Why is French so hard to understand when spoken?

Because of silent letters, nasal vowels with no English equivalent, and liaison (words linking together). The written language is much easier than the spoken one, so listening is usually the biggest challenge.

What do the French accent marks mean?

é is a sharp 'ay'; è and ê are an open 'eh'; ç makes a soft 's' sound; à and ù mostly just distinguish similar words. Most accents affect pronunciation, except à/ù which don't.

Is the French alphabet the same as English?

Yes — the same 26 Latin letters, plus accent marks on vowels and the cedilla (ç). The difference is in pronunciation, not the letters themselves.

What is liaison in French?

Liaison is when a normally-silent final consonant is pronounced because the next word starts with a vowel — for example vous avez sounds like 'voo-za-VAY'. It's a big reason spoken French runs together.

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The French Alphabet & Pronunciation: A Beginner's Guide

French uses the same alphabet as English, and you'll recognize a huge amount of written vocabulary. The challenge is the sound: silent letters, nasal vowels, and words that run together. Here's how French spelling maps to pronunciation, and the patterns to learn first.

The alphabet and the real challenge

The French alphabet is the 26 Latin letters you already know, plus accent marks on some vowels and the cedilla (ç). Reading French is far easier than understanding it spoken.

Why? French has silent letters, vowel sounds English doesn't have, and 'liaison' — where the silent end of one word links onto the start of the next. The spelling-to-sound rules are consistent, but they take learning.

Accent marks

é (accent aigu)

A sharp 'ay' sound — café, parlé. The most common accent.

è / ê (grave / circumflex)

An open 'eh' sound — père, tête. The circumflex often marks a dropped old 's' (forêt = forest).

ç (cédille)

Makes c a soft 's' before a, o, u — français, garçon.

à / ù

Don't change the sound; they distinguish words (a vs. à, ou vs. où).

Sounds English speakers find hard

Nasal vowels

Sounds made through the nose — bon, vin, blanc. There's no English equivalent; they take ear training.

The French r

A soft sound made at the back of the throat, not the English rolled or hard r — rouge, Paris.

u vs. ou

tu (tight 'ew', lips rounded) vs. vous ('oo'). A meaningful contrast worth drilling.

Silent letters & liaison

Silent endings

Final consonants are often silent — petit sounds like 'puh-TEE', the t dropped.

Silent h

h is never pronounced — homme is 'om', hôtel is 'oh-TEL'.

Liaison

A normally-silent final consonant links to a following vowel — vous avez sounds like 'voo-za-VAY'.

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