Pronunciation
How to pronounce the famous “ R ” letter? Why French-speaking people write “ il y a ” but say “ y'a ” ? These aids provide you with examples to listen and tips to better understand French-speaking people and improve your pronunciation.
Pronunciation / Pronouncing the "e"
A1 Breakthrough
The silent "e" is an unstable vowel.
- At the end of sentences: it is not pronounced.
Example:
"J'ai pas envie".
- At the beginning of a sentence: it is pronounced.
Example:
- At the beginning of a sentence: it is pronounced.
Example:
"Je peux pas sortir".
- In the middle of a sentence: it is pronounced to avoid hearing 3 different consonants in a row.
Example:
- In the middle of a sentence: it is pronounced to avoid hearing 3 different consonants in a row.
Example:
"Ma chemise me boudine".
By contrast:
"on commandera" .
- Before a word that starts with a vowel: it is neither pronounced nor written, it is replaced by an apostrophe ( ' ).
e (ce, de, je, le, me, ne, te, se, que → c', d', j', l', m', n', t', s', qu')
Examples:
- Before a word that starts with a vowel: it is neither pronounced nor written, it is replaced by an apostrophe ( ' ).
e (ce, de, je, le, me, ne, te, se, que → c', d', j', l', m', n', t', s', qu')
Examples:
"j’ai l’air d’une…"
"On s’excuse"
"On n'a qu'à dire".
- This phenomenon called "elision" also occurs with vowel sounds "a" and "i".
a (la → l' "l'étudiante")
i (si il → s'il "s'il vous plait")
Note: the singer is using the type of negation generally used in the spoken language. He doesn't pronounce the "ne" part of the "ne pas" form.
Example:
Je peux pas → Je ne peux pas
J'ai pas envie → Je n'ai pas envie