Pronunciation/ The "p," "v" and "b" sounds
A1 Breakthrough
What do you think of French consonants? Awful, normal, rather / really beautiful? You don't know?
| Is the difference between | beauté and | voter impossible, difficult, easy to hear? |
| Is the difference between | beau and | peau or | veau impossible, difficult, easy to pronounce? |
In your opinion, which is the most awful consonant? Have you ever observed a French-speaker's lips as they speak? The [b] is a deep, lax consonant that is pronounced with the lips, as if you were about give a child a kiss on the cheek. The mouth is closed, the lips are rounded and slightly pushed forward.
| The sound | [b] is written: b |
| The sound | [v] is written: v |
| The sound | [p] is written: generally, p, less often pp (grippe). |
You can imitate the examples: - when repeating the example, try saying it fast and slow, yelling and whispering it; - try repeating in time with the example, as precisely as possible.