http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/pronunciation/index.html http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/pronunciation/vowels2.html

La Prononciation Française : Partie I

Les voyelles English speakers tend to "stretch" or distort vowels giving rise to what are called diphthongs (for a more exaggerated example, think of a southern accent and how the vowel sounds are drawled).   A diphthong is actually a combination of two sounds, a vowel and a glide. Pronounce the English words I, out, and boy. Do you notice that the vowel actually changes its sound? Try saying each word slowly and note how your jaw moves during the vowel.

Unlike English, the vowels in French are never followed by a glide. You must learn to keep your lips, tongue and jaw still when pronouncing a French vowel, which will result in a pure sound. If you relax your mouth or jaw, you will produce diphthongized vowels that will give your French an American accent.

Say each set out loud and compare the difference: French (tense) si qui Emilie parti tout tôt chaud English (relaxed) sea key Emily party too tow show

Let’s explore each vowel one by one:

1) The letter a is pronounced [a] as in “ah”. maladie madame safari ils battent là-bas

2) The letter e (without the accent) is pronounced [ə] and is similar to the u sound of knuckle.  je ce me que te de le ne se

3) The presence of the accent aigu (é) changes the sound of the letter. This is the sound [e] and it is much like the vowel sound of day (but short and pure and without the glide).  été arrivé armée légal

Other letter/vowel combos that produce this same sound are: -ER -ES répéter les téléphoner ses -EZ -AI nez j’ai chez je finirai je donnerai

4) The letters i and y are pronounced as [i].   This sound is similar to the vowel of English be. lit île stylo ville ici active midi

5) The pronunciation of the letter o depends if it’s in an open syllable (ends with a vowel sound – pronounced like the “o” in no) or a closed syllable (ends with a consonant – pronounced like the “o” in love). open closed gros donne mot sol vos note  

6) The letter u is pronounced two ways 6) The letter u is pronounced two ways. If it stands alone it is pronounced [y] as in tu. It is roughly similar to the vowel sound of pew but shorter and without the glide. menu nu sûr su culture bu

If the u is in combination with “o” (ou) it is pronounced [u] as in fou. où tourner journal nous toujours jour

Les Virelangues

La poule pousse la petite poupée partout.