French speech delights listeners with its beauty and melody. Many of us have more than once had the desire to “speak like the French,” and we frantically grabbed textbooks, dictionaries and phrase books to master this art on our own. But speaking French correctly is a real skill, which does not come easily and not right away. It is very difficult to acquire French pronunciation, even while studying in courses or individually with a teacher. However, this is not a reason to despair and quit this business. In this article we will try to explain, without complex concepts and terms, how to learn to pronounce some sounds of the French language.

Everyone recognizes French speech by the specific sound [r], this is its main distinguishing feature. It is this that poses the greatest difficulty in learning a language. At the same time, it is precisely this that most people associate with “truly” French pronunciation. So, let's learn to pronounce the sound [r] correctly.

There are many different methods to help you get the correct pronunciation of this tricky sound. One of the simplest and most common is gargling with water, and then performing the same actions, but without water. Another effective way– pronunciation of two sounds [g] and [r] together.

Some people believe that when learning sounds, you should follow the rule: the more you repeat, the better it will be. In reality, this is not the case. The main thing is to learn how to position your tongue correctly in your mouth! Since this is the most main mistake, leading to incorrect pronunciation.

Quite often, instead of the beautiful French sound [r], students end up with a slightly wheezing approximate pronunciation. The sound is not as deep as it should be, that is, not quite French.

One sound - two types of pronunciation

The first option is a “silent”, slightly harsh sound [r]. It is quite difficult to pronounce, so words consisting of letters, among which there are two consonants in a row, become a real test for students. This is felt when pronouncing words such as groupe (group), travail (work), promenade (walk), proportion (proportion, ratio), etc.

But the second one is easier to pronounce, it is closer to the original speech. As a rule, this is a combination of the sound [r] with some vowel sound. For example, radis (radish), roche (rock), rime (rhyme), etc.

What's the difference? The fact is that in the two described variants the tongue in the mouth is in different locations. In the first version, it lies flat, resting against the lower teeth, while in the second, the tongue arches, resting its tip UNDER the lower row of teeth. This is very important feature. After experimenting, you will notice that the position of the tongue changes the pronunciation. Thus, there is no need to spend hours practicing this sound, you just need to understand the principle.

Having figured out the correct position of the tongue, you can move on to consolidating the skills. French sayings with “growling” words will help here. For example, “Mon père est maire, mon frère est masseur” (“My father is the mayor, my brother is a massage therapist”) or “Dans la gendarmerie, quand un gendarme rit, tous les gendarmes rient dans la gendarmerie” (“In the gendarmerie, when a gendarme laughs, all the gendarmes laugh in the gendarmerie."

Vowel sounds [y] and [œ]

The French sound [y] will not be easy to pronounce correctly the first time. If we compare it with the sounds in the Russian language, then it is something between the phonemes [yu] and [u]. Often students pronounce this sound as Russian [у], mistakenly believing that there is no difference. However, this is very important, since incorrect pronunciation of a given phoneme can completely change the meaning of the phrase. Here's an example; “C’est une rue” (This is the street) or “C’est une roue” (This is the wheel).

The above examples are harmless, but there are also comical situations that you can get into by confusing the pronunciation of certain words. For example, "nous" is "we", and "nu" is translated as "naked"). In order not to make your interlocutors laugh or be embarrassed, you need to learn to distinguish these vowel sounds and try to pronounce them correctly. Repeating tongue twisters will help with this: “Douze douches douces” and “As-tu vu le tutu de tulle de Lili d’Honolulu?”

Say these phrases and you will notice how clearly you can hear the difference between [u] and [y]. Repeat tongue twisters as often as possible, this will help you soon learn to distinguish these sounds.

In the French language, there is another special vowel sound [œ], the correct pronunciation of which indicates that you are already a true Frenchman. This sound is the middle form between such sounds of the Russian language as [o] and [yo].

How to pronounce this sound correctly? The upper lip needs to be raised up (remember how chimpanzees do this in the wild world). Next, the pen or pencil should be placed on the raised upper lip and pressed, thus fixing this position. Then, carefully removing the stationery from your lip, you should try to pronounce the sound [œ].

To consolidate the result, read the following words several times: acteur, coeur, chaleur, soeur, peur, tracteur, directeur.

Nasal sounds

And finally, let's talk about nasal sounds. Their correct pronunciation is again due to the correct positioning of the speech apparatus. One rule should be remembered: if the sound is [e(n] - “pain”, then the position of the mouth is the same as when pronouncing the sound [ɛ], and not [a]. Students often make mistakes by confusing these sounds. For comparison: center – center.

Here, as in the case of the sounds [u] and [y], the meaning of the phrase depends on the pronunciation (the first word, for example, is translated as “center”, and the second as “hanger”). That's why it's so important to learn how to pronounce them correctly.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that if desired, anything is possible. Correct French pronunciation can be achieved if you understand the underlying phonetics and practice regularly. Good luck in your studies!

The rules for reading French are quite complex and varied, so you don’t need to try to learn them right away. It is enough to periodically glance at the table during the process of learning and consolidating the material. The main thing is to remember that reading rules exist, which means that once you master them, you will be able to read any unfamiliar word. This is why the French language does not require transcription (except for rare phonetic cases).

There are 5 important rules of the French alphabet that are unchanged and should definitely be remembered:

1. the stress ALWAYS falls on the last syllable of the word (examples: argent, festival, venir);
2. the letters -s, -t, -d, -z, -x, -p, -g, e, c (and their combinations) are NOT READABLE in words if they appear at the end (examples: mais, agent, fond, nez, époux, morse, banc);
3. the ending of verbs in the present tense “-ent” (3l. unit h) is never read (example: ils parlent);
4. the letter “l” is always softened, reminiscent of the Russian [l];
5. double consonants are read as one sound in French, for example: pomme.

The French alphabet is in many ways similar to the English alphabet. If you already speak English, then the learning process will go much faster, if not, then that’s also great. It will be very interesting for you to master another language besides your native one!

In addition to the letters of the alphabet, letters with icons (superscript and subscript), presented below in the table, are used in writing.

Vowels and letter combinations in French

French vowels are pronounced according to clear rules of pronunciation, but there are many exceptions related to both analogy and the influence of neighboring sounds.

*If the letter combination “ou” is followed by a pronounced vowel, then the sound is read as [w]. For example, in the word jouer [Ʒwe].

*Located between consonants, the letter “y” is read as [i]. For example, in the word stylo.

*In a stream of speech, the fluent sound [ǝ] may be barely audible or completely dropped out of pronunciation. But there are also cases when a sound, on the contrary, can appear where it is not pronounced in an isolated word. Examples: acheter, les cheveux.

*Exceptions are the words tranquille, ville, mille, Lille, as well as their derivatives.

Correct pronunciation of consonants and letter combinations

*Exception words: amitié, pitié.

*The letter is not pronounced at the end of a word after nasal vowels. For example: banc. And also in words such as (porc, tabac, estomac [ɛstoma]).

*Exceptions are some nouns and adjectives: hiver, fer, cher [ʃɛ:r], ver, mer, hier.

*In French, the letter “h” plays a specific role in pronunciation:

1. when h is in the middle of a word between vowels, they are read separately, for example: Sahara, cahier, trahir;
2. with the silent h at the beginning of the word, a connection is made and the vowel is dropped, for example: l‘hectare, ilshabitent;
3. before the aspirate h, no binding is made and the vowel sound is not dropped, for example: la harpe, le hamac, les hamacs, les harpes.

In dictionaries, words with an aspirated h are indicated by an asterisk, for example: *haut.

Cohesion, binding and other features of French phonetics

Voiced consonants should always be pronounced clearly, without deafening them at the end of the word. Unstressed vowels should also be pronounced clearly, without reducing them.

Before such consonant sounds as [r], [z], [Ʒ], [v], stressed vowels become long or acquire longitude, which is indicated in transcription by a colon. Example: base.

French words tend to lose their stress in the speech stream, since they are combined into groups that have a common semantic meaning and a common stress that falls on the last vowel. In this way, rhythmic groups are formed.

When reading a rhythmic group, be sure to observe two important rules: cohesion (French enchainement) and binding (French liaison). Without knowledge of these two phenomena, learning to hear, distinguish and understand words in a stream of French speech will be extremely difficult.

Concatenation is the phenomenon when a pronounced consonant at the end of one word forms one syllable with a vowel at the beginning of the next word. Examples: elle aime, j'habite, la salle est claire.

Linking is when the final unpronounceable consonant is pronounced by linking it with the vowel at the beginning of the next word. Examples: c'est elle or à neuf heures.

Test yourself (exercise for consolidation)

Having carefully read all the rules and exceptions, now try to read the words given in the exercises below without looking at the theoretical material.

Exercise 1

sale, date, vaste, père, mère, valse, sûr, crème, rate, tête, traverse, appeler, vite, pièce, fête, bête, crêpe, marcher, répéter, pomme, tu, armée, les, mes, pénétrer, le, je, me, ce, monopole, chat, photo, regarder, pianiste, ciel, miel, donner, minute, une, bicyclette, théâtre, paragraphe, thé, marche, physicien, espagnol.

Exercise 2

titane, attire, tissage, titi, type, tirade, active, bicyclette, gypse, myrte, cycliste, Egypte;

naïf, maïs, laïcité, naïve, haïr, laïque, abïme;

fière, bière, ciel, carrière, piège, miel, pièce, panier;

pareil, abeille, vermeil, veille, merveille;

ail, médaille, bail, travail, détail, émail, vaille, détailler;

fille, bille, grille, billet, quille, ville;

habiter, trahi, géhenne, habiller, malhabile, hériter, inhabile, Sahara;

l’herbe – les herbes, l’habit – les habits, l’haltère – les haltères;

la harpe - les harpes, la hache - les haches, la halte - les haltes, la haie - les haies.

Now you know the rules of reading French, which means you can read any text in French.

Magnificent France is a country of romance and hearts in love. Traveling to France is the dream of every couple in love. There is everything for a romantic getaway.

Nice cozy cafes, wonderful hotels, lots of entertainment and nightclubs. Holidays in France will appeal to anyone, no matter what their tastes. This is a unique, very diverse country. And if you also communicate with its inhabitants, you will completely fall in love with this wonderful corner of the Earth.

But in order to communicate with the local population, you need to know at least the basics of the French language, or have our Russian-French phrasebook at hand, which consists of important sections.

Common phrases

Appeals

At the station

At customs

In a hotel, hotel

Walking around the city

In transport

In public places

Emergencies

Numerals

In the shop

At the restaurant

Tourism

Greetings - a list of words with which you can greet or say hello to the people of France.

Standard phrases are all you need to maintain or develop a conversation. Common words used in conversation every day.

Station – questions frequently asked at train stations and general words and phrases that will be useful both at the railway station and at any other station.

Passport control - upon arrival in France, you will have to go through passport and customs control, this procedure will be easier and faster if you use this section.

Orientation in the city - if you don’t want to get lost in one of the big French cities, keep this section from our Russian-French phrasebook handy. With its help you will always find your way.

Transport – when traveling around France, you will often have to use public transport. We have collected translations of words and phrases that will be useful to you in public transport, taxi and more.

Hotel – translation of phrases that will be very useful to you during registration at the hotel and throughout your stay.

Public places – using this section you can ask passers-by what interesting things you can see in the city.

Emergencies are a topic that should not be neglected. With its help, you can call an ambulance, the police, call passers-by for help, report that you are feeling unwell, etc.

Shopping – when going shopping, don’t forget to take a phrasebook with you, or rather this topic from it. Everything in it will help you make any purchases, from vegetables at the market to branded clothing and shoes.

Restaurant - french cuisine famous for its sophistication and you will most likely want to try its dishes. But in order to order a meal, you need to know at least minimal French in order to be able to read the menu or call the waiter. In this regard, this section will serve you as a good assistant.

Numbers and figures - a list of numbers, starting from zero to a million, their spelling and correct pronunciation in French.

Tours - translation, spelling and correct pronunciation of words and questions that will be useful to every tourist more than once on their trip.