when combined with other vowels or consonants, or when combined with diacritics (accents). In French, there is a distinction between oral and nasal vowels. Here, we will focus on some oral vowels.

Explanation

Exercises

French vowel letters – Les voyelles françaises

Just as in English, the pronunciation of French’s vowels are usually not as clear as for consonants. When individually taken, and without accents, each vowel letter in French has a commonly-associated sound, although there are many other possible sounds.

Letters	Often Pronounced As	Examples
Aa	/a/ – similar to the sung ‘la la la’	Ça va ? /sa.va/
Ee	/ə/ – especially at the end of a one-syllable word – as in the English word ‘about’ Often not pronounced at the end of longer words (often causes the consonant before it to be pronounced), and sometimes not pronounced within longer words	le /lə/ dentiste </dɑ̃.tist/ médecin /med.sɛ̃/
Ii	/i/ – similar to in the English word ‘eel’	fatigué /fa.ti.ɡe/
Oo	/ɔ/ – similar to in the English word ‘fun’, but with rounded lips	bonne /bɔn/
Uu	/y/ – pronounced like /i/, but with rounded lips (somewhat similar to the middle part of the English word of disgust ‘eww’)	adulte /a.dylt/
Yy	/i/ – similar to in the English word ‘eel’	stylo /sti.lo/