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French final s: practise bus, fils, repas and liaison

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Eight questions on French final s: silent endings, bus /bys/, fils /fis/, threads /fil/ and the /z/ in les amis. Includes a word-and-sound table.

In short

Keep the final /s/ in bus /bys/ and fils /fis/ meaning “son”. Leave it silent in repas /ʁəpa/ and the plural livres /livʁ/. In les amis, the linking sound is /z/: the phrase gives you a different pattern.

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A father and teenage son approach a plain unmarked city bus at a French bus stop after leaving a small café.
The son’s journey brings mon fils prend le bus to life. Illustration: Atelier

When is a final s pronounced in French?

Say these words on their own
WordMeaningIPAWhat happens at the end
un repasa meal/ʁəpa/The written s is silent.
un busa bus/bys/Say /s/.
un filsa son/fis/Say /s/; the l is silent.
des filsthreads/fil/Say /l/; the plural s is silent.
un livre / des livresa book / books/livʁ/The plural adds no sound to the noun.

Mon fils prend le bus après le repas.

My son takes the bus after the meal.

The three key words end /fis/, /bys/, /ʁəpa/. Read the sentence once slowly, then again at a comfortable pace.

The meaning matters for fils. Mon fils is my son, pronounced /fis/. Les fils de cette chemise are the threads of this shirt, pronounced /fil/. For sons, mes fils keeps /fis/. The article and surrounding words help you choose the right meaning.

Eight checks: spelling, meaning and sound

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Which sound matches bus?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /bys/. The word for bus has a pronounced final /s/. This consonant belongs to the word, even in the singular.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    How is fils, meaning “son”, pronounced?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /fis/. For a son, say /fis/: pronounce the final /s/ and leave the written l silent.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Which pronunciation fits the word fils here?Les fils de cette chemise sont très fins.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /fil/. These are threads. The noun keeps /fil/ in the plural; its final written s is silent.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Which noun ends in a pronounced /s/ when said on its own?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    bus. The word for bus ends in /s/. The word for meal ends in /a/, and the word for books ends in /ʁ/.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    What does the spelling un repas show?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    A final written s can belong to a singular noun.. The word for meal keeps its written s in both singular and plural. That final letter is part of the noun’s spelling.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Compare the nouns in un livre and des livres.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Both nouns are pronounced /livʁ/.. The noun sounds the same in singular and plural. The determiner changes to show the number.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Which consonant links les to amis?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /z/. The liaison is /z/. It links the plural article to the following vowel; the complete phrase is /lezami/.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    How does the noun fils sound in this sentence?Mes fils sont à la maison.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /fis/. These are sons, so the noun is /fis/. Changing from one son to several keeps that pronunciation.

When does a final s link to the next word?

le busthe bus

Focus: a final consonant inside the word

Le bus part.
The bus is leaving.

les amisthe friends

Focus: a liaison between two words

Les amis arrivent.
The friends are arriving.

The /s/ in bus stays when the next word begins with a consonant: Le bus part. The /z/ in les amis appears at the boundary before a vowel. Learn number words such as six in complete phrases too: six on its own is /sis/, while six livres begins /si livʁ/.

Il y a six livres sur la table.

There are six books on the table.

Here six has no final /s/. The final s of livres is also silent.

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