The French Alphabet: The Basis of Pronunciation 😊

Want to improve your French accent? It starts with the basics: the alphabet! 🤓 Knowing how to pronounce letters correctly is the key to mastering the sounds of the French language.

Why is the alphabet so important? 🤔

The French alphabet may seem similar to the English alphabet, but there are subtle differences that make all the difference. For example, the letters ‘e’, “u” and ‘r’ are pronounced uniquely in French. If you don't know these nuances, you risk mispronouncing words and making your pronunciation difficult to understand.

Letters to watch out for 👀

The ‘e’: often silent or pronounced as a soft “eu”
The ‘u’: pronounced as a ‘u’ with rounded lips
The ‘r’: a gural sound that does not exist in English
Accents: they change everything! (é, è, ê, etc.)

How to learn? 📚

Listen to the Alphabet sounds . Practise, practise, practise! Repeat the letters, words and sentences. Learn the pronunciation rules: understand the patterns and exceptions. By mastering the French alphabet, you will improve your pronunciation and gain confidence. So, are you ready to get started? 😊

Want some resources to learn the French alphabet?

Exercises to practise the French alphabet 😊

1. Repeat after me:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

2.Try to repeat without looking at the screen !

3. Pronounce these letters :

Sound U

Words to repeat

Bonjour (bon-jour)
Merci (mer-si)
Au revoir (o-re-vwar)

E,É,È

R (the famous French ‘r’!)

5.Write and pronounce:

Write a word that starts with each letter of the alphabet (A: amour, B: bébé, etc.)
Say them out loud!
Want to move on to the next step? 😊

Next step: letter combinations 😊

Now that you've mastered individual letters, it's time to combine them! 🤔

Vowels

ai, ei, oi, ui, ou
ea, eo, ia, io, ua

Consonants

ch, ph, th, sh
bl, br, cl, cr, etc.

Exercise: pronounce these combinations and words

ch: chat - chien
ph: photo, pharmacie
oi: moi, toi, soir

Want some sentences to practise? 😊

Phrases to practise to improve your pronunciation 😊

1.The classics

Bonjour, comment ça va ? Hello, how are you?
Je m'appelle [ton nom].My name is [your name].
Je suis perdu(e), où est... ?I'm lost, where is... ?

2.Sentences with difficult sounds

The meaning of the sentence is not taken into account. What matters is the practice of sounds.

Le roi mange un croissant au chocolat.
La voiture roule sur la route.
J'adore les huîtres et les escargots.

3. Tongue twisters