The Pronunciation of French Vowels174

French vowels are pronounced differently from English vowels. This can be a challenge for English speakers learning French, as it can be difficult to hear the difference between certain vowels. In this article, we will provide a guide to the pronunciation of French vowels, with examples and exercises to help you practice.

The Five French Vowels

There are five main vowels in French: a, e, i, o, and u. Each vowel can be pronounced in two ways: short or long. The short vowels are pronounced quickly and with a relatively open mouth, while the long vowels are pronounced more slowly and with a more closed mouth.

Short Vowels

a as in chat (cat)
e as in père (father)
i as in lit (bed)
o as in hotte (hood)
u as in but (goal)

Long Vowels

â as in pâte (dough)
ê as in quête (search)
î as in île (island)
ô as in côte (coast)
û as in dû (past participle of devoir)

Diphthongs

In addition to the five main vowels, French also has a number of diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowels pronounced as a single syllable. The most common diphthongs are:
ai as in lait (milk)
au as in eau (water)
ei as in hein (huh?)
eu as in jeu (game)
oi as in bois (wood)
ou as in fou (crazy)
ui as in nuit (night)

Exercises

Now that you have learned the pronunciation of French vowels, here are some exercises to help you practice:
Listen to the following words and try to identify the vowel sound in each one:

chat
père
lit
hotte
but
pâte
quête
île
côte
dû

Read the following sentences aloud, paying attention to the pronunciation of the vowels:

Le chat est sur le lit.
Le père lit un livre.
Il fait chaud dehors.
Je suis buté.
Il a dû travailler toute la nuit.

Record yourself speaking the following sentences and listen back to your pronunciation. Focus on the vowel sounds and try to make them as clear and accurate as possible:

Je suis français.
Je parle français.
J'habite en France.
J'aime la France.
Je veux apprendre le français.