Pronunciation / The letter “s”

A1 Breakthrough
How to pronounce the letter “s” in the words “oiseau” and “histoire”? Find out how in this help section.
How to pronounce the letter “s” in the words “Sud” and “choses”? Find out how in this help section.
The sound
[s] is very common in French. It is the sound the snake makes: sssss
The sound
[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
Audio file
    [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
Audio file
[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].
Audio file
Suisse, passé, assis, classe

Practical exercises

Pronunciation: letter "s"

A1
5 exercises
Listen • Pronunciation (sounds / consonants - r, p, b...)