FRENCH DIFFICULT CONSONANTS

French consonants are pronounced almost like in English, except that you don't linger on them; let them explode and move on to the vowel that follows. You can't pronounce French with a lazy mouth. Remember to articulate.

Another few words of caution: In French, the consonants at the end of a word are not usually pronounced, except for c, f, r, and l (the consonants in the word careful).

LETTER SOUND AS IN WORD NOTES
c
c
cash
cache
generally
c
s
set
cette
before e, i and y
ç
s
set
ça
only occurs before a, o, and u
g
g
god
gant
generally
g
zh
measure
gens
before e, i and y
h
hour
hier
always silent
j
zh
measure
je
m
m
more
moi
syllable initial
n
n
not
non
syllable initial
r
r
rouge
s
s
sit
soie
generally
s
z
zip
pause
between vowels
x
ks
fix
fixe
generally
x
gz
exam
exercise
between vowels (ex-)
y
y
yet
yeux
before a vowel
  • r - pronounced at the back of the throat, with your uvula. Needs lots of practise.

Combinations


Of the several consonant and vowel-consonant combinations used in French, two are pronounced as in English: ph and sc (pronounced [s] before e or i).

LETTER SOUND AS IN WORD NOTES
ch
sh
ship
chic
gn
ny
onion
Boulogne
run the sounds together
il
y
yet
oeuil
see below
qu
k
quiche
quand
pronounced (kw) in a few words
tch
ch
check
tchèque
very rare
th
t
Thomas
thé
rare
ti
sy
pass you
action
before a vowel, similary '-tie' is pronounced like French 'si'


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French Pronunciation