The Right Way to Pronounce French Vowel Sounds | French Phonetics for Beginners

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

🎉 *Membership has just landed* 🎉 Are you ready to take your French to the next level? By joining my channel, you get access to a set of perks. I’ve designed and tailored each level for your unique needs. ⭐ *Associé* As an associate, you get a loyalty badge next to your username when you comment on my videos, and your support allows me to create free content. ⭐ *Conseiller* As a counselor, you have access to the perks of the previous level (loyalty badge), and you get access to one speaking practice video each month. ⭐ *Ambassadeur* As an ambassador, you have access to the perks of previous levels (loyalty badge & 1 speaking practice video each month), and you get access to one listening practice video each month. ⭐ *Président* As a chairman, you have access to the perks of previous levels (loyalty badge, 1 speaking practice video and 1 listening practice video each month), you get 4 days' early access to new videos every week and access to one live-stream Q&A each month. ➡ Become a member to show your support: kzbin.info/door/cNSfOcofBKnzv2VWu-YH8gjoin ⬅

[@aureymari05]

As a person who's learning French on their own you're such a gem. Thank you!!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you very much Aurey! Which video you wish I had on my channel?

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks for watching! Would you like me to make a similar video to explain all the consonant sounds?

[@TheStrataminor]

Hi there Lexie..that would be great! I know these take time to make but you did a great job here!

[@leskennedy111]

Oui!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you so much! I will then :)

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je ferai une vidéo alors :)

[@marcmonnerat4850]

To be pedantic _ami_ and _patte_ are pronounced the same, _ pâte_ is different (at least where I live)

[@thrivewithjenni]

Thank you for this! I lived in Belgium years ago and it would’ve helped me to have been able to watch your videos to learn french. Thank you for the work you’re doing!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you so much for your kindness! I'm focusing on videos I would watch or like to find to help me learn another language 🫶✨

[@franciscojavierveracardena6578]

Thank you very much for the lesson . Merci.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're welcome! Thanks for your comment 🥰

[@wasabi2093]

This is perfect!! Thank you!!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot 🤩

[@chrisshyi8999]

I find myself coming back to your videos again and again to check my pronunciation. Merci beaucoup pour les excellentes vidéos!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je vous en prie ! Like I was saying yesterday to someone else, you need to watch the same videos again and again until the information sink in! I've done it when learning languages, and I'm still doing it!

[@muhammadnisar1796]

Bonjour , i am a begginer of French language and have crazy to learn it , how it will be possible for a Pakistani national and pashto language speaker to understand and speak French fluently, i need all those who are here and reading my comment. Thank you all Muhammad Nisar Assistant professor

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@muhammadnisar1796 You can check out my eBook, it's full of tips to help you learn French: www.learnfrenchwithlexie.com/opt-in

[@SK-vn1od]

Thank you à million ❤ please do another one for the consonants.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome! Here's the link to the consonant video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnrPoqClo758edk

[@lordronn472]

Lexie your English pronunciation is so good! I am not a native speaker but I can definitely hear how clear your pronunciation is

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you very much! It's so nice of you to say that 😊

[@DebopamDey]

Very important lesson as French pronunciation is bit tricky for the beginners, but with the time the learners get used to the rhythm... French is very rythmic n musical. Merci beaucoup pour votre aide. ❤

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you! Pronunciation indeed takes time 🫶✨

[@DebopamDey]

@@LearnFrenchwithLexie Thank u for ur reply... You r showing all the pronunciations skills in details, it's very helpful for the non native French learners. One thing I want to make sure... If I m wrong plz correct me... In case of French pronunciation, we mostly use our facial parts, lips etc rather than the jaws because of the softness of French lang... This is the diff btwn French n English... That is my personal experience... When I read a French text or a French poem... It gives me a heavenly feeling... La vie est une fleur Dont l'amour est le miel

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@DebopamDey You're very welcome. Thank you for all your comments 💕. I honestly love pronunciation, and I like breaking it down into simple steps. In French, we do round the lips a lot for the vowel sounds.

[@DebopamDey]

@@LearnFrenchwithLexie thank u... Yes lips r used for vowels and as per I know the French people use their body language too when they speak

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

​@@DebopamDey We use body language but not more than any other country... Well, I don't think so...

[@حواء-س9ج]

Thank you very much my homework After done I was so excited

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome ✨🫶

[@phatngo1949]

omg this is so helpful for beginners like me. Thank you so so much. Just subscribed your channel!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot for subscribing to my channel! Any video in particular you'd like me to make?

[@dicksonmatabile2730]

Merci beucoup iam impressed

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Merci Dickson 😻🥰🫶

[@GeorgeSabbagh]

Thank you so much.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're welcome 🌺

[@aarushipawar9951]

amazing! thank you so much!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome 🫶✨

[@jimmymelrose]

Although it may be a reasonable guide for learners of French it is incorrect to say that the /i/ is pronounced 'as in 'free'' in English. The English phoneme used in 'free' is /i:/ The two dots signify that it is a longer sound. If it were that easy to substitute then French speakers would not have so many problems with /i:/. You may say that the two are similar but they are not the same. The /i/ is a shorter sound than the /i:/. I would agree that English speakers are probably understood using /i:/ instead of /i/ but it's best to try to shorten the sound.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks for your comment. I totally agree with you David. Although it's similar, it's not exactly the same thing. My goal with this video was to help beginners understand all the French vowel sounds. I plan to make a new, more detailed one, and I'll talk about the /i/ and /u/ sounds, which are shorter than /i:/ as in free and /u:/ as in cool. Have a wonderful Sunday. 🫶✨

[@mexalcorta]

Its identical to the spanish word for "and".

[@hastiahmadi5759]

Thanks Lexie ❤❤❤❤❤

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome 🥰♥💝

[@evabandimatova]

excellent video! every French learner should watch this. merci pour l'énorme effort que vous avez mis dans la préparation de cette vidéo :)

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Mille mercis pour ce gentil message Eva 😍

[@275carreira]

The letter A has 2 sounds (hence 2 different symbols). The words pattes and pâtes are pronounced differently, one is the A postérieure and the other the A antérieure. She should have explained that

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Most, if not all, French speakers, from France, don't make the difference between these two As. They're both pronounced the same nowadays.

[@ronaldfabian5752]

ove been looking for this....merci beacoup

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je vous en prie Ronald 😉🫶

[@mrbolsita1470]

the video is clearrrr but as someone who had no idea about all french sounds, is confusing. There are like five types of o/u sounds

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you! What would you have liked me to do to make this video less confusing?

[@mrbolsita1470]

@@LearnFrenchwithLexiethank you for replaying Lexie!!! Maybe a table comparing all the sounds could have made it clearer hehehe

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@mrbolsita1470 In the newest version of this video, there is a table. Please let me know if this makes things clearer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3eriaOHmquqhc0 🫶✨

[@GennadiCitrus]

VERY helpful

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot 😻🫶✨

[@leskennedy111]

Lexie, thank you so much!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're welcome Lesley! :)

[@shaoyunhsu]

Thank you soooo much!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome Shaoyun 🫶

[@franciscojavierveracardena6578]

Is true in french most people only use three sounds vowel nasal ?

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Yes, in France, most people use only three nasal vowels

[@LanaBa-r9f]

Merci❤

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je vous en prie Lana 💕

[@MiaQuinanola]

Excellent

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot Mia 🫶

[@ollifrank6255]

As a Portuguese speaker, what confuses me is that “an”and “en” are Not only equal but are not a nasal “a”, as indicated, but go towards nasal o, it is very unique. Then, “on” is really a rounded nasal “o”. But “in” is not a nasal “in”, like in Portuguese sim, but actually a nasal a, like in rã or fã, the latter actually sounding like French fin.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

To learn how to pronounce AN in French, the easiest is to start from the oral vowel A 😉

[@Chrystalis]

As a turk , ɶ / œ / ø / and some nasal vowels so easy for me but It's really hard to say words one after the other, it feels like your chest is tightening while talking.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

One problem I notice with beginners is that they want to speak too fast. It's better to speak slowly and make sure you articulate each word/syllable. Over time, your speaking rhythm will improve. 💪🫶✨

[@syedshamimrazazaidi]

Bonjour, Can you give your first lesson?

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Bonjour, you can send me an email for private lessons ([e-mail]). 😊

[@papachen5828]

Hi, teacher😊merci. One question: that means /ə / /ø/ pronounce the same sound?

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Yes, they are 😊

[@papachen5828]

Merci beaucoup ☺️ Lexie

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@papachen5828 Je vous en prie ♥

[@Faith.M22]

Merci ✨

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je vous en prie Faith 🫶

[@muhammadnisar1796]

Bonjour , i am a begginer of French language and have crazy to learn it , how it will be possible for a Pakistani national and pashto language speaker to understand and speak French fluently, i need all those who are here and reading my comment. Thank you all Muhammad Nisar Assistant professor

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You can check out my eBook, it's full of tips to help you learn French: www.learnfrenchwithlexie.com/opt-in

[@muhammadnisar1796]

Thank you madam for your prompt response and valuable time.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@muhammadnisar1796 No worries 😉🫶✨

[@prashantdwivedi5679]

I'm intrested learn to french

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're at the right place! I have plenty of videos to help you learn French 🫶✨

[@JR-sb6mj]

❤

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

😻🥰💕

[@dulceurzua8254]

Thank you . I'll see you every day

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thank you 😍😍😍

[@tsewangspaldon9694]

Bonjour

[@tsewangspaldon9694]

Ok

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Bonjour! Comment ça va?

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

😊😊@@tsewangspaldon9694

[@ImKezo-kq4pq]

I always listten to music in French and sometimes to videos and I got all the sounds over time, I learned them already and can pronounce and sing some music in French but I can't speak the language

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Listening to music is a great way to train your ears. In order to keep learning and improving you also need to push yourself and do things outside of your confort zone. You can download my free eBook "The Key to learning French" to help you improve your speaking skills: www.learnfrenchwithlexie.com/opt-in

[@TeTtheSeenWow0411]

Œ

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Are you talking about how to pronounce "œ" in words or the sound [œ]? As it's a common mistake to mix up alphabet letters and sounds. Would you like me to make a video about the difference between letters and sounds?

[@hastiahmadi5759]

Thanks Lexie ❤❤❤❤❤

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome 🥰♥💝

[@deluxe2972]

i’m having trouble pronouncing the sound [œ] help anyone???

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

If you want to learn to pronounce the [œ] sound correctly, you can check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJKvnoiIiqaJlbc

[@tolgaseyrek1982]

i forget that i know things

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Even if you forget, the information is still there 😉

[@konekopawa9039]

Can you do a French rounded lip vowel comparison? Sounds like ou (in bonjour), au (the o vowel), e (in je) or eu. They sound really similar to me. I guess they differ in the roundedness of the lip and the tongue position. It would be good to have a video comparing them side by side. In another video, I see people think the French o sound is the same as English oo sound, even though they are quite different to French speakers, so it is not just me who have troubles distinguishing these sounds. Thanks!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

The outside of the mouth is the same for all these rounded vowels. The difference comes from tongue position. I'll prepare a video 😉

[@konekopawa9039]

@@LearnFrenchwithLexie merci beaucoup!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

@@konekopawa9039 Je vous en prie 💕

[@annafontes5307]

I've just bumped into you channel and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I believe it's extremely important to learn phonetics in order to know how to speak a language properly. Excellent video. Thank you so much. I'm watching you from Brazil. Keep up the good work!!!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot Anna! I'm glad you love my phonetic videos! I really appreciate your comment! xx

[@kurku3725]

yeah, it's like the first thing you need to do like the level of immersion that it brings is insane you can play with words and sounds and the process of bootstrapping yourself into the language starts to be enjoyable

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

This is so true! Phonetics really help improving your pronunciation and allows you to play with words and sounds 🔥. @@kurku3725

[@Miramardramalatino]

Thank you so much I learned French for a long ago in my school but didn't understand the pronouncing like now after watching your video , thank you so much

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're very welcome! I'm glad the video helped you understanding French pronunciation :)

[@chenghe245]

very helpful, very good! thank you for this video.谢谢！xiexie!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're welcome! Thank you for your comment 🫶✨

[@worldview730]

This seems like the root of mastering this language, so I will focus here

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Phonetic is very important! Next week, I have a video coming on how to pronounce the vowels in the alphabet and in French words, including all the letter combinations for you to be able to read any word in French 💞

[@worldview730]

Great thanks@@LearnFrenchwithLexie

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

No worries 🫶@@worldview730

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Hello prof Lexie, I like and very much enjoy your lesson on pronunciation. Yes, I have subscribed to your channel. Merci beaucoup.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot :)))

[@qwerty17419]

I have a doubt in the word devoir it's the upside down e that's present in the ipa but I don't hear the uhh sound. I hear the sound as in bed so shouldn't there be the closed sound e instead of the upside down one

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

In devoir, E is pronounced [ə] and not [e]. For E to be pronounced [e] when placed inside a word and followed by another syllable, it would need to have an acute accent (é) or followed by a double consonant as in "tennis" [te.nis] (tennis) and "cellule" [se.lyl] (cell). If you don't hear the sound [ə], it's probably because your ears don't hear French sounds clearly, it takes time to train your ears. You can watch this video on how to learn French on your own, it has a chapter on listening skills, check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpS0YXl6bdSWpLM

[@DummyBt-uk2gy]

Kindly male similiar for all the sounds.appreciate that

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Here's the second part with all the other sounds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnrPoqClo758edk

[@AlideEricsonMwandila]

How can I be part of your channel to take french to another level

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You can either click on the join button, next to the subscribe button on my KZbin channel, or you can click on this link: kzbin.info/door/cNSfOcofBKnzv2VWu-YH8gjoin 🫶✨

[@franciscojavierveracardena6578]

I knew some phonemes, which are used in English as well.

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Exactly!

[@maridedivya]

yes please

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks! Here is the link to the video on the consonant sounds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnrPoqClo758edk

[@DummyBt-uk2gy]

Great content for beginner

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Thanks a lot 😍

[@LucrezioFazzio]

Merci beaucoup madame☺

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Je vous en prie 🫶✨

[@shaabanmutale]

Merci tre bien

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Merci beaucoup 💕

[@kellyoshea2110]

Hello!! Can you sound out French words letter by letter? I know you have the French alphabet with the letter word but do your letters have sounds that are attributed to them? I think French has a lot of digraphs where you have two or three letters (typically vowels) together but you do not hear every letter sound, right? Like you cannot go and pronounce every letter sound individually with when you have vowels together? So when you have vowels together you do not hear each letter sound individually but as one distinct sound? So if I have a word that has some vowels in it and then two or three vowels in the middle and then ends with a consonant, I cannot go and try to sound out the word because the vowels in French when put together make only one sound? You can go and try to sound out each and every vowel. It just doesn’t work like that in French. And also, do French vowels have official sounds attributed to them like how we have in English? Thanks so much for your help and I hope I am not being too confusing 🫤 I would really love to hear what you have to say about this as this has been ruminating in my head. I am trying to relearn French as I am taking a trip out there. I took it for 4 years in high school but I think I am just overthinking it and trying to learn French like how I learned English growing up. (I am a native English speaker)

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

Good morning Kelly! No, you can’t really sound out French words letter by letter as there are many silent letters and letter combinations. Our letters have sounds attributed to them, but sometimes more than one. For example some consonants have soft and hard pronunciation (G and C). Same for the vowels, A, I and U when alone are quite straightforward but E and O can be pronounced differently. Mixing up the letters of the alphabet and the sounds from the phonetic alphabet is a common mistake. There are in French straightforward letters, for example B is pronounced [b], but as you mentioned it, we have many letter combinations, mostly vowels that when together make one sound only. For example, OU are pronounced [u], similar to OO in the English word “boot”, and AU are pronounced [o] (close O). I will prepare a video on letters vs sounds, and explain how each letter is pronounced and include letter combinations. I hope I answered all your questions, if not don’t hesitate to tell me :) Here a video to understand some pronunciation rules: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpy4XqqXYtFnn80 Here a video to understand silent letters: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opDYdIiQr6uVeNU Here to learn some letter combinations: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j33GY5KVhrGNoLs

[@kellyoshea2110]

Right, so you can say in French there are a lot of digraphs just like how their are a lot in English? Like you said the vowles OU make the OO sound as in the English word boot. When approaching a word that has an OU in it I cannot pronounce the individual letter sounds attributed to each letter because then it would not make a word and make no sense. So that is how I should approach almost all vowels and think of them as digraphs? And with digraphs you cannot say the letter sounds of each letter and then try to put those sounds together, no, because for some reason you get a completely different sound than the letters that you see, right? You cannot sound out French words letter by letter, just like in English, their are tons of words you cannot sound out letter by letter because they contain digraphs… I guess I am thinking too much about the phonics of French because, I myself, am an elementary school teacher and I teach kids how to read and phonics. And it has been 10 years since I took French and I was thinking that oh I could learn French easy because know I am more mature and should learn the letter sounds of each letter in French and then sound the word out , but it does not work that way in French, and neither does it work that way in English. Some English words you can sound out but most you can’t. Thank you so much!!!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You’re absolutely right Kelly! When you see a word, you should always think of vowels being pronounced together as one sound and sometimes two if one of them is a semi-vowel. For example, O by itself is pronounced [o] or [ɔ] (close or open O) and I is pronounced [i] (as EE is the English word “see”); but OI together are pronounced [wa]… As you said it, you get a completely different sound! Wether it’s in English or in French, you can’t sound out words letter by letter. English and French both have many silent letters and digraphs. I honestly think that focusing on phonetic and pronunciation rules (silent letters, digraphs…) is the right method. This would help you pronounce almost any word in French. And you're very welcome 🫶 @@kellyoshea2110

[@kellyoshea2110]

Thank you so much! Got it!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

No worries Kelly! Anytime 🫶@@kellyoshea2110

[@咩喔]

Such an detailed guidance, thank you so much!

[@LearnFrenchwithLexie]

You're welcome. Thank you for your kind words 🫶✨