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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone.
Welcome to The Ultimate French Pronunciation Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn 7 French vowels.
i, y, u, e, ø, o, ə
Some vowels may be hard for you to distinguish, especially for English speakers, so make sure you listen carefully!
Are you ready?
Then let's get started!
The first vowel is...
i
y (here/there/at)
fini (finished)
si (yes)
It's identical to the double E sound in the word 'see'.
i, i (slowly)
i, i (slowly)
The next vowel is...
y
chute (fall)
rue (street)
tu (you [informal])
This is identical to the previous sound except that the lips are rounded.
Try saying the 'ee' in 'see' while rounding your lips.
(pause)
Now listen to Mailys.
y, y (slowly)
y, y (slowly)
The next vowel is...
u
coup (knock/blow/shot)
clown (clown)
roue (wheel)
It's identical to the double OO sound in the word 'boot'.
u, u (slowly)
u, u (slowly)
The next vowel is...
e
marcher (to walk)
chez (at [somebody's home])
pied (foot)
This is similar to the A sound in the word 'play', however, try not to carry over the Y sound too much. Try to relax your jaw, and say it as if your allowing the vowel to spill out from your mouth. Listen to Mailys.
e, e (slowly)
e, e (slowly)
The next vowel is...
ø
jeûner (to fast/abstain from eating)
queue (tail)
ceux (those)
This is identical to the previous sound, except that the lips are rounded.
ø, ø (slowly)
ø, ø (slowly)
The next vowel is...
o
haut (top/high/tall)
tôt (early)
sot (stupid)
This is quite similiar to two previous sounds, except that it's pronounced at the back of the mouth.
It's a little bit like the O sound in the word 'owe', but try not to carry over the W sound too much.
Listen to Mailys.
o, o (slowly)
o, o (slowly)
And the last vowel is...
ə
le (the [singular])
monsieur (sir)
ce (this)
It's identical to the E sound at the end of the word 'problem'.
ə, ə (slowly)
ə, ə (slowly)
Well done! You've just learned 7 vowel sounds in French!
i, y, u, e, ø, o, ə
In the next lesson, you'll learn the remaining 9 French vowel sounds.
Which vowel sound was the most difficult for you to learn? Please comment and share your thoughts.
See you in the next Ultimate French Pronunciation Guide lesson!

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