How do you pronounce PLUS in French?

How do you pronounce PLUS in French?

Published by Manon ·

Today I'm going to tell you how to pronounce PLUS in French, so you'll never make a mistake again.
Contents
  1. When do we pronounce the S in PLUS?  
  2. When do we NOT pronounce the S in PLUS?  
  3. Practice the pronunciation of PLUS  


 

When do we pronounce the S in PLUS?
 

When the word 'PLUS' is at the end of a sentence, or at least without any other word following it, then the 'S' is pronounced.
 

For example, we could say: ''C'est le livre que j'aime le plus.' There, you surely heard that I pronounce the 'S' well.
 

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But we could also say: ''Je ne peux pas en faire plus.''
 

Same rule, same pronunciation.
 

⚠️ Be careful, this is in the case where the sentence is affirmative. If the sentence is negative it changes everything.
 

 

When there is 'DE' or 'QUE' right after 'PLUS', we also pronounce the 'S'.
 

For example: ''Il travaille plus que lui'.' In these two cases, we clearly hear the 'S'. And if I say, ''Elle a plus de bonbons que son frère'', it's the same thing. We pronounce the 'S'."
 

 

Then, if 'PLUS' has a positive sense, then we will also pronounce the 'S'.
 

For example, we say: ''Ce travail est un plus pour lui.'' The word 'plus' here is used as a noun, to designate an advantage, a positive addition.
 

That's why we say 'pluS'. Another example could be ''Parler une langue étrangère est un plus sur un CV.'' There too, 'plus' has a positive sense."
 

 

Sometimes the 'S' of 'PLUS' will not be pronounced 'S' but 'Z'. The 'S' in 'PLUS' is pronounced like a 'Z', when there is a word that starts with a vowel right after.
 

For example, in ''Il est plus intelligent que son camarade'', we say 'pluZ intelligent'. Another example would be ''C'est plus étonnant que prévu'', where we clearly hear a 'Z'."
 

 

 

When do we NOT pronounce the S in PLUS?
 

However, be careful, because in some cases, the 'S' is NOT pronounced. Especially in a negation, like ''Je n'ai plus faim'. Here, 'plus' means 'ne...plus', so the 'S' is silent.
 

It's the same in the sentence ''Il ne veut plus travailler'.' or ''Elle ne sort plus le soir'.' In all these examples, the 'S' is not pronounced."
 

 

The 'S' is also not pronounced when there is a word that starts with a consonant right after 'PLUS' (except 'de' and 'que'). So, if I say ''Il est plus grand que moi''', the 'S' of 'plus' is silent.
 

This is also the case in the sentence ''C'est plus compliqué que ça''.
 

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Practice the pronunciation of PLUS
 

Now that we have reviewed all these rules, it's time to do some exercises to make sure you understand well. I'm going to give you some sentences, and your job will be to decide whether the 'S' in 'PLUS' should be pronounced or not. Ready? Let's go!"
 

First sentence: 'Elle ne veut plus aller au cinéma.' 
 

Second sentence: 'C'est plus difficile que je le pensais.' 
 

Third sentence: 'Il est plus âgé que son frère.' 
 

Fourth sentence: 'Je veux plus de chocolat.' 
 

Last phrase: 'C'est le film que j'aime le plus.' 
 

 

 CORRECTION : 

First sentence: 'Elle ne veut plus aller au cinéma.' 
 

Second sentence: 'C'est plus difficile que je le pensais.' 
 

Third sentence:  'Il est pluZ âgé que son frère.' 
 

Fourth sentence: 'Je veux pluS de chocolat.' 
 

Last phrase : 'C'est le film que j'aime le pluS.' 

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