French Learning Guide

This guide is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the French language, from basic pronunciation to more advanced grammar concepts. Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refresh your skills, you'll find valuable information here.

Pronunciation

The French alphabet is the same as the English one, but the pronunciation of letters and combinations of letters can be very different.

Vowels

• a as in "father"
• e can be tricky. At the end of a word, it's usually silent. In other cases, it can sound like the "e" in "bet" (è, ê) or be silent. The "é" sounds like the "ay" in "say".
• i as in "machine"
• o as in "go"
• u has no English equivalent. To make this sound, shape your lips as if to say "ooh" but try to say "ee" instead.

Nasal Vowels

When a vowel is followed by 'n' or 'm', it becomes nasalized (the air passes through the nose). The 'n' or 'm' is not pronounced.

• an, am, en, em: sounds like the "on" in "long" but more open. Example: maman (mom), temps (time)
• in, im, ain, aim, ein, eim: sounds like the "an" in "tank". Example: vin (wine), faim (hunger)
• on, om: sounds like the "own" in "loan". Example: bon (good), nom (name)
• un, um: Less common. It's a sound between the "u" in "fun" and "oon" in "moon". Example: brun (brown), parfum (perfume)

Consonants

Most consonants are pronounced similarly to English, but with some key exceptions:

• c before e, i, y sounds like "s" (e.g., ceci - this). Before a, o, u, it sounds like "k" (e.g., café). With a cedilla (ç), it always sounds like "s" (e.g., français).
• g before e, i, y sounds like the "s" in "measure" (e.g., manger - to eat). Before a, o, u, it's a hard "g" like in "go" (e.g., gare - station).
• h is always silent.
• j sounds like the "s" in "measure" (e.g., je - I).
• r is a guttural sound, pronounced in the back of the throat. It's not rolled like in Spanish or Italian.
• s between two vowels sounds like "z" (e.g., maison - house). Otherwise, it sounds like "s" (e.g., poste - post office).
• Final consonants (like s, t, d, x, p) are usually silent unless followed by a vowel in the next word (this is called liaison). The letters C, R, F, L are often pronounced at the end of words ("CaReFuL").

Greetings and Basic Phrases

Articles and Nouns

In French, all nouns have a gender (masculine or feminine). You usually have to memorize the gender of each noun.

Definite Articles ("the")

• le (masculine singular): le garçon (the boy)
• la (feminine singular): la fille (the girl)
• l' (before a vowel or silent h): l'ami (the friend), l'hôtel (the hotel)
• les (plural, for both genders): les garçons, les filles

Indefinite Articles ("a/an" or "some")

• un (masculine singular): un garçon (a boy)
• une (feminine singular): une fille (a girl)
• des (plural, for both genders): des garçons, des filles (some boys, some girls)

Basic Verbs and Conjugation

Verbs change their endings based on the subject. This is called conjugation. Let's look at two of the most important verbs.

Être - To be

Avoir - To have