CHAPITRE 2 (DEUX)

FRENCH PRONUNCIATION

In Part 1 of this chapter you will learn the elements of French pronunciation. The words used to illustrate the French sounds need no translation, for they have the same or almost the same spelling as corresponding English words of like meaning, such as you have met in Chapter 1. As you learn the correct French pronunciation of these words, you are, without further effort, gradually adding to your French vocabulary.

The description of each French sound is accompanied by a pronunciation key, which indicates the nearest English equivalent of that sound. This key will be used freely throughout the book to ease your way in the pronunciation of new words, phrases and sentences.

In Part 2 and Part 3 of this chapter you will practise correct French pronunciation in words and expressions useful for the traveller, and in short easy dialogues.

PREMIÈRE PARTIE (FIRST PART)

FRENCH SOUNDS ILLUSTRATED IN FAMILIAR WORDS

Pronounce each sound and the words which illustrate it three times. Stress (emphasize) lightly the syllable in heavy type in the pronunciation key of each word. Note well:

In French words the last syllable or sometimes the last but one is stressed. The stressed syllable is indicated by heavy type in the pronunciation key.

The sign: indicates that the preceding vowel is slightly lengthened.

a (a)

madame (ma-dam). French a is generally like a in cat. Key symbol a. Occasionally French a is like a in father. Key symbol α. Classe (klαːs). Practise:
balle (bal) place (plas) salade (sa-lad) table (tabl) garage (gara:ʒ) classe (klαːs).

 

Note: French g before e or i equals s as in measure. Key symbol ʒ.

i (i)

difficile (di-fi-sil). French i equals ee in feet. Key symbol i. Practise by drawing lips towards ears as in a smile:
riche (riʃ). image (i-maːʒ) famille (fa-miːj) Paris (pa-ri)

 

Note: French ch equals sh in short. Key symbol ʃ. French Il is usually pronounced like y in yes. Key symbol j.

é (e)

café (ka-fe). French é is like a in hate. Key symbol e. The mark over this letter (′) is called the acute accent. Draw lips towards ears, but less so than for i. Practise:
matinée (ma-ti-ne) qualité (ka-li-te) papier (pa-pje) désirer (de-zi-re).

 

Note: French -er at the end of a word often equals è (e). The r is silent. French qu always equals k. French c equals s before i or e; French c is like k before any other letter except ch as above in riche.

è (ε)

scène (sεːn). French è is like e in there. Key symbol ε. The mark over this letter (′) is called the grave accent. Other spellings of this sound are ai and ê. The mark (ˆ) is called the circumflex accent. Practise by opening mouth with lower lip showing teeth and with tongue placed against lower teeth. Practise:
mètre (mεtr) crème (krεm) fête (fεːt) laisser-faire (lε-se-fεːr)

e (ә)

Chemise (ʃә-miz). French e without any accent mark is pronounced like e in father when it ends the first syllable of a word. Key symbol ǝ. Practise:
menace (mә-nas) regard (rә-gaːr).
At the end of a word, e without accent mark is silent except in words of one syllable. Practise:
le (lә) je (ʒә) me (mә) ne (nә) ce (sә) de (dә) que (kә)
e without accent mark is often pronounced like é (e) or è (ε) when followed by one or two consonants. Practise:
et (e) assez (a-se) pied (pje) effet (e-fε) dessert (de-sεːr) est (ε) elle (ε-l)

o (ɔ)

poste (pɔst) French o is like o in hot. Key symbol ɔ. Practise an open pout:
objet (ɔb-ʒε) poème (pɔ-εːm) effort (e-fɔːr) original (ɔr i-ʒi-nal)

o (o)

rôle (roːl). French o is like o in rôle. Key symbol o. Other spellings of this sound are ô, au, and eau. Practise:
hôtel (o-tεl) rose (roːz) chapeau (Ja-po).

 

Note: French oi equals wa. French h is always silent.

ou (u)

route (rut). French ou is like oo in boot. Key symbol u. Practise a round, narrow pout:
rouge (ruːʒ) routine (ru-tin) touriste (tu-rist) coup d’état (ku-de-ta)

 

Note: Final consonants (except c, f, l, r) in French are usually silent: bouquet (bu-kε) Paris (pa-ri) regard (ra-gaːr) but chef (ʃεf) hôtel (o-tεl).

u (y)

bureau (by-ro). French u has no equivalent in English. Practise: rounding lips tightly:
nature (na-tyːr) public (py-blik) avenue (av-ny) excuser (εks-ky-ze)

eu (œ)

liqueur (li-kœːr). French eu is like u in urge. Practise by pouting lower lip well forward:
docteur (dɔk-tœːr) acteur (ak-tœːr) professeur (pro-fε-sœːr)

eu (ø)

fameux (fa-mø). This is a shorter sound than the previous one, and the lips are placed farther forward but less open: monsieur (mә-sjø).

French Nasal Vowel Sounds

In syllables ending in n and m the n and m are not pronounced. Instead, the preceding vowel sound is nasalized as described below. There are four nasal sounds in French. As you will note, each has a number of spellings. In the pronunciation key, ~ over the symbol indicates that the preceding vowel sound is nazalized.

an (ã)

piquant (pi-kã). Say the English syllable an as in want in one sound. Mouth wide open. Hold the tongue down with a pencil so that it cannot rise for the n and try to say an. A French nasal an, key symbol ã, will result. Now practise the sound without using the pencil. Be sure to keep the tongue down. Other spellings of the nasal sound an (ã) are am, en, em. Practise:
France (frãːis) danger (dã-ʒe) encore (ã-kɔːr) absent (ap-sã) ensemble (ã-sãːbl) rendez-vous (rã-de-vu) enveloppe (ã-vlɔp).

on Image

consommé (kImage-sɔ-me). Say the English sound awn as in dawn. Hold the tongue down with a pencil, so that it cannot rise for the n and try to say awn. A French nasal on, key symbol Image results. Practise the sound without using a pencil. Another spelling of the nasal on is om. Practise:
oncle (Imageːkl) nation (na-sjImage) station (sta-sjImage) question (kεs-tjImage).

in (Image)

lingerie (lImageʒ-ri). Draw back the corners of the lips as in a smile. Hold tongue so that it cannot rise for the n and try to say in. The French nasal in, key symbol Image, results. Practise the sound without using the pencil. Other spellings of the nasal in are im, ain, aim, ein, oin. Practise:
index (Image-dεks) vain (vImage) train (trImage) important (Image-pɔr-tã) intelligent (Image-ιε-li-ʒã) américain (a-me-ri-kImage) meringue (mr Imageːg).

un (Image)

brun (brImage). Pronounce the nasal sound in (Image). For the nasal sound in (Image) the corners of the lips are drawn back as in a smile. Round the lips as if pouting, at the same time thrust the lower lip forward and try to say in (Image). The result is a French nasal un, key symbol Image. Another spelling of the nasal un (Image) is um (Image). Practise:
un (Image) brun (brœ) parfum (par-fImage) humble (Imageːbl) Verdun (vεr-dImage).

French Diphthong Sounds

These are represented by the following phonetic symbols:

j

as in yacht, papier

w

as in oui, ouest

y

as in lui, huit, muet

Summary of French Vowel Sounds

Image

Summary of French Nasals

Image

Summary of French Consonants

Most French consonant sounds are like the corresponding English consonant sounds. The following, however, need special attention:

c

before e or i is like s in see, key symbol s. difficile (di-fi-sil)

c

before any other letter (except ch) is like k, key symbol k. café (ka-fe)

ç

with cedilla is always like hissing s, key symbol s. français (frã-sε)

ch

is like English sh, key symbol ʃ. riche (riːʃ)

g

before e or i is like s in measure, key symbol ʒ. rouge (ruːʒ)

g

before any other letter is like g in goat, key symbol g. Garage (ga-raːʒ)

h

is always silent: hôtel (o-tεl)

j

is like s in measure, key symbol ʒː je (ʒә)

il

is usually like y in yes, key symbol j ː famille (fa-miːj)

r

is produced at the back of the throat by letting the air vibrate over the glottis. Practise by holding the tongue down with a pencil, so that it cannot rise and touch the palate. Practise the following syllables:
ra (ra) re (ra) ri (ri) ro (ro) Ru (ry)

qu

is always like k, key symbol k. bouquet (bu-kε)

gn

is like ny in canyon, key symbol ɲ. espagnol (εs-pa-ɲɔl)

DEUXIÈME PARTIE (dø-zjεm par-ti) SECOND PART

The second and third parts of this chapter contain important words and expressions of common usage. If you follow carefully the instructions for pronunciation practice you will acquire many of these without difficulty. Do not try to memorize all of them at this point, as they will appear again in later chapters when you will have the opportunity to learn them thoroughly.

Some Useful Words and Expressions for the Traveller

A. Practise the French aloud. Stress slightly the key syllables in heavy type.

1  Pardon (par-dImage)

1  I beg your pardon.

2  S’il vous plaît (sil-vu-plε)

2  Please; if you please.

3  Monsieur (mә-sjø); Madame (ma-dam) Mademoiselle (mad-mwa-zεl)

3  Mr., sir; Mrs., madam Miss, young lady

4  Où est l’hôtel…? (u ε lo-tεl)

4  Where is the hotel …?

5  Combien coûte le livre, etc.? (kImage-bjImage kut lә liːvr)

5  How much does the book, etc., cost?

6  Je voudrais … (ʒә vu-drε)

6  I should like …

7  Merci beaucoup (mεr-si bo-ku)

7  Many thanks

8  Il n’y pas de quoi (il nja pad kwa)

8  Don’t mention it, or You are welcome

9  C’est trop cher (sε tro ʃεr). Très cher (trε ʃεr)

9  It’s too dear. Very dear.

10  bon marché (bImage mar-ʃe) meilleur marché (mε-jœr mar-ʃe)

10  cheap
cheaper

Combien coûte …? (kImage-bjImage kut …?)

B. Read each heading aloud, completing it with the words listed under it. Thus:

Combien coûte le chapeau?

1  le chapeau (lә ʃa-po), the hat

2  la chemise (la ʃmiz), the shirt

3  la blouse (la bluz), the blouse

4  la robe (la rɔb), dress

5  la montre (la mImageːtr), the watch

Combien coûte la chemise? etc.

6  le parapluie (lә pa-ra-plyi), umbrella

7 le parfum (lә par-fImage), the perfume

8  la cravate (la kra-vat), the tie

9  une auto (y-no-to), la voiture (la vwa-tyːr), car

Pardon, monsieur. Où est…, s’il vous plaît?
(par-dImage mә-sjø), (u ε …, sil vu plε?)

1  la rue Drouot (la ry dru-o), Drouot Street

2  l’avenue de la République (lav-ny dla re-py-blik), The Avenue of the Republic

3  la place de la Concorde (la plas dә la kImage-kɔrd), the Place of the Concord

4  la gare du Nord (la gar dy nɔːr), The Nord Station

5  L’Hôtel Albert (lo-tεl al-bεːr), The Albert Hotel

6  le boulevard Saint-Michel (le bul-vaːr sImage mi-ʃel), The Saint Michael boulevard

7  le bureau de poste (lә by-rod-pɔst), the post office

8  la salle d’attente (la sal da-tãt), the waiting room

9  la toilette (la twa-lεt), the toilet

Je voudrais…. (ʒә vu-drε)

1  une chambre avec bain (yn ʃãːbr avεk bImage), a room with bath

2  de l’eau chaude (dә lo ʃoːd), some hot water

3  des serviettes de toilette (dε sεr-vjεt dә twa-lεt), some bath towels

4  la carte (la kart), the menu

5  une addition (y-na-di-sjImage), a bill

6  la revue (la rvy), the magazine

7  le journal (lә ʒur-nal), the newspaper

8  du savon (dy sa-vImage), some soap

9  téléphoner (te-le-fɔ-ne), to telephone

10  changer de l’argent (ʃã-ʒe dlar-ʒã) to change money

C. Practise aloud many times the numbers 1 to 21.

1  un (Image), une (yn)

2  deux (dø)

3  trois (trwa)

4  quatre (katr)

5  cinq (sImagek)

6  six (sis)

7  sept (sεt)

8  huit (Чit)

9  neuf (nœf)

10  dix (dis)

11  onze (Imagez)

12  douze (duz)

13  treize (trεz)

14  quatorze (ka-tɔrz)

15  quinze (kImagez)

16  seize (sεz)

17  dix-sept (di-sεt)

18  dix-huit (di-zЧit)

19  dix-neuf (diz-nœf)

20  vingt (vImage)

21  vingt et un (νImage-te-Image)

TROISIÈME PARTIE (trwa-zjεm par-ti) THIRD PART

Liaison (lie-zImage) Linking

The final consonant of a French word is generally silent. However, when the next word begins with a vowel or h the final consonant is usually pronounced and linked to the next word unless there is a natural pause.

Final s and x, when linked, are pronounced like z; final f like v; and final d like t.

Image

Élision (e-li-zjʒ) Elision

The letters e and a of the words le, la, je, me, te, se, de, ne, que are dropped before words beginning with a vowel or an h (usually) and are replaced by an apostrophe. This process is called elision. Thus:

le + oncle becomes l’oncle (lImageːkl)    the uncle
le + hôtel becomes l’hôtel (lo-tεl)     the hotel
la + école becomes l’école (le-kɔl)  the school
je + ai becomes j’ai (ʒe)   I have
que + avez-vous? becomes qu’avez-vous? (ka-ve-vu)    What have you?

The Stress in French Words and Sentences

1 In French all the syllables of a word are spoken with equal force except the last or the last but one which is stressed slightly.
général (ʒe-ne-ral) madame (ma-dam) chauffeur (ʃo-fœːr) répéter (re-pe-te)

2 In short sentences, only the last syllable or the last but one of the final word is stressed.
La leçon est difficile (la lsImage ε di-fi-sil). The lesson is difficult.

3 In longer sentences, the above syllables are stressed at the end of clauses and of other groups of words which make sense together.

Dialogue 1 (dja-lɔg)

Directions for Study.

1 Read the French text silently, sentence by sentence, using the English translation to get the meaning.

2 Read the whole French text aloud three or more times, using the pronunciation key as an aid. Stress lightly the key syllables in heavy type.

Comment allez-vous (kɔ-mã-ta-le-vu)? How are you?

1  —Bonjour, monsieur Picard. Comment allez-vous? (BImage-ʒur, mә-sjø pi-kaːr. Kɔ-mã ta-le-vu?)

2  —Très bien, merci. Et vous? (Trε bjImage, mεr-si. E vu?)

3  —Très bien, merci. (Trε bjImage, mεr-si)

4  —Au revoir, monsieur Picard, (ɔ rvwaːr, mә-sjø pi kaːr)

5  —Au revoir, Philippe, (ɔ rvwaːr, fi-lip)

1  Good day, Mr. Picard. How are you?

2  Very well, thank you. And you?

3  Very well, thank you.

4  Goodbye, Mr. Picard.

5  Goodbye, Philip.

Dialogue 2

French people address each other frequently as ‘monsieur’, ‘madame’, ‘mademoiselle’ (for unmarried women) in conversation thus:

bonjour, monsieur
au revoir, madame
merci, mademoiselle
oui, monsieur
non, madame

English people do not use ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’ and ‘Miss’ as frequently in conversation, or in the same way, therefore the French forms of address will often remain untranslated in the English equivalent.

Parlez-vous français? (par-le-vu frã-sε) Do you speak French?

1  —Parlez-vous français, Jeanne? (Par-le-vu frã-sε, ʒaːn?)

2  —Oui, monsieur, je parle français. (Wi mә-sjø, ʒә parl frã-sε)

3  —Est-ce que François parle français? (εs-kә frα-swa parl frã-sε?)

4  —Oui, madame, il parle bien le français. (Wi, ma-dam, il parl bjImage lә frã-sε)

5  —Est-ce que Louise parle français? (εs-kә lwiːz parl frã-sε?)

6  —Non, madame, elle parle anglais. (NImage, ma-dam, εl parl ã-glε)

1  Do you speak French, Jane?

2  Yes, I speak French.

3  Does Frank speak French? (Lit.1 Is it that Frank speaks French?)

4  Yes, he speaks French well.

5  Does Louise speak French? (Lit. Is it that Louise speaks French?)

6  No, she speaks English.

Dialogue 3
Les jours de la semaine 1 (le ʒur dә la smεn) The Days of the Week

1  —Écoutez, Jacques! Combien de jours y a-t-il dans une semaine? (E-ku-te, ʒaːk! kImage-bjImaged ʒur i ja-til dã zyn smεn?)

2  —Il y a sept jours dans une semaine. (Il ja sεt ʒur dã zyn smεn)

3  —Bien. Donnez-moi le nom 2 des sept jours, s’il vous plaît? (BjImage. Dɔ-ne-mwa lә nImage dε sεt ʒur, sil vu plε?)

4  —Dimanche, lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi et samedi. (Di-mãʃ, lImage-di, mar-di, mεr-krә-di, ʒø-di, vã-drә-di e sam-di)

5  —Très bien. Écoutez, Georges! Quel jour de la semaine sommes-nous? (Trε bjImage. E-ku-te ʒɔrʒ! Kεl ʒur dә la smεn sɔm-nu?)

6  —C’est aujourd’hui lundi. (Sε to-ʒur-dЧi lImage-di)

7  —Très bien, Georges. (Trε bjImage, ʒɔrʒ)

1  Listen James! How many days are there in a week?

2  There are seven days in a week.

3  Good. Give me the names of the seven days of the week, please. (Lit. if it pleases you.)

4  Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

5  Very good. Listen, George! What day of the week is today? (Lit. What day of the week are we?)

6  Today is Monday.

7  Very good, George.

NOTE 1. Lit. is an abbreviation of literally, that is: word for word.

NOTE 1. All days are masculine.

NOTE 2. In French one says the name of the days, of things etc., not the names, as in English, because each has one name only.