How to pronounce the letter “
s” in the words “
Sud” and “
choses”? Find out how in this help section.
The sound |
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[s] is very common in French. It is the sound the snake makes: sssss |
The sound |
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[z] is very similar, but much more relaxed. It is the sound the mosquito makes: zzzz. To pronounce it, take a relaxed position, speak slowly, say [s], make a gesture downwards, to accompany the voice as it descends: “deux choses”
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[z] is heard. |
The sound
[z] is very important to mark the plural:
- in the liaison between the determiner and the noun that starts with a vowel
[i, ɛ, a, œ, o, y, u, ɑ̃, õ, ɛ̃]:
les_oiseaux
- of verbs, when using:
ils_ ,
elles_ before a verb that starts with a vowel:
il aime > ils_aiment, elle ouvre > elles_ouvrent, il apporte > ils_apportent, …
The sound
[z] also marks the feminine of adjectives ending in “
s”, “
x” in the masculine form:
compris, heureux, nombreux, français …
The difference between [s] and [z] also allows us to distinguish |
Ils sont (être) / ils_ont (avoir) |
In general, the letter “
s” is pronounced
[s]:
- at the beginning of a word:
sud, solaire, sa
- before a consonant ( = non-vowel sounds
[i, ɛ, a, œ, o, y, u, ɑ̃, õ, ɛ̃]):
Australie, casquette, historique
- at the end of a word:
un sens.
In the middle of a word, between two vowels, there are two possibilities as in the well-known pairs:
poisson / poison, dessert/ désert.
The spelling “
ss” between two vowels indicates the pronunciation
[s].
Suisse, passé, assis, classe