Les lettres muettes et les liens

Letter omissions

We don’t pronounce “s,” “c,” “t,” “x,” “d,” “p,” “f,” “l,” “g,” and “z” when they are the last letter(s) of a word. But there are exceptions.

For example:
Oeufs, trop, sang, riz, chocolat, banc, pied, melons, heureux, gentil.

We will pronounce “s,” “c,” “t,” “d,” “p,” “f,” “l,” and “g” when an “e” follows them. The “e” is silent, but there are exceptions.

For example:
Verte, grande, large, serveuse, parle, caprice, type, elfe.

If the letters are followed by an “é” or an “è,” we pronounce “ey.”

For example:
Parlé.

Links

When a consonant is followed by a vowel or an “h,” we link the consonant with the vowel. There are exceptions.

For example:
Mon petit ami → “mon peti-t-ami”

Compulsory links

When “les,” “des,” “nous,” “vous,” “ils,” or “elles” are followed by a word starting with a vowel or an “h,” we use a “z” link.

For example:
Vous vous appelez Paul → “vous vous z-appelez Paul”
Ils ont un chien → “ils z-ont un chien”

The “s” at the end of “les,” “des,” “nous,” “vous,” “ils,” or “elles” is silent.

Non-compulsory links

Links are here to avoid going down (sloping) in the middle of a sentence because it is not something native French speakers do, as a result, sometimes links are not needed.

For example:
Tu vas au parc.