French Vowels Flashcards
A open
A is pronounced open and wide.
A closed
When it is the last sound, A is often pronounced slightly rounded.
À
À is called “A accent grave” and is mostly used on its own.
Â
 is called “A accent circonflexe”. It is usually pronounced slightly rounded.
E
E in its pure form is pronounced so… (kinna like schwa)
E silent
E is rarely pronounced at the end of multi-syllable words.
É
É is called “E accent aigu”. It is pronounced similar to the “ay” in “say”.
È
È is called “E accent grave”. It is pronounced similar to the “e” in “wet”.
Ê
Ê is called “E accent circonflexe”. It is pronounced similar to the “e” in “wet”.
I
I sounds similar to the “ee” in coffee, but shorter. Accents do not change its pronunciation.
O closed
O is usually pronounced similar to English. Accents do not change its pronunciation.
O open
When O follows consonants in the syllable, it is often pronounced wider.
U |
U is the hardest vowel to learn, because there is no English equivalent.
U ||
U is the hardest vowel to learn, because there is no English equivalent.
Y
Y sounds like the French I.
