French Alphabet & Sounds
Getting Started — The French Alphabet
French also has 26 letters, just like English. But the sounds are different. If you learn the correct pronunciation from the start, you’ll have a big advantage when it comes to speaking in TEF/TCF exams later.
Vowels — a, e, i, o, u
French vowels are clear and short:
| Letter | Sound | French Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | ah | la (the) |
| e | uh or eh | le (the) |
| i | ee | ici (here) |
| o | oh | mot (word) |
| u | (round lips, tongue at ‘ee’ position) | tu (you) |
Note: French u is not like English or Punjabi ‘oo’. Round your lips but position your tongue as if saying ‘ee’.
Tricky Sounds That Challenge Learners
1. Nasal vowels
- on → like bon (good)
- an / en → like grand (big)
- in → like vin (wine)
These sounds come from the nose. English and many other languages have nasal sounds too, so this shouldn’t be too difficult for you.
2. French ‘r’
French r comes from the throat — not from the tongue like in English or Punjabi. Examples: Paris, merci.
3. Silent letters
Many word endings are not pronounced:
- petit → “puh-tee” (‘t’ is silent)
- vous → “voo” (‘s’ is silent)
Practice
Say these words aloud: bonjour, merci, oui, non, un, une, tu, vous.
In the next lesson, we’ll learn greetings and polite phrases.