French pronunciation basics

Written French can look intimidating because many letters are not pronounced the way an English speaker expects. The good news is that the patterns become much easier once you start noticing them.

Many final consonants are silent

Words such as petit, grand, vous parlez often contain letters you can see but do not fully pronounce at the end. Learning the sound of the whole word matters more than reading every letter separately.

Nasal vowels

Combinations such as an/en, on, in/ain often create nasal vowel sounds. Air partly passes through the nose, and the final N is usually not pronounced as an English N.

The French R

The French R is produced farther back in the mouth than an English R. Do not worry about making it perfect immediately — being understandable matters first.

Rhythm is different from English

French tends to have a smoother, more even rhythm, while English uses stronger stress contrasts. Listening and repeating short phrases is one of the best ways to internalise this.