French uses accent marks that or distinguish words.
– Does not exist in English. Round lips as if saying "oo" but say "ee". Example: Lune (moon) → "loon" (with rounded lips)
| Accent | Name | Used on | Effect | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Accent aigu | E only | Makes a closed /e/ sound like ay in play | | è | Accent grave | E, A, U | Open /ɛ/ sound like e in bet | | ê | Accent circonflexe | A, E, I, O, U | Usually lengthens the vowel sound | | ë | Tréma (diaeresis) | E, I, U | Pronounce vowel separately from previous one (e.g., Noël ) | | ç | Cédille | C only | Changes hard C (/k/) to soft S (/s/) before A, O, U | french alphabet pdf
The phonetic pronunciations below are based on common instructional guides for English speakers. Phonetic Sound Phonetic Sound Phonetic Sound J S B K T C L U D M V E N W doo-blah-veh F O X G P Y H Q Z I R Downloadable PDF Resources
C, R, F, L are often pronounced at the end (remember "CaReFuL"). French uses accent marks that or distinguish words
The French alphabet consists of the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, though their pronunciations and the use of special accent marks differ significantly. French Alphabet Pronunciation Guide
French has (A, E, I, O, U, Y) and 20 consonants . Example: Lune (moon) → "loon" (with rounded lips)
(English: "Now I know the French alphabet.")
| Letter | Sound | Letter | Sound | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | A | ah | N | enn | | B | bay | O | oh | | C | say | P | pay | | D | day | Q | kew | | E | uh | R | air | | F | eff | S | ess | | G | zhay | T | tay | | H | ash | U | ew | | I | ee | V | vay | | J | zhee | W | doo-bluh-vay | | K | kah | X | eeks | | L | ell | Y | ee-grek | | M | emm | Z | zed |
| Letter | Name (French) | Phonetic (IPA) | English Equivalent Sound | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | ah | /a/ | Like a in father | | B | bay | /be/ | Like b in bed (but sharper) | | C | say | /se/ | Like c in cat (hard) or cent (soft) | | D | day | /de/ | Like d in dog (tip of tongue on teeth) | | E | uh | /ə/ | Like u in fur (with rounded lips) | | F | eff | /ɛf/ | Like f in fun | | G | zhay | /ʒe/ | Like s in measure + ay | | H | ash | /aʃ/ | Silent; never pronounced (mute h) | | I | ee | /i/ | Like ee in see | | J | zhee | /ʒi/ | Like s in pleasure | | K | kah | /ka/ | Like k in kite (rare, mostly foreign words) | | L | ell | /ɛl/ | Like l in light (clearer than English) | | M | emm | /ɛm/ | Like m in man | | N | enn | /ɛn/ | Like n in no | | O | oh | /o/ | Like o in go (no "w" sound at the end) | | P | pay | /pe/ | Like p in park (no puff of air) | | Q | kew | /ky/ | Like k in kite (always followed by 'u') | | R | air | /ɛʁ/ | Guttural; like clearing your throat (no English equivalent) | | S | ess | /ɛs/ | Like s in snake (or 'z' between vowels) | | T | tay | /te/ | Like t in top (tip of tongue on teeth) | | U | ew | /y/ | Round your lips like "oo" but say "ee" | | V | vay | /ve/ | Like v in very | | W | doo-bluh-vay | /dubləve/ | "Double V" – sounds like v or w | | X | eeks | /iks/ | Like x in box or xylophone | | Y | ee-grek | /iɡʁɛk/ | "Greek I" – sounds like y in yes or ee | | Z | zed | /zɛd/ | Like z in zebra |
深圳•南山