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| French pronunciation. |
French can be harder to learn to pronounce for English-speaking people with reading and spelling difficulties. One reason is that French words use a lot of extra vowels to make a sound. Another reason is that French vowels are pronounced differently than those in English. It is not impossible, however. If you follow these tips, you will be able to pronounce French words with more accuracy.
The vowels a, e, i, o, u. Say them as ah, euh, ee, aw and oo (with your tongue flattened on its front and more toward the front of your mouth while your lips are rounded - it will sound like you are saying ee and oo at the same time).
Words that end in -eau or -eaux. The word for handsome is beau in French, but in English it would be pronounced like the word, bow (as in "tie this bow for me"). If there is an x on the end of these words, it remains silent. (This is not the case, however, for all French words ending in x.)
Words ending with -an, -am, -en, -em, -in, -im, -on, -om, -un, -um. Say a, e and o like the aw in saw, i like the a in apple, and u like the u in bun. In addition to that, as you say these vowels, make a nasal sound in the back of your nose.
The letter r. Make a gurgle with a small amount of saliva in the back of your throat, and make sure you make sound come through your vocal chords, not just your breath.
Consonants in general. When saying consonants in French, don't drag out the sound by continuing to blow through your lips or teeth; try to stop it short. The consonants p, f, d, t and s are good ones to practice this with.
This is not an exhaustive guide to pronouncing French, but it can help you over some of the bigger obstacles to sounding like a native French speaker. In general, you should learn online, and there is a lot of courses that can help you like Rocket French that is the most popular.
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