16 French words you (probably) mispronounce!

 

One thing that is very important when trying to speak French is the pronunciation. Mind you, not the accent, but the pronunciation.

Honestly, if you have an intermediate/advanced level, it's not the grammar mistakes that will make the French people not understand you, but it's the pronunciation mistakes in French. The French are more likely to misunderstand you if you mispronounce a word than if you make a grammar mistake.

Pronouncing a word well in French will help you to be better understood and to immediately show that you have a good level in French.

That's why today I'm going to share with you 16 French words that are very often mispronounced by French students. It's not a big deal to mispronounce a word, it happens. The number of times I mispronounce a word in English, I am in the same situation as you. But, it's important to improve and this lesson today is designed to help you improve your French pronunciation.

 

So these are words that I chose because of my students, actually. In the French group classes that I teach and in my French conversation group, I often hear these French words that are mispronounced. And I always help my students correct their pronunciation of those words so that they are better understood.

If you want to have teachers who help you pronounce French words correctly every day, I invite you to join Ohlala French Coffee, my French conversation group, where we work on oral conversation, vocabulary, grammar and also pronunciation.

 

 

 

Pays (=country):

PAY - EE

The letter A and Y together make the sound È

Then, we pronounce another time the letter Y which has the sound Y. In fact, it is as if there were two Ys in this word:

S is silent.

 

Emmener (=to take, bring):

ÂN - ME - NÉ

We have a nasal here: ÂN. There are two M. The first M will form the sound ÂN with the E.

The second M will be combined with the letter E: ME

And then : NÉ

 

Fille (= girl, daughter):

It is not pronounced the way it is read.

You can't even hear the L sound at the end, it's the YE sound

Pronounce slowly: FI - YE, then more and more quickly FI-YE

Then take out the E sound at the end. PRONOUNCE SLOWLY: FI-Y

 

Fils (=son) :

FI-SS

The L is silent.

 

Nièce (=niece):

NI - YAY - SS

The I will be used twice

In the 1st syllable: NI

And in the 2nd syllable: YAY

And at the end the S sound

Once again, pronounce each syllable slowly and then speed up: NI - YAY - SS

 

Européen (=European):

EU - RO - PÉ - UN

EU

RO

Here, we will cut the word in two: E / ONE

 

Saoul (=drunk):

SOU

It's simple here, you won't pronounce the A and the L

Note that if this word is given in the feminine form, we will say saoule: SOU-LE

 

Sport (=sport):

SPOR

English speakers, don't pronounce the T

And Spanish speakers, don't add an E to the beginning.

 

Pilates (=pilates)

PI-LA-TT

The E and S are silent.

PI-LATT

 

Gentil(le) (=nice)

JÂN - TI

Do not pronounce the L at the end.

First syllable, we have a nasal: JÂN

TI

In the masculine form : gentil

Feminine: Gentille like fille JÂN - TIYE

 

Berlin

BAYR - LUN

There is no E at the end. We do not say BERLINE, a sedan is a car.

We say: BAYR-LUN

 

Collègue (=colleague)

KO - LAY - GUE

Don't say Colleegue. Colleague

 

Environnement (=Environment)

EN-VI-RONN-MÂN

EN

VI

RONN - The E is not pronounced

MÂN

 

Parfum (=perfume)

PAR -FUN

Don't say parfume.

BY

FUN. The letter U and M gives here the sound ONE as the number 1.

 

Estomac (=stomac)

ESS - TO - MA

We do not say estomaque or stomaque.

ESS

TO

MA - The C is not pronounced.

 

Les œufs (=eggs)

LÉ ZEU

In the singular, we say the egg. The F is pronounced

But in the plural, we don't pronounce the F. The eggs.