pronounciation

[lalala di da]

Hi, i was wondering if someone could help, im finding it hard to know when to pronounce the letters at the end of a word, spelling a word i hear in french is hard because some letters are not pronounced when at the end...is there any rules or patterns to it, to make it easier?
thanks from casey.

[Teacherangele]

Bonjour Lalala di da,

Yes there are rules regarding the last letter pronunciation. It can seem quite tricky as these rules differ from a letter to another. Some rules are consistent and some have many exceptions . That is unfortunately the difficulty, but it is the way French has evolved with time.

To get the basic of this letter ending pronunciation notion, here is a general rule.

When Not to Pronounce Final Letters
As a rule of thumb, do not pronounce final letters. However, keep in mind that we pronounce the letters b as in club ("club"), c as in toc ("tap"), f as in bref ("brief," "in short"), k as in anorak ("waterproof vest"), l as in fil ("thread"), q as in cinq ("five"), and r as in car ("because") when they fall at the end of a word.

The other French consonants are usually silent at the end of a word, with some exceptions, as with many proper names or words borrowed from other languages or when linking words are mandatory, as in les oranges ("the oranges"), pronounced [lezoranj], or ils ont ("they have") [ilzon].


On the other hand, final letters pronounciation are usually taught by categorizing according to each tricky letter pronunciation rather than the final letters for better understanding and not go through the entire alphabet . So let's just start with the letter -e.

The silent letter -e:
The silent -e is almost** always spelled with the letter -e without any accent, and we can pronounce it as in verrai ("I'll see") or drop it as in the last -e in quellE ("which," "what").

The requirement to pronounce or not pronounce the silent -e depends on the emphasis the speaker wishes to express. For example, someone can say Je TE le dis ("I tell you.") or JE te le dit ("I tell you"), and the language register.

The silent -e is more commonly pronounced in formal French than informal French, in which speech is faster and less articulate. For example, you may hear in informal speech, Je t'l'dis ("I tell you.") where the speaker does not pronounce at all the letter -e sound, because he or she is speaking very rapidly.

The Different Pronunciations of the Written Unaccented -e:
The unaccented -e is not always a silent -e; some unaccented -e's are pronounced with the -é sound or the -è sound when placed in front of double consonant*, as in tennis ("tennis"), or in front of two articulately pronounced consonants, as in restaurant ("restaurant"). These pronunciations may vary from region to region, but that won't affect comprehension.

*When the double consonant is a double -s preceding the letter -e, we pronounce this letter as the letter -e from the alphabet. It is also the case when the letter -e is part of the prefix re-, as in repartir ("to leave again").

Deciding Whether to Pronounce the Silent e
In most words or phrases ending in -e, the final -e is silent and is always dropped. For example, we drop it when the silent -e precedes a vowel, as in une autre ami, pronounced [hun otr ami], or precedes a consonant, as in elle joue ("she plays").

Some exceptions are the pronunciation of the silent -e, whether required or optional, in:

A.) One-syllable words:

1. ce ("this")
2. de ("of")
3. je ("I")
4. le ("it")
5. me ("myself")
6. ne (part of the negation form)
7. que ("that")
8. se [reflexive element of the verb, as in se maquiller ("to put make up on")]
9. te ("you")

It is required when a word starting with a silent h- follows it, as in the aspired h- in ce homard ("this lobster").

It is optional when a word starting with a consonant follows it, as in informal fast speech, as with Je n'suis pas là ("I'm not here."), which you can encounter in comics, for example. In formal French, it should be Je ne suis pas là ("I'm not here.").

B.) A phrase or word when the silent e is placed in the first syllable, as in Levez-vous à six heures ("Wake up at six o'clock a.m.").

C.) A phrase or word when the silent e is not in the first or last syllable and is preceded by one or more consonant sound, as in Je regardez ce film ("I watch this movie") or l'appartement ("the apartment").


I hope I anwered your question !!!!

[lalala di da]

Hello, Thankyou so much! This helps
i was not expecting such a detailed responce, i really appriciate it.
from Casey.

Bonjour Lalala di da,

Yes there are rules regarding the last letter pronunciation. It can seem quite tricky as these rules differ from a letter to another. Some rules are consistent and some have many exceptions . That is unfortunately the difficulty, but it is the way French has evolved with time.

To get the basic of this letter ending pronunciation notion, here is a general rule.

When Not to Pronounce Final Letters
As a rule of thumb, do not pronounce final letters. However, keep in mind that we pronounce the letters b as in club ("club"), c as in toc ("tap"), f as in bref ("brief," "in short"), k as in anorak ("waterproof vest"), l as in fil ("thread"), q as in cinq ("five"), and r as in car ("because") when they fall at the end of a word.

The other French consonants are usually silent at the end of a word, with some exceptions, as with many proper names or words borrowed from other languages or when linking words are mandatory, as in les oranges ("the oranges"), pronounced [lezoranj], or ils ont ("they have") [ilzon].


On the other hand, final letters pronounciation are usually taught by categorizing according to each tricky letter pronunciation rather than the final letters for better understanding and not go through the entire alphabet . So let's just start with the letter -e.

The silent letter -e:
The silent -e is almost** always spelled with the letter -e without any accent, and we can pronounce it as in verrai ("I'll see") or drop it as in the last -e in quellE ("which," "what").

The requirement to pronounce or not pronounce the silent -e depends on the emphasis the speaker wishes to express. For example, someone can say Je TE le dis ("I tell you.") or JE te le dit ("I tell you"), and the language register.

The silent -e is more commonly pronounced in formal French than informal French, in which speech is faster and less articulate. For example, you may hear in informal speech, Je t'l'dis ("I tell you.") where the speaker does not pronounce at all the letter -e sound, because he or she is speaking very rapidly.

The Different Pronunciations of the Written Unaccented -e:
The unaccented -e is not always a silent -e; some unaccented -e's are pronounced with the -é sound or the -è sound when placed in front of double consonant*, as in tennis ("tennis"), or in front of two articulately pronounced consonants, as in restaurant ("restaurant"). These pronunciations may vary from region to region, but that won't affect comprehension.

*When the double consonant is a double -s preceding the letter -e, we pronounce this letter as the letter -e from the alphabet. It is also the case when the letter -e is part of the prefix re-, as in repartir ("to leave again").

Deciding Whether to Pronounce the Silent e
In most words or phrases ending in -e, the final -e is silent and is always dropped. For example, we drop it when the silent -e precedes a vowel, as in une autre ami, pronounced [hun otr ami], or precedes a consonant, as in elle joue ("she plays").

Some exceptions are the pronunciation of the silent -e, whether required or optional, in:

A.) One-syllable words:

1. ce ("this")
2. de ("of")
3. je ("I")
4. le ("it")
5. me ("myself")
6. ne (part of the negation form)
7. que ("that")
8. se [reflexive element of the verb, as in se maquiller ("to put make up on")]
9. te ("you")

It is required when a word starting with a silent h- follows it, as in the aspired h- in ce homard ("this lobster").

It is optional when a word starting with a consonant follows it, as in informal fast speech, as with Je n'suis pas là ("I'm not here."), which you can encounter in comics, for example. In formal French, it should be Je ne suis pas là ("I'm not here.").

B.) A phrase or word when the silent e is placed in the first syllable, as in Levez-vous à six heures ("Wake up at six o'clock a.m.").

C.) A phrase or word when the silent e is not in the first or last syllable and is preceded by one or more consonant sound, as in Je regardez ce film ("I watch this movie") or l'appartement ("the apartment").


I hope I anwered your question !!!!

[Teacherangele]

I try to cater Frenchpod101 member needs to best of my ability

Have FUN learning French !

Angèle

[gssq]

o_0

For final letters, the rule I learnt was: generally do not pronounce, except when the consonants are in the following mnemonic: CaReFuL Q

[Teacherangele]

Hi gssq

Much simpler way to go about it. Thank you gssq.

That's quite interesting. It reflects the different cultural approach between French and Americans when presenting something.
I live it every day with my hubby. He always tells me I m complicating things, and everything is simple!

In France we like to extrapolate, go in depth, analyse and criticize.
And there it is, I had to give a whole lecture on final letter pronunciation.
In the US, the simplier the easier and straightforward it is, the better.

Depending on what you are looking for both ways are helpful!

[Teacherangele]

Hi gssq

Much simpler way to go about it. Thank you gssq.

That's quite interesting. It reflects the different cultural approach between French and Americans when presenting something.
I live it every day with my hubby. He always tells me I m complicating things, and for him everything is simple (it could also be a gender thing.... hmmmm to think about)!

In France we like to extrapolate, go in depth, analyze and criticize.
And there it is, I had to give a whole lecture on final letter pronunciation.
In the US, the simpler the easier and straightforward it is, the better.

Depending on what you are looking for both ways are helpful!

[harleygypsy2003]

Bonsoir,angele.I am learning even without skype.will get better computer asap.I am not sure how to paste the french writing symbals to document,so i can email.etc. proper french spelling.Je suis speaking well.and regular,to all who will listen.I find to speak helps me appreciate and remember.My man really loves the sound,he is french descent,and it is so beautiful to speak,as well as hear.Just wanted to touch base with you.I benefited from the rules involving the e.It is hard,when it is not a language that is familiar to american,the only problem i have had is the transfer of the french writing page you introduced me to,it is great for practicing the spelling,i just wish i could transfer the proper spelling to facebook and those who are helping me.I have a penpal in france,it would help her, if i could spell with proper symbals.Bon forte,& merci beau coup,gypsy

[Teacherangele]

Great to hear you found a penpal. You can also find people to speak with thru Live Mocha.

The accents and keybord is a P@#$n...but here is a start with the coding (or juste copy and paste):

Capital Vowels
À ALT+0192
 ALT+0194
Ä ALT+0196
È ALT+0200
É ALT+0201
Ê ALT+0202
Ë ALT+0203
Î ALT+0206
Ï ALT+0207
Ô ALT+0212
ΠALT+0140
Ù ALT+0217
Û ALT+0219
Ü ALT+0220
Ÿ ALT+0159

~

Lowercase Vowels
à ALT+0224
â ALT+0226
ä ALT+0228
è ALT+0232
é ALT+0233
ê ALT+0234
ë ALT+0235
î ALT+0238
ï ALT+0239
ô ALT+0244
œ ALT+0156
ù ALT+0249
û ALT+0251
ü ALT+0252
ÿ ALT+0255

Consonants/Punctuation
Ç ALT+0199 (caps)
ç ALT+0231 (lower)
« ALT+0171 (Left Angle Quote)
» ALT+0187 (Right Angle Quote)
€ ALT+0128

[Teacherangele]

What I do is I have this list on my notepad on my computer. I saved it on my desktop to have it available at any time and I have a short chut in the start menu. So when I'm done writing, I go over and add the accent with copy paste.

Good luck.