How to Pronounce All of the Most Difficult Sounds in French (R, U, EU, L, LL, nasal sounds)

[@jbragg33]

I'm a french native speaker and I never realized the sound "eu" made your diaphragm move ! You have a very good pronunciation, also your explanations show you have given it a lot of thought and thus can explain it I think better than the natives can. I could never !

[@royaventurera]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this feedback 🫶

[@milantehrandubai]

Same, agreed 100%!!!

[@charlesg5085]

Based on your stuck up attitude you are probably French Canadian.

[@masterofx32]

Same in German, many languages and also French try to avoid the glottal stop in most cases, German does the opposite - the glottal stop is a natural part of the pronunciation. Many foreign speakers pronounce everything correctly except the glottal stop, which sounds very strange. However, I never saw this being taught in schools. Also true in the opposite direction - none of my English teachers ever mentioned that one important thing for not sounding German is to never do the glottal stop. Also in pronunciation notation is the glottal stop often omitted.

[@yousef2508]

@@royaventurera Are you Persian?

[@edray2042]

Damn, I'm French and watched a lot of your short videos, I've always thought you were a french native faking the American accent! Congrats

[@royaventurera]

Wow what a compliment! Thank you so much 🫶🫶

[@milantehrandubai]

You can tell she's native US and not french tho...

[@elliotarundella7581]

@@milantehrandubai did you even read the comment

[@AubzCelli]

Derpy ​@@milantehrandubai

[@4536647674]

​@@elliotarundella7581 Did you even understand his reply though?

[@salisbury2342]

Not only do you have excellent French pronunciation, your English with the French accent is absolutely beautiful.

[@royaventurera]

Thank you sm ☺️

[@MK-hh1vo]

Why is English with a French accent applauded, but French with an English accent is frowned upon?

[@Hedgehogz856]

@@MK-hh1voEnglish speakers are fine with accents while the French are known for being rude about it

[@jtidema]

@@Hedgehogz856 American English speakers are often very hard on accents but they tend to give British and French more of a 'pass' than they do Spanish or Indian.

[@Hedgehogz856]

@@jtidema the British already speak English bro, and we make fun of the French too

[@elblanco5]

It's so great that squirrel in French is one of the most difficult works for English speakers while the English word squirrel is one of the hardest words for non-English speakers to pronounce!

[@davidpaterson2309]

Even better when you know that “squirrel” and “écureuil” are very nearly the same word. English got “squirrel” from Norman French in the Middle Ages. Words beginning “é” in modern French usually indicate that the Old French words began “es” so the Norman French word would have been something like “escuriel”. Trying saying that in English and you get something very like “squirrel”. Before we called them squirrels we probably called them something like “oak-horn” as other Germanic languages still do (Dutch = “eekhoorn”)

[@CheeseBae]

Both words are quite squirrelly to pronounce.

[@jon6346]

You talking about the US pronunciation (squorrrl) or the rest of us (skwee-rell)?

[@lilibetp]

​@@CheeseBaeyes!

[@KeanNonac]

Then wait for the German one (Eichhörnchen)

[@webyourstuff1]

The mouth shape explains it. When my sister returned from an extended trip to France she told me that she could tell what language someone speaks from their facial muscles. She then proceeded to prove it by looking around the crowded public area we were standing in. Then she walked up to two men and asked them for directions in French. They replied in French. She thanked them and we were on our way.

[@gic8849]

..as I sit here, native Italian speaker, repeating French pronunciation, doing my absolute best.. My son walks in “Mom? Are you ok? Are you choking?” 🫣

[@divyanshd3969]

lol I died

[@noreendunne431]

😂

[@FabioLuizBraggio]

Hahaha mamma mia che bella barzelletta

[@michaelarighi5268]

A propos of the devilish "R." My grandmother was a native French speaker as a girl. Quebecoise, but raised in New England with Parisian nuns for teachers. By the time I knew her, she spoke French rarely, most often--a few times a year--with a woman who lived a few blocks from my parents and was an old friend of hers. (Parenthetically, I learned my pronunciation from them, sitting on the floor as a youngster with them talking). She would always complain, after several hours of talking with Birdie, that her throat was sore. Excellent instruction. My (American) high school and (Belgian) college French teachers would applaud.

[@RealLimerickman]

😅

[@ThesaurusToblerone]

I've studied phonetics, and here is my tip for "u": try saying eeeeee and as you're saying it, round/ purse your lips. In phonetics, French u is considered the "rounded" version of "i," and eu is the rounded version of e.

[@sledgehog1]

Exactly. Looking at a vowel chart they are the rounded/unrounded equivalents.

[@julianbrelsford]

this works! It became easier for me to pronounce this correctly when I learned Haitian Creole, which generally does not differentiate between the French "i" (eeeee) and the French "u"

[@ThibauddeLaMarnierre]

J’ai aussi étudié la phonétique, la phonologie et l’orthoépie, et je suis de votre avis.

[@ThibauddeLaMarnierre]

Le a de pâte et le un de brun sont en train de disparaître du français hexagonal.

[@ThibauddeLaMarnierre]

Le R, en revanche, ne fait pas de différence qu’il soit apical ou uvulaire, et il tend à s’ amuïr en hexagonal.

[@lorimeyer3940]

Your English/American descriptions of how to move your mouth for French is so incredibly helpful! (And btw you still smile a lot even with the French shape of your mouth! You’re so cute!)

[@moose2154]

Yes, please, please make more of these videos! I'm a 40 year old adult trying to learn, and your video helped so much! This might sound weird, but I'm also from Western Washington, and it's encouraging and comforting coming from someone fluent in our neck of the woods...our accent, culture, humor, etc.

[@EssEll9791]

Ayo! Ditto, or pretty damn close. 44ish/french/oregon Good luck! Enchanté

[@royaventurera]

So glad to hear it’s helpful! PNW French speakers united 🤝

[@betsywoolbright8059]

37. East side WA/ northcentral ID.

[@ouimonsieur]

Honestly the best explanation of french phonetic.

[@royaventurera]

Thank you! That means a lot 🫶

[@JoMalby1]

@@royaventurera seriously, this was fantastic Roya. I didn’t mean to have a French lesson today but strayed after seeing one of your shorts (avec le chien chaud ! 😆). Thank you for this!

[@andrecarrier4695]

Very funny, Im French Canadian and this is the first time I watch a video of an English speaker trying to teach French to others. In Canada, for the French people, to learning English is a must, but for English speacker, learning French is a good to have. When an american speacks to me in French I m so surprised (most American just want to speackonly in English), it shows me that he/she open to learn from different culture and I have a respect for those people. When you are over 5 Y.O. learning another language becomes harder and harder. Nice video,

[@杰宇-w3m]

I’m a native French-speaker from Switzerland and also a certified french language teacher (FLE). You’re French is absolutely mind-blowing ! Your prononciation is close to perfect (99% native like). Can’t wait to show your video to my students, so inspirational !

[@EG-ry1dz]

Of course, if you are a French speaker from Switzerland, her prononciation must sound perfect to your 🇨🇭 ears (just kidding).

[@marcmonnerat4850]

@@EG-ry1dz There are some differences between French as spoken in _Romandie_ and in the _Hexagone_ , for instance _brin/brun_ or _pâtes/pattes_

[@raphydfau9269]

@@marcmonnerat4850For brun/brin it depends from the region, in the south west of France we aslo make the difference 😄

[@TexaSurvival]

I’ll probably get lambasted for admitting this but I’m on a 500+ day streak on Duolingo and am realizing now how limited it is, particularly with phonetics and phonemes. Thanks for being one of the “next” steps in my concerted effort to learn French!

[@4536647674]

Duo is very good as a supplement..you still need to do your own practice/research though

[@nickblooruk]

Firstly, congratulations on the streak. It means that for over 500 days, you have done some French study. And doing study everyday is key. The problem is you're not getting enough French. You will get vastly more French watching a 15 minute French podcast, than 15 minutes Duolingo study. (15 minutes = 2000 words more or less). The problem is that you will probably not understand someone talking in French for 15 minutes unless it's at your level (this can be extremely discouraging). I would recommend - Continue Duolingo (as it will help with motivation). Then 15 to 30 minutes of French comprehensible input (google and youtube search this term) every day. Slowly, you will begin to hear the patterns in the language and understand more and more. It is estimated by 1000 hours (1500 hours) you will be fairly fluent. (not native). Bear in mind, this will take 3 years at 1 hour per day. However, as your French improves, you will become more comfortable with more difficult input (eg Netflix series etc) and can easily replace your English tv watching with French. Lastly, if I am going to watch a show in English anyway (not part of my French study), I often watch it in French and put on English subtitles. I don't include this in my study time, but I am still getting input.

[@SL-lz9jr]

I learned Spanish traditionally in high school and college but stopped maintaining proficiency so I joined Babbel as a way to recall from memory. Because somewhere back there in my brain I do remember some things in Spanish. However, I can definitely tell you these language apps will never be able to replace traditional learning. Once I have time to take it more seriously, I plan to purchase a Spanish Textbook and workbook to augment my self study. Some day I'll pay for a tutor as well or take a community college course. Luckily I live really near a community college campus. But yeah... These language apps won't magically make us fluent. They fail to teach real grammar and syntax and so many other elements of language learning

[@kiradomochi4961]

I just started and on a 10 day streak but I intuitively knew I would need more materials. It's a damn good app that makes things into a game and keeps you motivated though. I've already learned 500 words and a lot of useful grammar and rules. I also got +babbel and a list of some movies to watch after. These apps so far only gets you to b2 level, Upper intermediate, highest level is c2 advanced. No one app can get you to c2 and that's understandable. Even tho I just started I've been practicing speaking in the car at friends house etc and translating the thoughts in my head when possible to try to think in french. I'm at like 20k exp in ten days been real committed. I'll even say basic sentences to my friends and family that don't speak French or just walking around the house. Practice practice practice

[@kiradomochi4961]

After I speak to them in french. I'll translate it for them. I'm going to canada soon and I want to be able to use what I've learned and make the neural networks stronger. Speaking without the app around really reinforces things because you don't have anything but what you thought you learned and you'll quickly know what needs work

[@bramilan]

I discovered you a few days ago. I'm a French speaker. Until watching this video, I actually thought it was the opposite way: you're a French that speaks English. That's how much your french sounds native!

[@peteryee6909]

Please put some more of these educational videos. Much appreciate your courses...😊

[@royaventurera]

Thanks for the feedback! I’m definitely working on making more of them. Please let me know if you have any specific requests 😊

[@JoMalby1]

Definitely, this is fantastic!

[@brontewcat]

I agree - learning pronunciation from a non native speaker makes a lot of sense. Your tip about the shape of the mouth is great. I had not thought of it before, but you are so correct. Even trying to speak English with a closed mouth makes the sounds so different.

[@LyaDee]

Hopefully it will help everyone who needs help. For those who try to learn and speak French do not forget that you don't have to sound perfect or to speak perfect French. Accents are not a bad thing. Mistakes are not a big deal. I am French and I do not care AT ALL if foreigners have an accent or make mistakes or misuse a word or don't know everything about my language. It is absolutely fine. Most French will actually be suprised by your level. We do not expect you to speak like a native speaker. So just breathe and feel free to be you. Most French speakers do not even master their own language.

[@royaventurera]

Yes! This is absolutely a great reminder too and applies to all languages 🫶

[@loridelia8806]

❤ merci

[@MS-yz7sr]

What kind, realistic, & encouraging words. Thank you for this.

[@chelseamcampbell]

OMG, I've needed this video for so long! I'm a native English speaker from the Seattle area and have been studying French on and off for almost twenty years now (since 9th grade) and I KNOW my pronunciation is terrible (your short video on speaking French in France for the first time... this is me, lol), but I just never had any of these lessons on how to actually make the sounds. Please make more of these! Also, I love all your videos! I just stumbled on your channel today and binge watched everything!

[@royaventurera]

Thank you sooo much! I’m glad to hear how helpful this is and that you like my channel. Sounds like we have a lot in common too😊

[@katasticone]

I've been trying to learn French off and on since middle school. This was THE most helpful lesson I've ever had. PLEASE do more!

[@JoMalby1]

Yes please make more of these! ❤

[@jtddubs]

+1 I lived in France for 4 years and this even demystified a lot for me.

[@gayalihn1328]

Je suis française et merci pour cet excellent cours de prononciation pour les non-francophpnes. Effectivement on apprend quand on est enfant sans se demander comment utiliser et placer sa langue, sa bouche.. I'm french and thank you for this excellent pronunciation course for the non-french speakers. Indeed, we learn when we are children without asking ourselves how to use and place our tongue, our mouth...

[@Believinabel]

My favorite part about learning French in college were these sounds. My prof would point to them on the wall with a stick and the whole class would be making these noises in unison and it was amazing! As an American with a passion for the French language I feel like I have just found a friend! I am a little rusty but I'm still good enough I am back to practicing and I subscribed to you! I used to teach these sounds to kids too!

[@KevinBrady-fy3cx]

I speak French with a heavy Irish accent and this is very helpful in adjusting pronunciation

[@clairejoly719]

I am a native and I realised how hard French is difficult to pronounce for non native speakers. I discovered your channel, and I can upgrade my English. Thank you❤

[@simoncharrier_]

I'm a French native speaker 20 yo and your advice about mouth shape is so intelligent and true I never even thought about it!

[@yelavrthijayasree3502]

This is one of the best french pronunciation lesson I've watched in youtube. I've watched a lot of french lessons from native french speakers in youtube and i must say your french pronunciation is as good as a native french speaker. Iam a south Indian trying to learn french, and i felt learning it from an American is a really strange but a beautiful experience at the same time. I really appreciate the effort you've put in making this video. Thanks a lot Roya for being a part in my french learning journey❤

[@Christiane069]

I am French and I have to say that your French is excellent. I enjoy you funny videos that are spot on.

[@vroummusic]

By comparing every French sound to English, you're even helping native French speakers to get better with their English accent. Thanks a lot!

[@TaniaImbeault]

Je suis moitié Québécoise et moitié Française(Montréal). Le français est ma première langue et j'ai commencé à apprendre l'anglais au primaire. Je parle courrament anglais avec un accent français, mais je m'assure de bien articuler. Merci beaucoup Roya pour la vidéo sur la prononciation. Je viens de découvrir que quand on parle en français et ensuite en anglais la bouche et la langue se positionnent de manière différente. ❤

[@rolandscales9380]

If you can say "l'association des serruriers de Rueil-Malmaison" three times in succession, you've truly arrived.

[@naomiewest3712]

I just tried now. I haven’t arrived

[@roe_k]

kessé ça rueil-malmaison?

[@cryme5]

​@@roe_kUn patelin d’Ile-de-France

[@shinyshinythings]

I love the word serrurier, it’s one of those I can’t help rolling around in my mouth whenever I see it.

[@mahutaproductions8498]

J'imagine que le Rueil se prononce un truc du genre "R-oeil" ?

[@supernatitube]

Hi Roya, would you do a video recounting your journey towards becoming fluent in French (and passing the DELF B2 test). When did you start studying French, how long did that take you, did you take group or individual classes, what tools did you use, how many hours did you spend per day studying and what helped you master each area of the language (reading, writing, listening comprehension). And how did you master “everyday French” vs textbook French.

[@royaventurera]

Thanks for the suggestion! I’d be happy to go through my process. I’m wondering what elements to include that would be most helpful for people - I’m happy to tell the full story but I’ll need to think on it a bit

[@georgefoster6380]

Wow! I’ve worked for two French firms and spent a good deal of time in France. Girl you can do a French accent that is amazingly real! Great job teaching pronunciation which is critical to having French folks understand you.

[@taraking6472]

I never even realized I was changing my mouth shape when I change languages. Cool.

[@Hannah01]

Also another suggestion: a video on how to improve intonation when speaking french? Even a quick 60 second short would be amazing, tysm ❤

[@royaventurera]

Great idea!

[@emile_fa]

FYI, her intonation is sometimes slightly off, though much better than most non natives. (Her vowels are perfect). A good idea in any language is to listen to nursery rhymes, which do give babies a sense of rhythm, and to listen to a lot of native speakers and potentially shadow speak. The rhythm in French is much more regular, one syllable = one beat most of the time, you could almost try speaking with a metronome The last syllable gets stressed unless you want to stress the word

[@ana419]

You are so angelic, Roua! Angelic face, voice and good will. This was excellent! Such talent! You do have THE best pronunciation, as close as I have ever heard to native in an American. Yes please, do an entire series! Save French ears! 😅 Thank you for sharing your gifts!

[@kleber8793]

Wait, as a French I literally thought you were a native because of how good your French is !!

[@emiliep1503]

I’m a native french speaker from Canada and I get ask all the time how to pronounce this and that by anglophones and most of the time my answer is “it’s just something you know because you know”. You’re right, when you grow up speaking a language it is sometimes harder to really explain it to others.

[@latebloomerabroad]

One of my French cousins told me during one visit that my grammar and pronunciation were good now, so he wanted me to concentrate on my accent. As a joke, I started imitating Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, which I thought was very exaggerated. When I was done, he said, "Exactly! Now, you sound like a French person!" 🤭😂 Except that I can't do it without imitating Peter Sellers.

[@AtarAsterlayna]

Good luck, bon courage to all the French learners. I believe in you. Référencement !

[@nickblooruk]

That is fantastic Roya. Extremely helpful. French pronunciation is so difficult to get right. Here is a summary (hope you don’t mind) (Use smaller mouth than English) ======================= U - Monkey sound + ew - (so gross) Nasal - eg Pa(IN) - Basketball buzzer R - (hawk up a loogie) Exaggerated practice L - Tongue further back than English (top tongue middle roof) LL - Y sound

[@desertdweller8520]

You are amazing. I’m trying to learn European Portuguese and you seem to speak the language so effortlessly.

[@royaventurera]

You’re so sweet! It may sound effortless but I promise it was many years and classes and travels in the making! You’ll get there 🫶

[@blank4305]

One interesting point about the french R that few people seem to notice, is that there are two different versions of it. The one that you explain in the video is the "hard" version that you use when there is another hard/unvoiced sound (p,t,k,s) nearby. However, when R is only surrounded by soft/voiced sounds (vowel sounds or b,d,g,z) then you you make it softer and you use your vocal folds when saying it. For instance, your pronunciation of "merci" with an unvoiced R is perfect (since there is an unvoiced S sound next to it), but your pronunciation of "bonjour" does not quite sound native (it should be a soft, voiced R). Nevertheless, I should say that your French is *incredibly* good, and I hope I don't come off as condescending or nitpicky!

[@aliciadeer9074]

This was so helpful! Not just in speaking but understanding French. I am going to Paris in Sept and have been struggling to learn basics

[@bernadettedevereaux8694]

I found a French teacher at a gathering place for immigrants trying to learn English. My Parisian teacher was formally educated as a physician before deciding to teach French. She was so stern that I dreaded going to weekly lessons. I was going to Paris only for a two week vacation. The most useful things I learned were to greet everyone before requesting information or service. Always say, “Bon jour, madam," (or afternoon or evening as appropriate). Then say "Je voudrais" (I would like) then point to what you want. Make sure you say, "Merci." after you get what you wanted. And learn how to ask, "Where is…" If your stay is longer keep watching these videos.

[@johnmagee810]

Currently learning French. This video was very helpful. Thank you.

[@gregoryaline3188]

Wow super accent !! Et merci beaucoup pour vos vidéos. En tant que francophone, on parle si naturellement qu'on ne se rend pas compte de toutes les spécificités de notre articulation. Je découvre pleins de choses grâce à vous, encore bravo !! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@3stringpiper951]

Brilliant insight, the physiology of language pronunciation seems so fundamental, and you articulated it masterfully..!!!

[@Different-j4e]

Your french is brilliant, especially your accent! It’s proper french rather than lazy french😅 and you’re explanations are improving my pronunciation I’m sure!

[@Romalvx]

Your suggestions are so valid. The sounds you pronounce are really French ones, I really wish anyone trying to learn French to watch this video and browse through your channel as well!

[@winterkeptuswarm]

I didn't have any specific interest in learning French but I love your videos! I watched the whole thing! So fascinating!! ❤

[@lisamccormick6]

This is very helpful. I've been mostly using Duo Lingo along with a few podcasts but hearing some of the explanations and seeing the visuals was beneficial. I had figured out the r sound but looking forward to using the tips on the L sound. I feel like vowels and vowel combinations are difficult to get right so I'd definitely welcome more vowel tips. I'd love to see e, è, é differences.

[@patricialafleur8579]

I am very happy to have found your video. I was born in Montreal, QC but raised in Ontario. I am in my sixties and am now living in Quebec. Your tips on how to shape your mouth is one of the most valuable tools needed for pronunciation.

[@quernalt]

I like the Quebecois accent

[@Dean-sm5rt]

I absolutely love pronunication. Nuns are lovely people.

[@81babyruthluv]

My hubby’s dad had the natural ability to pick up languages; he never lost the ability that children have to pick up languages. His favorite second language was French; he was a French professor in Washington state. He lived in France for 15 years, during the 60s and 70s. My hubby says that the French people thought his dad was a local, he was so fluent. He actually claimed to have thought in French too half the time 😊. He spoke like 7 languages. But my hubby’s mom hated France; she said during the 60s and 70s there was NO public restrooms for women. So she could never travel far from their apartment 😂

[@delanoferguson6437]

I've been watching your videos for a week now and I find them very funny. As a non-native French teacher, I could not agree with you more on your opening remarks. I hope that more students become aware of the fact that a non-native instructor may often be better at identifying and addressing particular difficulties than a native one. After all, they have been there.

[@Sache.T]

Je vois que la vie nantaise t'as permis d'avoir un accent français parfait ;) Une belle surprise de te croiser sur KZbin !

[@drippingwithdopeness]

Hello! I am just starting French as a native English speaker with a background in Spanish. I love your shorts but this video was EXTREMELY helpful. I really hope you make more videos like this ❤

[@dont-worry-about-it-]

I have jaw problems which make it awkward for me to speak my native English, and while it was a struggle and kind of hurt a little, this really helped improve my French pronunciation! Thanks for making this video!

[@katies6768]

For the French “u,” my high school teacher taught us to say “oo,” then, keeping our mouth in that position, to try to say “ee.” That helped me immensely! I remembered the trick when learning Turkish as well-their ü is very similar, if not the same.

[@sparrowelf]

This was exactly the same way my high school German teacher taught us the pronunciation of "ü" - though I would say that the French "u" and the German "ü" as spoken by their respective native speakers are not quite the same, but they are very close.

[@samuelmath1723]

"J'ai vin neuf hen?" et "écoeureuil" are great examples. Thank you Roya. It made my day.

[@gstads]

These are difficult letters for English speakers. I am a native Dutch speaker and we have all the exact same sounds you taught in French in Dutch as well (except the nasal ones). What is most difficult for Dutch speakers in French is s/ss/ch sounds. For example, trying not to pronouce national like nachonal.

[@hazelnutbix5261]

Same, I am a native Dutch speaker but have lived for many years in the UK. It's the pursing of the lips that is the most helpful to not sound Dutch or English.

[@effende]

After a day of French speaking the mouth muscles even hurt 😊

[@effende]

After a day of French speaking the mouth muscles even hurt 😊

[@MJ-en5hi]

Your explanations are superb without using linguistic terms. This was fun to watch even as someone not actively learning french

[@a.c.1436]

You gave such a great explanation . I have learned other languages and your knowledge of tongue positioning and use of the entire mouth or back of the throat shows you’re a trustable source. I love all your content. You really do think in this language. Bravo!

[@laurayala]

This has been hands down the best video I’ve watched breaking down French pronunciation. Thank you!

[@rlea18]

I agree with everything you said! As I was following along, I realized how relaxed the back of my tongue is when I make the "R" sound, which allows it to trill/tap - might be helpful to others attempting to pronounce it.

[@verone272]

In french Canadian we also speak with a wider and more open mouth than the french in France! I’ve noticed this a long time ago when imitating my french friend ahah

[@King_Baldwin_of_Jerusalem]

Damn you do it all! Comedy, cultural differences, language instruction! 10/10 This was very helpful to me as I've been trying to learn French as I piggyback on my wife's work trips to Paris.

[@topkithuthegioi8831]

Hi Roya! I came across you on Tiktok! I do appreciate your work. It helps a lot! Thank you so much! I'm learning French because I start to host a homestay with most French speakers. I'm from Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam so if you come here, I'm happy to show you around and we have a garden with farm in the homestay that you can experience the local farmer's life! Hope to see u in the future. Keep up the good work!

[@tonyharpur8383]

I wish I had these lessons when studying French in school! Super!

[@Armorique.]

Excellent advice! Your short videos speaking English in the form of conversational French are the most helpful language videos I have seen. Could you please expand on them in longer videos with further explanation? Thanks!

[@celinevitre3021]

very good prononciation, congratulations. you're right the French "U" is very difficult for non native French speakers, and one of the most difficult word, "hurluberlu", have three of them 😉

[@jorkusmalorkus]

in france desperately crash-coursing the language and you've been a big help, this video in particular. thanks!

[@jacobyspurnger8488]

I've just started learning French. This is very helpful, thank you

[@royaventurera]

Happy to hear that!

[@Foudroyant20]

You're 100% right about native speakers and there's also the ability to deliver a message, pass it down to learners, which is not something native speakers necessarily have (actually they rarely do unless they're teachers). Of course that applies to native speakers from all english-speaking countries as well. I've heard so many inaccuracies before but have always decided to politely stay silent in order to... not offend the native speaker.

[@daz74000]

I'm french and your pronunciation is AMAZING !!!! Wonderfull

[@CurliQueCowGrrrl]

Love this! It’s super important to have phonetics before bad habits form. I love how you explain the sounds - I would just request the French word example Show on the screen, both for spelling and cementing the pronunciation. Merci beaucoup!

[@burple65]

I love your channel. I've watched about 20 of your video shorts today and they are hilarious! I want you for my French teacher! I had heard that it is often better to have a language instructor whose native language is the same as your own, just as you mention in the early part of this video.

[@sandycarter5300]

Unbelievable! I assumed you're a native French speaker because your French sounds impeccable!

[@MichelleSweeny]

thank you I think it's great to hear your perspective as a non native because you explain it using things that are part of American life and culture that are not necessarily familiar to a French person. like hocking a louie😅 or the sound of a gut punch. brilliant! thanks!

[@sigeomeg529]

About the letter U, in your example with the word "huit", it should be noted that not all francophones pronounce it this way. For the french speaking Belgians, "huit" IS pronounced in a similar way to "wheat" in english.

[@mollymaciulla1917]

This has been a game changer! Thank you for sharing your insight!

[@catchoupiote]

Bravo, très impressionnant. Vous êtes manifestement très douée pour les langues, à la fois les apprendre et les enseigner !

[@jessicaflemister4825]

I always see comments under your shirts of natives saying how amazing you French sounds (and non natives) so THANK YOU for these tips! It actually does help coming from a native English speaker! I like learning from both native and non native (and honorary native like yourself lol)

[@milksaboteur]

Quickest shortcut for "U" : do a simple whistle, then keep the same mouth shape and make a vocal sound. It should come out like a French "U". If it doesn't sound quite right, listen to native speakers and try to tweak the position ever so slightly. I'm a native speaker and I can very quickly switch back and forth between whistling and saying "U", the mouth shape is virtually the same for me. By simple whistle, I mean the kind where you round your lips and force the air through your front teeth.

[@juliebrazier]

As someone with a South African accent learning to speak French as a hobby, this was a very interesting video, and I will definitely concentrate on my mouth shape in future. I do a lot of Duolingo and I feel I can read French quite well now, but I know my accent is appalling. One word that always trips me up is "le". My husband is further behind in the French course but his accent is better and he's always telling me that I'm getting it wrong when I try to say "le". I also find it hard to hear the difference between la and le! Thanks for all your entertaining shorts too 😍

[@ClarissaRose]

Thank you so much for sharing this advice and guidance with us!!!!! It was totally helpful having help from someone who understands the huge difference compared to American English!!!! And yess I would greatly appreciate more videos on whatever you'd like to teach!

[@anitawallace2166]

This was very helpful and I agree that coming from a non-native speaker made it better. The letter R is a big struggle for me. I can say it in some words but not others. Words with a G or C right before the R seem the hardest. The tip of my tongue keeps wanting to get involved! I’ll keep trying. I plan on visiting Paris next Spring.

[@michaelhubert1153]

For the "u" sound, it's very common to try to find it using the "ou" sound as a starting point but there is actually an easier way to find it with the "i" sound (that you can find in "huit" or for an example in English, it's the "i" sound that you find in "eerie"). You start by producing the "i" sound, and you keep the same position of the jaws and the tongue, the only thing you need to move is your lips : you go from the lateral extension of the lips to produce the "i" and you move them forward in a round o shaped position with only a small hole between the lips for the sound to come out and you get the "u" sound. I showed this to non native French speakers that struggled doing the "u" and they were instantly shocked by how accurately they could produce the sound compared to all the attempts they did so far starting from the "ou". Hope some of you can try it out and tell me how it goes for them ! Cheers.

[@lehrmandavid10]

I really loved this. When you pronounce squirrel (ecureuil} I think of it as ekyaroeil because you introduce a y between the e and the r. And having practiced L'oeil, I find it helps. Also in Hebrew, we uses a ch gutteral back of the throat sound as in L'Chaim! it helps me. Sometimes I may know something and apply another experience, rather than assume I am totally unfamiliar with what you are driving at. In the beginning your explanation of open and closed mouth was just wonderful. Chapeau bas.

[@philospal668]

Excellent. I always stress to friends learning other languages, to focus on the mouth shape. Such a good presentation. Merci

[@Lukesmithbrfc]

With the nasal vowels - I was told by a French tutor that there was 3. 1. ien/ian - you kind of pull your lips back as if making a smile 2. an, un, en, in - you puck up your lips a bit 3. on - puck your lips up as if you're doing 'le bisous' I struggle with the middle one, as I don't know if there is more than 1 sound depending on which letter is used.

[@lollygee172]

Excellent tips and explanations! Merci beaucoup!

[@simoncharrier_]

Your huit (8) pronunciation is PERFECT!

[@delfabro2]

Merci Beaucoup! You are so so helpful! I just had a French lesson today and I mentioned to my tutor that I adore your accent. Plus some of your postings are so so funny. I am a fan!

[@metalinsights9664]

Very helpful. Thank you. Your videos are brilliant. I'll never forget when you said, with a French accent, "We're not monsters!" and "How can you afford to go to college." Your videos are everything one needs to know about the scam that the American economy is, summarized into 30 seconds of genius.

[@Snafuski]

You touched on the toughies... I taught French, English and German in grammar school, and had classes of newcomers I had to teach French to (I went to French schools until I was 16, so my pronunciation is native) ... Every day in French class, we'd practice "in, en, on, en" .... I tried starting with the aaahhh sound, with an open mouth, and then moving the back of the tongue up to start the "ng" sound... But it was a lot of work... they mastered the R (just as you pointed out) but with difficulty, too, especially since many (Eastern Europeans, Africans from various countries, etc...) had already trained their mouths for a different R, mostly the alveolar R, my Nigerian student had that almost-British mastery of the vanished r... ... But it is so important... rhetorical speakers will sometimes vocalize that R a lot for emphasis. But there is that all important scratchy R that is needed to express disappointment or frustration and sounds like you have a hair stuck in your throat and you want to get rid of it... You do a great job, though, and I may send my former students a link... Funny aside: écureuil is also tough in German as it has the two palatal fricatives "ch".. Eichhörnchen

[@Professor-Dating]

You are absolutely right! People should stop to diminish non-native speakers.

[@mrmeuble91]

By the way, the pronounciation "ouïte" instead of "uïte" for "Eight" works in Belgium

[@jtidema]

This was excellent. I took French in school for years - from eighth grade up through college but I never get to use it. This was a great refresher!

[@patz6689]

Super helpful! I am studying Romanian, Spanish (Spain), and Italian and I’d never considered my American mouth shape in making the sounds necessary for other languages. I found myself shrinking the openness of my mouth with certain Spanish words (as well as a sort of smashing of certain consonants…hard to describe as well as you did). I intend to learn French as well and found your tips very useful. Merci!

[@jorgel4415]

As someone learning French... Merci beaucoup por ton video! :)

[@davidostrowski679]

As a pronunciation geek, I love this. Im from the UK, but surprisingly I've never really had any exposure to French because I studied German at school and college, learnt Spanish in Mexico, I live in Poland (I'm not fluent in Polish but I'm actively learning) and I know basic Serbian. I'm also an English teacher, and your point about learning from a non-native is absolutely correct in terms of the having to consciously learn aspect. For example, grammatical cases in Polish are a brain explosion for me just as irregular English spelling is for a native Pole. Having a non-native who has learnt Polish explain cases me is often more beneficial because they can describe their own specific learning process, like your monkey example. I do the same on random occasions when someone asks me how I learnt to roll my Rs in Spanish and Polish!