Chapter 2 of 16 · Explore the French path
The script · Chapter 2 of 16
Why a French word looks longer than it sounds
A French word is usually shorter said than written. Learn the three habits behind that, and what to do with your mouth for the three sounds English has no equivalent for.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- French reads left to right with the same twenty-six letters as English — about half say something else.
- Three habits close most of the gap: the last letter is usually silent, vowels in groups make one sound, and a vowel before n goes through the nose.
- Two sounds and the nasal vowels have no English equivalent, so this section says what to do with your mouth instead.
- Read every French word from here on out loud — the habits do not come from looking.
Three habits that close the gap
These three habits close most of the gap between what you see and what you say. Read each row across, then say the examples aloud.
| The habit | What you see | What you say |
|---|---|---|
| The last letter of a word is usually silent | petit · trois | “puh-tee” · “trwah” |
| Vowels next to each other make one sound | eau · ou · oi | “oh” · “oo” · “wah” |
| A vowel before n or m goes through the nose, and the n vanishes | vent · bon | “vah(n)” · “boh(n)” |
Nothing here needs memorising: the next section makes you use all three habits on real words.
Three sounds English does not have
You cannot copy these from an English word. The second column tells you what to do with your mouth, so try each one aloud.
| Sound | What to do with your mouth |
|---|---|
| u | Say “ee” as in see and hold it. Without moving your tongue, push your lips into a tight circle, as if to whistle. Test the pair: tu |
| r — as in renard | Do not curl or roll your tongue. Rest its tip behind your bottom teeth and make the noise at the very back of the throat — the place you gargle from. Start from that scrape and soften it. |
| the nasal vowels — as in vent | Say “ah” with your mouth open, then let the air go out through your nose as well — without touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth, because the n is not a consonant here. Pinch your nose: the sound should change. |
Try the three habits once each
Say each word aloud from the habit named in the hint, then reveal.
- eau
Three letters standing together. How many sounds?
Show answer +Hide answer −
eauoh “water”. One sound. - trois
oi is one sound, and the last letter is silent.
Show answer +Hide answer −
troistrwah “three” - vent
The vowel goes through your nose; neither the n nor the t is said.
Show answer +Hide answer −
ventvah(n) “wind”