The relationship between French spelling and French pronunciation
Accent marks
é: accent aigu – used only on the e, with one pronunciation
è: accent grave, used mostly on the e, followed by s or re. (mère, père, très, près) Used also on a and u to indicate a spelling difference.
ê: accent circonflexe - used on all vowels. Used to indicate a lengthening of the vowel sound.
ç: cédille: used to indicate that c has an s sound.
ë: tréma: used to indicate that two vowels are pronounced and not blended: Noël, naïf
Alphabet: Note that these pronunciations are approximate. The word “day” in English has a “y” sound on the end which is not said in French. Also the “u” sound of French is not pronounced in English
Written Representation:
Approximate Pronunciation:
a
ah
b
bay
c
say
d
day
e
euh
f
ef
g
zhee
h
ahsh
i
ee
j
zhee
j
zhee
k
kah
l
el
m
em
n
en
o
oh
p
pay
q
ku
r
air
s
ess
t
tay
u
u
v
vay
w
doobluh vay
x
eeks
y
ee greck
z
zed
Exercice: Avec un(e) partenaire, épelez les mots ci-dessous, et puis prononcez-les.
la, là
lève, levé
français, reçu, François
île, hôtel, sûr, même, âme
Mademoiselle Mérimée
Noël Presse
vous êtes, étudiante
enchantée, intelligent, façon
banane, bébé
bibliothèque
restaurant universitaire
pressé, fatigué, malade