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  3. French Pronunciation
  • Front vowel
  • Central vowel
  • Back vowel
  • Bilabial consonant
  • Labio­dental consonant
  • Alveolar consonant
  • Post-alveolar consonant
  • Palatal consonant
  • Velar consonant
  • Uvular consonant

Pronunciation

[m]

✅ How to pronounce [m]

Lips: Fully closed (both lips together)

Tongue: Relaxed (not important here)

Airflow: Goes through the nose

Voice: Vocal cords vibrate (voiced)

👉 Air is blocked in the mouth and released through the nose

✅ Spelling patterns in French

[m] can be written as:

• m → mère[mɛr], menace[mənas]

🎧 Comparison with English

• Exactly like:

• “m” in man, mother, come

✅ French and English [m] are basically the same

⚠️ Important note (French-specific)

• In French, m can nasalize a vowel when:

• it comes after a vowel

• and is not followed by another vowel

Example:

• am / em / im / om / um

→ often create nasal vowels

Examples of words containing [m]
No.
Word
Pronunciation
Meaning
1 mère /mɛʁ/ mother
2 aimer /eme/ to love
3 homme /ɔm/ man
4 femme /fam/ woman
5 immense /imɑ̃s/ immense
6 commun /kɔmœ̃/ common
7 maximum /maksimɔm/ maximum

Pronunciation

[p]

✅ How to pronounce [p]

Lips: Fully closed (both lips together)

Air: Build up pressure behind the lips

Release: Open lips → air bursts out

Voice: No vibration (voiceless)

👉 It’s a short, clean burst of air

✅ Spelling patterns in French

[p] can be written as:

• p → pilote[pilɔt], peuple[pœpl]

🎧 Comparison with English

• Like “p” in spin (NOT pin)

⚠️ Important:

• English “p” in pin = strong puff of air (aspirated) → [pʰ]

• French [p] = no strong aspiration

⚠️ Common mistake

• ❌ Don’t add a strong “h” sound (no ph effect)

• ❌ Don’t release too much air

• ✅ Keep it soft and controlled

Examples of words containing [p]
No.
Word
Pronunciation
Meaning
1 père /pɛʁ/ father
2 porte /pɔʁt/ door
3 après /apʁɛ/ after
4 appeler /aple/ to call
5 supporter /sypɔʁte/ to support
6 cap /kap/ cape

Pronunciation

[b]

✅ How to pronounce [b]

Lips: Fully closed (both lips together)

Air: Build pressure behind the lips

Release: Open lips → small burst of air

Voice: Vocal cords vibrate (voiced)

👉 Same mouth movement as [p], but with voice

✅ Spelling patterns in French

[b] can be written as:

• b → beau[bo], bagage[bagaʒ]

🎧 Comparison with English

• Like “b” in bat, boy, about

✅ Very similar in French and English

⚠️ Important difference from [p]

• [b] = voiced (you feel vibration in your throat)

• [p] = voiceless (no vibration)

Examples of words containing [b]
No.
Word
Pronunciation
Meaning
1 bas /bɑ/ low
2 belle /bɛl/ beautiful (fem.)
3 bon /bɔ̃/ good (masc.)
4 boire /bwaʁ/ to drink
5 abbé /abe/ abbot
6 club /klœb/ club
7 ombre /ɔ̃bʁ/ shadow / shade
8 chambre /ʃɑ̃bʁ/ room
Course Image

Greetings

Greetings in French play a very important role in daily life and social interactions. The 100 expressions you have learned include a wide range of phrases—from basic greetings like “hello” and “good evening,” to expressions that show care and interest such as “how are you?” and “I’m happy to see you,” as well as kind wishes like “have a nice day” and “good luck.”

These greetings can be used in both casual and formal situations, depending on the relationship and context. In French culture, politeness and warmth are highly valued, and even a simple greeting can greatly influence the impression you give to others.

By mastering these 100 phrases, your communication in French will become more natural and fluent, allowing you to connect more easily with others. Greetings are not only the first step in language learning, but also an essential bridge that brings people closer together.

    Course Image

    Greetings

    Greetings in French play a very important role in daily life and social interactions. The 100 expressions you have learned include a wide range of phrases—from basic greetings like “hello” and “good evening,” to expressions that show care and interest such as “how are you?” and “I’m happy to see you,” as well as kind wishes like “have a nice day” and “good luck.”

    These greetings can be used in both casual and formal situations, depending on the relationship and context. In French culture, politeness and warmth are highly valued, and even a simple greeting can greatly influence the impression you give to others.

    By mastering these 100 phrases, your communication in French will become more natural and fluent, allowing you to connect more easily with others. Greetings are not only the first step in language learning, but also an essential bridge that brings people closer together.

      Course Image

      Greetings

      Greetings in French play a very important role in daily life and social interactions. The 100 expressions you have learned include a wide range of phrases—from basic greetings like “hello” and “good evening,” to expressions that show care and interest such as “how are you?” and “I’m happy to see you,” as well as kind wishes like “have a nice day” and “good luck.”

      These greetings can be used in both casual and formal situations, depending on the relationship and context. In French culture, politeness and warmth are highly valued, and even a simple greeting can greatly influence the impression you give to others.

      By mastering these 100 phrases, your communication in French will become more natural and fluent, allowing you to connect more easily with others. Greetings are not only the first step in language learning, but also an essential bridge that brings people closer together.