Sound French: learn the "French Mouth Position" in 8 minutes

[@scriabushka]

In high school French (a great many years ago), my teacher was a native speaker from Normandy. I always watched her mouth when she spoke and tried to imitate what she was doing. I find that if I don't pull up those memories, my French does not come out very well.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi, thank you for the story. That sounds like a good memory. You made me smile picturing the young person watching intently to try to get it right.

[@mew2knight337]

as a native french speaker I confirm that this technique made this man speak like a true baguette fromage eater, but really it was even quite shoking

[@anahita__goli]

baguette fromage eater 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@juan_ortega]

Thanks a lot. I speak Spanish and I came to know the importance of mouth position for sounding much more like a native English speaker just some months ago, and now I found this same topic for French. I can see that it is the same mouth position I use in Spanish, if I am not mistaken, which makes me feel quite happy! :) I'd love to speak a good quality French at some time. Have a nice time teacher!

[@musicaconsubtitulos]

I can't help being astonished by this simple yet super efficient hack. Thanks so much

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello. Happy that it is helpful to you. Bonne continuation !

[@sarahwindle8873]

These are the first tutorials that have helped me ease my frustrations with pronunciations. I appreciate your approach!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thank you for letting me know Sarah! Good luck with your French!

[@LearnEnglishWithMatta]

Thank you for this video my brother.

[@TheVividArmadillo]

Love this sort of detailed teaching. Thank you!

[@lynntfuzz]

Thank you so much!!! This is really good. I can hear a big difference already! I love your story about saying good morning to Valérie. I'm glad I'm not alone in these struggles! I have a hangup with saying "bonjour" which is not helpful since that's probably the word you have say most often!!!!!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi LynntFuzz. Cool name. Thank you for the comment. For bonjour, trying saying it first without the R. I think I have a video about that one. Perhaps you can find it?

[@mkljay]

AMAZING!!!! I have watched so many videos on the french R and this is the first time it has sounded like an actual french R! Thanks for the fantastic tips and explaining so clearly!!!

[@SweetP48]

This is super helpful. As a Dutch person who has lived in an English speaking country for many years, I find that English pronunciation is generally in the back of the mouth, and the throat. While French is spoken from the front of the mouth. For me, the hardest French pronunciation in your example is the last te letters of a word like Facilite (sorry, accents are missing). I'm going to practice this!

[@smileysmultimedia]

As an native English speaker that's learned and spoke ample Spanish, the difference with pronouncing French words seems to be a curt or verbal shortening of the word; not including the last letter/syllable of the words. Other than that having Spanish in one's background has been very useful cause most the other romance languages have similar vocabulary and pronunciations to Spanish.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Interesting note on the verbal shortening.

[@x_xeveyx_x]

wow this is SO helpful! I was literally reading something in French and had a feeling keeping my tongue forward would make it easier and this video not only confirmed but made it easier!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Yes! You found it on your own. I also arrived here by experience, just moving my tongue and lips around until I found positions that made the words possible to pronounce.

[@Jay-jn6ul]

Woah this video deserves a million likes! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for thank you so much!

[@fluentlistener7496]

Glad to have given you something that helps. Have a great day!

[@xoxomori]

this is incredibly helpful! thank you

[@fluentlistener7496]

Glad you found it helpful! Thank you for letting me know.

[@rachelmorey2370]

It is so helpful to see you pronounce it! I am a lip reader.

[@thepinkslips204]

This is sooooo helpful thank you

[@didfrost]

Very useful, I had tried to find video with explanation how to prononuce t letter, all of them don't eleborate tongue's tip position. But it's very important to produce correct sound t. Thank you. You made my evening.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thank you for letting me know !

[@mvzv3913]

Amazing teacher.

[@fluentlistener7496]

Thank you!

[@charlesAZ]

Mouth position picture is very helpful. Thanks a lot!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

you are welcome!

[@chipham7363]

as soon as I changed my tongue position like you suggested, I immediately saw the difference! Thank youu

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Great! I am glad to hear that this helped.

[@mreihing]

Fabulous video and great tips! Thank you for your incredibly helpful guidance!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

You are welcome. Thank you for letting me know that the video helped.

[@swemhtathtun3930]

I am really first learning one day at french language and your video help me how to improve my mouth position. Honestly, It's really hard for me. To pronounce & speak French Language.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

I am glad it was helpful. Keep working and looking for ways to make the language fun. Good luck!

[@georgiawilliams1908]

Very useful. Thank you. I'm a native English speaker who has spent the last 25 years speaking mostly Russian. I speak English much more rarely. For the last 10 years or so I've been spending quite a bit of time in France. Just recently the whole mouth position thing "clicked" for me after I decided to spend two days making myself think only in French. Seems I "think" mostly non-verbally anyway, so I decided thoughts, if they were internally verbalized, would have to come only in French words. I supported this exercise by watching French films and listening to radio. At the end of that time I spoke out loud in French and miracle of miracles...I found I used a different mouth position than I had been using before!! (I would have described the feeling as "having a comparitively shallow mouth" in French.) First thing I did was look for "French mouth positon" on KZbin and I found your videos, and learned why my mouth felt shallow! It was the tongue thing - I was keeping the tip down. I'm going to keep listening to your videos, because you are explaining and making conscious for me the very tricks that seem to have kicked in out of nowhere from my little French isolation exercise.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

"having a comparatively shallow mouth" : I agree with this description. This describes what I feel when I speak French. Thank you for writing.

[@krishnanclips]

Can you make a video with a list of words,or, preferably, sentences that will help practise pronunciation daily? Something that covers all French sounds.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi, thank you for the request. I have lists of words with pdfs you can print out and recordings you can listen to to check yourself. But they are buried deep in the site. If you are already a subscriber, please email me and I'll send you the links. Best regards, David [e-mail]

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Here they are... fluentlistener.com/accurate-pronunciation-exercises/

[@shangxian]

Awesome. This was helpful and makes the accent much more doable. Thank you!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Glad it helps! Thank you for letting me know it helped.

[@JadeLU-p9k]

This is amazing and very helpful! Thank you !

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Glad it is helpful! Thank you for letting me know.

[@lorrihalliday1499]

It helps so much to know the position of the tongue and mouth. Takes practice for sure. Thank you

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Glad this helped you. Regarding "Takes practice for sure" : yes, and it takes practice even after you already "know" how to do it. That is because we never really hear our own foreign accent. So, if we don't practice, we slowly slip back into speaking with our foreign accent. Lately, to "keep my instrument in tune," I've been trying to schedule 15 minutes per day to read French newspaper articles out loud. So, I pretend I have a meeting and schedule a meeting room at work and go in there and read articles out loud. I find it helps re-tune my mouth. Then, later in the day, I am more likely to find myself actually moving my tongue and lips correctly.

[@nemz8066]

This is so helpful! Thank you!

[@jesuisjoshbonjour]

I just wanted to thank you for the tip about keeping the tip of your tongue on the bottom teeth. It helps SO much with muscle memory, thank you!!

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

You are welcome. Glad it was helpful!

[@madeinkonada]

Very helpful!

[@Carol-pv1gu]

Thank you so much 😍😍😍

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

You are welcome!

[@nigelsouthworth808]

Thanks. I find that very helpful

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thank you for letting me know!

[@dotesondots]

Thank you, your video helps so much.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thank you for letting me know!

[@matcradle]

Hi. Can you make the pronunciation for é and è please? Thank you

[@fluentlistener7496]

Hi Mat, I think you'll find that elsewhere on the internet, no? Or is there something that you have not found elsewhere that you need?

[@armelleetaix373]

@matcradle "é" vous refermez un peu la bouche et "è", vous ouvrez la bouche comme lorsque vous voulez montrer la langue chez le docteur...désolée je l'explique mieux dans ma langue. Mais le son est presque pas prononcé de façon différente en français de nos jour, surtout en ayant l'accent parisien.

[@sonicart1808]

This is excellent thanks David...

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

You are welcome.

[@lauracoteDIY]

Merciiiii

[@xavvxier4339]

Im trying to practice this, and I find when I pronounce a few of the sounds: The ci for example, it sounds more like a lisp and i cant get the sound out: Is that because my tounge is positioned wrong or just because I'm not used to this? Thanks for the tutorial

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello. So, you are facing a problem of the ci not sounding right because you are trying to follow my advice of keeping your tongue forward and this is making it hard to pronounce the S sound ?

[@bayramirez]

la facilete de recontre

[@TâmTrươngThịThanh-d3i]

I’m attending a French class for beginners. I’m the worst student in the class. Cause everyone has learned French before or at least know the basic, not like me. This is the first time I know what is French. At first, I didn’t know what is cava. I’m struggling right now 😢. The teacher is paying attention to me more than anyone else 😱😱😱

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello, I can relate! We all start out as beginners. The great thing is that you have thrown yourself in there because you made a choice that this was something you wanted to do. I am happy that your teacher is helping you. I think you'll find that you are asked to memorize a lot of things. You will be tempted to let this slide and then your grades may drop which might cause a bit of frustration. Please consider this memorization work as something that needs to be done to get through the class and consider yourself lucky to be able to do this in a classroom environment. When I speak to people who don't have time for a class, I encourage them to just do whatever they can do - let the grammar wait and concentrate on listening and, if possible, speaking. But if you have the good fortune to have a regular class, then consider yourself lucky to have this structured environment, because this is a time where you can actually learn the grammar, which will be very helpful later. Some people who start as adults never get the time to really figure out the grammar. Perhaps if you consider yourself lucky to have this structured time at the start of your French journey, it will help you understand why keeping up with the memorization being asked of you by the teacher will pay off in the long run. Best regards, David

[@TâmTrươngThịThanh-d3i]

@@frenchpronunciationdiction9366 thank for your understanding and encouragement 😍 i has been improved 😅 I’m widening my knowledge now, i can read French now, just need to learn grammar and vocabulary 👍. Hope i can join your class 😽

[@daysjours]

@@TâmTrươngThịThanh-d3i I teach French on Zoom! The most important thing to learn is the phonetics -- not the accent -- and then the language truly becomes easy for an English speaker since 35 % of French is English! Courage! Tu y arriveras!

[@luciaura666]

This is very good advice, can I ask your opinion on what the mouth position is for english? What would you tell a french speaker learning english ?

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello! regarding "what the mouth position is for English?" You know, I have often asked myself that question! And honestly, I know that I am not qualified to help. Each time I ask myself what I would tell a French person about how to speak English, I realize that I just don't really know what would be helpful.

[@luciaura666]

@ well i suppose it definitely isn’t lining the lower teeth with the tongue ;)

[@daysjours]

Confused here! Please tell me: the tongue is hitting the LOWER teeth for facilité???

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thanks for asking. Yes, I keep the tip of my tongue against the inside of my lower teeth for facilité.

[@daysjours]

@@frenchpronunciationdiction9366 I find your lessons fascinating -- I wish you did more of them. Some of what you instruct feels counter-intuitive until you put it into action. Please continue! Et merci de m´avoir répondu 🙂

[@heatherfeather1293]

I had no idea this would be so hard LOL. I kept wanting to move my tongue

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi Heather, yes. What I have noticed when trying to "echo" or "shadow" native speakers is that, if I pay attention, I will constantly feel the tongue pull back, even though it shouldn't. I think this is my English-speaking brain trying to make a diphthong movement for the R.

[@meadowsofbliss8722]

Is the 're" pronounced in rencontre? I hear you pronounce it, but not the the native speaker-she seems to say "rencont" to my ears.

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Thank you for the question. Yes, the last re is pronounced. If a French person heard you say rencont or rencon, they would be confused. But I agree that the pronunciation is very slight.

[@meadowsofbliss8722]

@@frenchpronunciationdiction9366 Merci

[@armelleetaix373]

@meadowsofbliss8722 you have to pronunce "rencontre" as "rencontr" don't pronounce the "e" at the end. Most of the French worlds we never pronunce the final letter....

[@RicardoMartinez-oh9sq]

I am here to understand the difference on how to use the mouth in either English or French, so this is my observation: To speak French the mouth is never as open as in English, am I right?

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello Ricardo, yes, that is the way that I feel it.

[@sashafierce5845]

Hi! Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? I mean is French your mother tongue? If yes what kind of French are you native of? Canadian French or French from France? Just to understand what accent you give lessons of. Is this the way people speak in Canada or in France itself? Cause I know there is a certain difference. I didn’t find any bio or description about the author of this channel. Can somebody help? I hope the author of this channel reads comment section 🌺

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi Sasha, I grew up in Savannah Georgia, but have been married to a French woman since 1993 and have been living in France since 2003. You can learn more about me at FluentListener.com There are differences in accent and vocabulary in the different French-speaking countries, but if you are asking this question because you are avoiding one type of French because you worry about your French getting polluted, please put that worry behind you. Soak up everything you can get and don't worry about these accent and vocabulary differences. After you are fluent, it will be easy for you to adjust your accent and vocabulary. People in France understand Quebec French (and vice-versa). At work, I speak with French speakers from both North- and Sub-Saharan Africa and we get along just fine. I mention all of this because I have run into people in North America who could easily go to Quebec but who don't go because they think they should avoid Quebec French. Any exposure to French speakers from any country will be beneficial to you.

[@gide5489]

When you pronounce "rencontre" your mouth has the same forwards psition instead of sideways for "en" than for "on" so your pronounciation of "en" is "on"; you say roncontre.

[@armelleetaix373]

@gide5489 No the world "la rencontre" the sound "-en" is very différent from "-on". The pronom "On" is very used and let see how its prononced by the French native in France. Try to pronounce " Franche-Comté" (région name). Ask to your teacher, like "un conte".

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hello, thank you for the comment. I know you are trying to help; and I still make mistakes after 20 years in France. Can you give me the time-mark where I mis-pronounce it? I relistened to the recording, expecting to hear me pronouncing 'roncontre', but I didn't hear it. I hear me pronouncing 'rencontre' every time. Or did I misunderstand your comment? Best regards, David

[@gide5489]

​​@@frenchpronunciationdiction9366at 4:44. When you try to say de ren you say de Ron. Your lips position for en is the same as for on. It can't work. Try without nasalisation with a and o. The lips position is the same between a and an on one side and between o and on on the other. Don't trust your ear... And when you are ready try the difference between un (lips like for u) and in (lips like for i). Good luck.

[@sgo5196]

Anglo Canadian saying they were taught Parisian French HAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHA

[@bojens865]

What about the L; not made with tongue tip against top teeth?

[@frenchpronunciationdiction9366]

Hi Bo, the L is harder to make without raising the tip of the tongue, but yes, I make the L without raising the tip of the tongue. However, this is important only in the context of counteracting our natural "English-R reflex." We are not keeping the tip of the tongue stuck to the inside of our lower teeth because the French do it; rather, we are doing it only to help us break that English-R reflex, in which you pull the tip of the tongue back and up to make the R. So, the important part of all of this is keeping the tongue relaxed and forward. And I have found that even the L can be made with a part of the tongue that is about a centimeter or two back from the tip. I'd be interested if you tell me that it is impossible for you to do it that way. And I would reply that that is just fine; please continue making the L the way you have always made it. The important thing is getting over that reflex to pull the tongue back.

[@bojens865]

Thanks, I always appreciate your lessons and advice. I spoke German as a child, so the back R is no problem for me. The notorious orator who rolled his Rs was Austrian! i wish I could to that, to improve my Spanish. Trying to end each French syllable with a vowel, it's often necessary to "assume the position" of the L to start the next syllable without actually sounding it. Not the English L, with the tongue tip at the gum ridge, but rather just touching the top teeth. Of course your placement can be the "go to L" as well, with less shifting of the tongue. I introduced myself to a young lady. She replied,"enchantée, moi, je suis belle!"

[@fluentlistener7496]

Hi Bo, I've started moving my tongue a little higher. I am experimenting with keeping the underside of the tip touching the bottom teeth.