French pronunciation: silent letters and liaisons made simple
French spelling has a reputation: Bordeaux sounds like "bor-doh", ils parlent sounds exactly like il parle, and whole groups of letters seem to vanish. There's logic behind it, though. Learn a handful of rules about silent letters and liaisons and most words will become predictable.
Rule 1: most final consonants are silent
At the end of a word, d, g, p, s, t, x and z are usually not pronounced.
The CaReFuL exception
Four final consonants are usually pronounced: C, R, F, L. Remember the English word careful.
Rule 2: final -e is (usually) silent
An unaccented e at the end of a word isn't pronounced, but it changes the consonant before it: it makes that consonant heard. That's why the feminine form often sounds different.
Rule 3: verb endings -ent and -es
The third-person plural ending -ent is completely silent on verbs. Ils parlent, elles mangent and il parle all sound the same. The same goes for the tu ending -es: tu parles = il parle in sound.
Liaisons: when silent letters wake up
A silent final consonant is sometimes pronounced when the next word starts with a vowel or a silent h. The consonant links the two words. This is called la liaison.
When liaison is required
- after articles and determiners: les enfants, des oranges, mon ami
- between a pronoun and a verb: nous avons, ils ont, on a
- after short adjectives before a noun: petit ami, bon appétit
- after one-syllable prepositions and adverbs: chez elle, très intéressant
- in fixed phrases: tout à fait, de temps en temps, les États-Unis
When liaison is forbidden
- after et (and): un garçon et | une fille
- before an aspirated h: les | héros, les | haricots
- after a singular noun: un Ă©tudiant | anglais
Practice sentences
Listening is the fastest teacher. Play the phrases in the 2Lingua phrasebook at slow speed and repeat them, paying attention to the links between words.