The French language's alphabet is very similar to that of the English language as both languages have the same numbers of the alphabet just that some of the pronunciations are different.
The French alphabet comprises 26 letters:
- 6 vowels (a, e, i, o, u & y)
- 20 consonants (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x & z)
A /ah/
B /beh/
C /seh/
D /deh/
E /uh/
F /eff/
G /geh/
H /ah-sh/
I /ee/
J /jee/
K /kah/
L /ell/
M /ehm/
N /ehn/
O /oh/
P /peh/
Q /kuh/
R /ehr/
S /ess/
T /teh/
U /eew/ said like ee with rounded lips
V /veh/
W /doobluh veh/
X /eeks/
Y /ee grehk/
Z /zed/
French letter accents / variants:
In French, many letters -unlike in English- also have variants (accents) or other symbols added to them that can affect their pronunciation.
à → a with an accent grave (grave accent) is the word for "to". It indicates that the letter's sound is emphasized. Other examples: voilà (that is), déjà (already), là-bas (over there).
â → a with an accent circonflexe (circumflex accent) is found in the middle of many French words. Examples: Pâques (Easter), pâte (paste or dough), château (castle).
c → As in English, the sound made by c can vary depending on the letter that follows it. If it's followed by an e, i, or y, it will generally sound like a soft s, as in the word ciel (sky), as opposed to a hard c, as in the word capable. If it's followed by an h, as in the word chat, it will make a sound similar to sh in English.
ç → The cédille (cedilla) is a way for the c to take on a soft (s-like) sound regardless of the letter that follows it. This accent can only be used with the letter (C). Examples: français (french), garçon (boy), glaçon (ice cube), reçu (received).
é → e with an accent aigu (acute accent) can indicate a particular pronunciation, or the past participle or adjective form of a verb. This accent can only be used with the letter (E). Examples: été (summer)(it is also the past participle of the verb to be), café (coffee), étudiant (student), chanté (sung).
è → e with an accent grave indicates a particular pronunciation. Examples: crème (cream), fièvre (fever), règle (rule, ruler).
ê → e with an accent circonflexe may either indicate pronunciation or be a sort of monument to an older version of a word. Examples: fête (party, festival), tête (head).
ë → e with an accent tréma (diaresis) means that this letter must be pronounced apart from those around it. For example: Noël (Christmas).
As in English, the sound made by g can vary depending on the letter that follows it. If it's followed by an e, i, or y, it will generally sound like a soft g, as in the word orange, as opposed to a hard g, as in the word garçon.
ï → i with an accent tréma means that this letter must be pronounced apart from those around it. For example: naïf (naive).
î → i with an accent circonflexe. For example: île (island), naître (be born).
ô → o with an accent circonflexe. For example: hôtel (hotel), hôpital (hospital).
NOTES: ph is pronounced like an f
q is always followed by u
ù → u with an accent grave is only used to differentiate the words ou (or) and où (where).
French ligatures:
æ → a blending of the letters a and e. It's used in some words borrowed directly from Latin. For example, curriculum vitæ.
œ → a blending of the letters o and e, they are pronounced as a single sound /euh/. Examples: cœur (heart), sœur (sister), œuf (egg), œil (eye).
French vowel combinations:
ou /ouh/ → example: jour (day)
oi /wah/ → example: trois (three)
ai /ai/ → example: parfait (perfect)
au /oh/ → example: sauf (except)
eau /oh/ → example: chapeau (hat)
eu /uh/ → example: heure (hour)
ui /wi/ → example: pluie (rain)
un /un/ → example: Lundi (Monday)
oin /oo+un/ → example: loin (far)
an /awn/ → example: ranger (tidy)
on /own -deep sound-/ → example: pont (bridge)
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Learning French
RandomBook number #1 to learn French. Easy lessons starting from the basics in French language. Kindly let me know for any recommendation. Enjoy! Rank #1 in Vocabulary in November 2019 Rank #4 in Greetings in January 2020 Rank #4 in Français in October 20...
