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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone.
Welcome to The Ultimate French Pronunciation Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn 3 French consonants.
ɲ, ʁ, ɥ
These consonant sounds do not appear in English, so they'll likely be new to you.
Be sure to practice them because these are the unique sounds that learners often get wrong!
Are you ready?
Then let's get started!
The first consonant is...
ɲ
agneaux (lamb)
montagne (mountain)
campagne (countryside)
Let's break this consonant down.
(alveolo-palatal/palatal nasal) Raise your tongue so that the middle or blade of the tongue touches the roof of your mouth.
It kind of sounds like a combination between the n and y sounds in the English word 'canyon'.
Here's a great tip. Try to think of it as pronouncing a regular English N sound, but instead of using the tip of your tongue, try to use the blade -- or the middle part of your tongue.
ɲ, ɲ (slowly)
ɲ, ɲ (slowly)
The next consonant is...
ʁ
roue (wheel)
rester (stay)
riz (rice)
Let's break this consonant down.
(voiced uvular fricative) Do you know that fleshy part that hangs down from the roof of your mouth?
Narrow that section with the back part of your tongue and push air through it until you start making a sound.
It sounds a bit like the noise you make when you're gargling.
This sound is voiced, meaning you should feel vibrations coming from your throat and chest.
ʁ, ʁ (slowly)
ʁ, ʁ (slowly)
The final consonant for this lesson is...
ɥ
huit (eight)
puy (volcanic mountain)
(labialized palatal approximant) This is like a y sound but with rounded lips.
Try saying y while rounding your lips.
If that doesn't work, try rounding your lips first, and then making the y sound.
ɥ, ɥ (slowly)
ɥ, ɥ (slowly)
Well done! You just learned all 3 of the trickiest French consonants.
ɲ, ʁ, ɥ
These consonant sounds don't appear in English, so be sure to practice them!
You now know all of the sounds that could possibly be pronounced in French!
How difficult were they to learn? Please comment and share your thoughts.
See you in the next Ultimate French Pronunciation Guide lesson!

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