Les lettres muettes
This video is part of our free course beginners 1
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.
œuf
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.
Grande
Verte
Large
Serveuse
Parle
Caprice
Type
Elfe
Note
If the letters are followed by an “é” or an “è,” we pronounce “ey.” e.g., Parlé.
Links
When a consonant follows a vowel or an “h,” we link the consonant with the vowel. There are exceptions.
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.
Vous vous appelez Paul “vous vous -z-appelez Paul”
Ils (z)ont un chien “ils -z-ont un chien”
Note
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.
Tu vas au parc.
