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French Liaisons and Elisions: Why Words Link Together

8 min readUpdated October 1, 2026By
In this lesson
  1. 1l' — Elision (le / la + vowel or silent h → l’)
  2. 2un / une — Indefinite article
  3. 3les / des — Plural liaison “z”
  4. 4Pronoun + verb — Liaison
  5. 5Everyday chunks — Elision + fixed phrases
  6. + 1 more
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The key rule

French words run together in chunks. Elision drops a vowel (l'ami, j'ai). Liaison wakes up a silent final consonant before a vowel sound: z after les, des, nous, vous, ils; n after un, on; t after est (les amis, un ami, c'est un ami).

le hôtel. les héros said 'lez-ayro'.
l'hôtel. les héros said 'lay ayro', with no z.

A silent h lets elision and liaison through (l'homme, les hommes). An aspirated h blocks both (le hockey, les héros). The spelling does not tell you which, so learn the common aspirated words.

Getting Started — Why Words “Stick Together”

In spoken French, an article or pronoun often “sticks” to the next word into one sound — via liaison (a silent consonant wakes up) or elision (a vowel drops and fuses with an apostrophe). Your ear needs to learn chunks (linked phrases), not separate words.

Three “linking rules” that take you to CLB 5:

  • Liaison un / on → add “n”: un instant is not “uh-n… in-STAHN” separately, it’s one chunk → uh-nan-STAHN.
  • Liaison les / des / nous / vous / ils → add “z”: les amis → lay-zah-mee, vous êtes → voo-zet.
  • Elision le/la/je/de/ne/que + vowel → l’ / j’ / d’ / n’ / qu’: le ami → l’ami → lah-mee; je ai → j’ai → zhay.

⚠️ Punjabi transcriptions below are approximations. Nasal vowels, rounded u, and the throaty r don’t fully translate to Gurmukhi — always check with real audio.

1 l' — Elision (le / la + vowel or silent h → l’)

The article shrinks to l’ and sticks to the word. You hear one chunk starting with “l”.

French English Type Example Example (EN)
l’eau the water [n] Je bois de l’eau. I drink water.
l’ami the friend [n] C’est l’ami de Paul. He’s Paul’s friend.
l’homme the man [n] L’homme est grand. The man is tall.
l’école the school [n] L’école est fermée. The school is closed.
l’argent the money [n] Où est l’argent? Where is the money?
l’heure the hour / time [n] Quelle est l’heure? What’s the time?
l’enfant the child [n] L’enfant dort. The child is sleeping.
l’adresse the address [n] Donne-moi l’adresse. Give me the address.
l’idée the idea [n] C’est l’idée principale. It’s the main idea.
l’année the year [n] L’année prochaine. Next year.
l’université the university [n] Je vais à l’université. I go to the university.
l’immigration immigration [n] Le bureau de l’immigration. The immigration office.
l’examen the exam [n] L’examen est difficile. The exam is hard.
l’ordinateur the computer [n] L’ordinateur est lent. The computer is slow.

2 un / une — Indefinite article

un + vowel wakes an “n” that links to the next word. une already ends with a soft “n” and flows naturally.

French English Type Example Example (EN)
un instant a moment [n] Un instant, s’il vous plaît. One moment, please.
un ami a friend [n] J’ai un ami ici. I have a friend here.
un homme a man [n] Un homme attend. A man is waiting.
un enfant a child [n] Un enfant joue. A child is playing.
un an a year [n] Il y a un an. A year ago.
un avion a plane [n] Un avion décolle. A plane takes off.
un examen an exam [n] J’ai un examen demain. I have an exam tomorrow.
un ordinateur a computer [n] J’achète un ordinateur. I’m buying a computer.
une amie a friend (fem) [n] Une amie m’appelle. A friend is calling me.
une heure one hour [n] J’attends une heure. I wait one hour.
une idée an idea [n] J’ai une idée. I have an idea.
une école a school [n] Une école moderne. A modern school.

3 les / des — Plural liaison “z”

The silent s of les / des wakes up as a “z” before a vowel and links to the next word. This is French’s most common liaison — master it.

French English Type Example Example (EN)
les amis the friends [n] Les amis arrivent. The friends are arriving.
les enfants the children [n] Les enfants jouent. The children are playing.
les hommes the men [n] Les hommes travaillent. The men are working.
les écoles the schools [n] Les écoles sont fermées. The schools are closed.
les heures the hours [n] Les heures passent. The hours go by.
les années the years [n] Les années passent vite. The years go by fast.
les autres the others [pron] Les autres attendent. The others are waiting.
des amis (some) friends [n] J’ai des amis ici. I have friends here.
des enfants (some) children [n] Il y a des enfants. There are children.
des idées (some) ideas [n] J’ai des idées. I have ideas.
des heures (some) hours [n] J’attends des heures. I wait for hours.
des immigrants (some) immigrants [n] Il y a des immigrants. There are immigrants.

4 Pronoun + verb — Liaison

Pronouns ending in a silent s/t before a vowel-starting verb wake that consonant and link it. nous / vous / ils / elles → “z”; on / est → “n / t”.

French English Type Example Example (EN)
nous avons we have [v] Nous avons un rendez-vous. We have an appointment.
nous allons we go [v] Nous allons au bureau. We’re going to the office.
vous êtes you are [v] Vous êtes en retard. You are late.
vous avez you have [v] Vous avez raison. You are right.
vous habitez you live [v] Vous habitez où? Where do you live?
ils ont they have [v] Ils ont un problème. They have a problem.
ils aiment they like [v] Ils aiment voyager. They like to travel.
ils habitent they live [v] Ils habitent à Toronto. They live in Toronto.
on est we are [v] On est prêts. We are ready.
on a we have [v] On a le temps. We have time.
c’est un it’s a [phr] C’est un bon choix. It’s a good choice.
est-il is he [v] Est-il là? Is he there?

5 Everyday chunks — Elision + fixed phrases

These words always link in daily speech. Learn each as one unit.

French English Type Example Example (EN)
c’est it is [phr] C’est bon. It’s good.
je m’appelle my name is [phr] Je m’appelle Paul. My name is Paul.
j’aime I like [phr] J’aime voyager. I like to travel.
t’appelles-tu what’s your name [phr] Comment t’appelles-tu? What’s your name?
n’est-ce pas isn’t it [phr] C’est bon, n’est-ce pas? It’s good, isn’t it?

6 Silent H and Aspirated H

No French h is pronounced, but two kinds behave differently with elision and liaison:

  • Silent h (h muet) acts like a vowel, so elision and liaison happen: l’homme, l’hôtel; les hommes /lez ɔm/, un hôtel /œ̃ n otɛl/.
  • Aspirated h (h aspiré) acts like a consonant, so nothing links: le hockey, la honte; les héros /le ero/ with no z, un hockey with no n.
Word Meaning What happens
l’homme man links: l’homme, les hommes
l’hôtel hotel links: un hôtel
l’heure hour links: les heures
l’hiver winter links: en hiver
le hockey hockey no link: le hockey, les hockeyeurs
le héros hero no link: le héros, les héros
le haricot bean no link: le haricot, les haricots
la honte shame no link: la honte
le homard lobster no link: le homard
le hibou owl no link: le hibou
la hauteur height no link: la hauteur
le huit eight no link: le huit, les huit enfants

Spelling does not tell you which kind a word has, so learn the common aspirated words above. Le hockey is the one you will use most in Canada: un match de hockey, les joueurs de hockey, with no linking.

Practice

A. Le, la or l’? Write the missing word

  1. ______ hockey est mon sport préféré.
  2. ______ homme est mon voisin.
  3. ______ héros de l’histoire est courageux.
  4. ______ heure du dîner est à midi.
  5. ______ honte est un sentiment difficile.
  6. ______ hôtel est près de la gare.
  7. ______ hiver est long au Canada.
  8. J’ai peur ______ hibou. (of the)
0 / 8 correct
  1. les amis → ______
  2. les hommes → ______
  3. les héros → ______
  4. les hockeyeurs → ______
  5. les heures → ______
  6. les haricots → ______
  7. les hôtels → ______
  8. les huit enfants → ______
0 / 8 correct
Answers

A. 1. Le · 2. L’ · 3. Le · 4. L’ · 5. La · 6. L’ · 7. L’ · 8. du

B. 1. z · 2. z · 3. non / no · 4. non / no · 5. z · 6. non / no · 7. z · 8. non / no

Your Turn: Read It Aloud

Read the paragraph aloud twice, joining each chunk and not linking where an aspirated h blocks it. Record yourself and compare with Radio-Canada.

Mon sport préféré, c’est le hockey. L’hiver, je regarde les matchs avec les amis de mon frère. Pour nous, les joueurs sont des héros. Dans mon quartier, il y a un hôtel et huit restaurants.

Test yourself: Practice saying les amis, vous avez, un ami, j’aime as single chunks, not separated words. Record yourself and compare to native speech.

Key principle: Liaison and elision are NOT optional style choices — they’re how real French is spoken. Training your ear to hear chunks (and your mouth to produce them) is one of the fastest ways to sound more natural and be understood.

Next step: Connected Speech covers enchaînement and the dropped e, the other two ways French words run together.

FAQ

What is the difference between liaison and elision?

Liaison = a silent consonant wakes up and links to the next word (les amis → 'lay-zah-mee'). Elision = a vowel drops and is replaced by an apostrophe; two words join (le ami → l'ami → 'lah-mee'). Both result in the same thing: two words become one sound.

Why does real French sound so fast and linked together?

Because French doesn't say words separately — they link through liaison and elision. Your ear needs to learn to hear 'chunks' (linked phrases), not separate words.

Is liaison required everywhere?

Some liaisons are mandatory (les amis, vous êtes, un ami), some optional, and some forbidden. Start with the mandatory ones (les/des/nous/vous/ils + vowel, un/on + vowel) — these are a good starting set.

What's the payoff for doing liaison correctly in CLB 5?

When your chunks flow naturally, the examiner understands you much better. When your chunks flow, the examiner can follow you more easily than when each word stands alone.

What is the difference between a silent h and an aspirated h?

Neither is pronounced. A silent h (h muet) acts like a vowel, so elision and liaison happen: l'homme, les hommes. An aspirated h (h aspiré) acts like a consonant, so both are blocked: le hockey, les héros. Spelling does not show which one a word has; dictionaries mark the aspirated ones.

Check Your Understanding

1. How is 'les amis' (the friends) actually pronounced?
2. What is 'je + ai' after elision?
3. In 'un instant' (a moment), what linking sound appears?
4. Why should you learn 'les amis' as one sound rather than two words?
5. How do you say 'the hockey game' (le hockey, with an aspirated h)?
6. Which of these words links after 'les' (les + word sounds like 'lez')?
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