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French /e/ or /ɛ/? Ten questions on open and closed e

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Compare /e/ in été with /ɛ/ in père, then try ten questions on vowel symbols, spelling clues and verb forms, with an explanation for every answer.

In short

/e/ is the closer vowel in été /ete/; /ɛ/ is the more open vowel in père /pɛʁ/. Both are front vowels with unrounded lips. Use the reference below for the quiz; final-vowel contrasts such as parlé/parlais vary across French accents.

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A father and child enjoying a summer picnic.
Été and père anchor the two vowel sounds. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: two useful reference sets
/e//ɛ/
été · /ete/père · /pɛʁ/
clé · /kle/mère · /mɛʁ/
parlé · /paʁle/parlais · /paʁlɛ/

The last row shows an accent that distinguishes the two verb endings. Some speakers pronounce those endings alike. The spellings and grammatical roles still differ: elle a parlé includes an auxiliary, while elle parlait is one imperfect verb form.

What is the difference between open and closed e?

Elle veut parler. Elle a parlé. Vous parlez.

She wants to speak. She spoke. You are speaking.

All three final verb forms are /paʁle/. The surrounding words choose the spelling.

In the course routine, je me lève ends with /lɛv/, while levé is /leve/. That makes a useful vowel comparison, but the whole words also differ in syllable count. For a one-sound pair, parlé/parlais works in an accent that keeps the ending contrast.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Which symbol labels the vowel in clé /kle/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /e/. The transcription /kle/ ends in /e/, the closer of these two target vowels.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Which word contains /ɛ/ in the reference set?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    père. Père is /pɛʁ/, with the more open vowel /ɛ/ before /ʁ/.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    What changes when you move from /e/ to /ɛ/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    The tongue lowers slightly.. Both vowels are front and unrounded; /ɛ/ has a lower tongue position.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Which word shares the vowel of mère?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    fête. Fête /fɛt/ shares /ɛ/ with mère; the other words contain /e/.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    Are été and père a minimal pair?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    No: their consonants differ too.. A minimal pair differs by one sound. These words have different consonants and syllable counts.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Choose the past participle after the auxiliary.Hier, elle a ___ avec Léa.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    parlé. The completed past construction is elle a parlé, with the participle parlé.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Choose the imperfect form for a past habit.À cette époque, elle ___ avec Léa chaque soir.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    parlait. Elle parlait is the imperfect; chaque soir sets up the past habit here.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    What still distinguishes these sentences if the final verb vowels sound alike?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    The auxiliary and sentence construction. Elle a parlé has auxiliary a plus a participle; elle parlait has one imperfect form.

  9. Question 9No account needed
    Which statement about é and è fits the reference set?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    É commonly gives /e/; è commonly gives /ɛ/.. These are useful spelling clues: été has /e/, and mère has /ɛ/.

  10. Question 10No account needed
    Can every unaccented written e be sorted automatically into /e/ or /ɛ/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    No: it may represent /ə/ or be silent too.. Compare le with schwa /ə/ and the silent final e in table.

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