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French qu pronunciation: /k/ in qui, /kw/ in aquarium

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read common French qu words with /k/, keep the u silent in qui and quatre, and remember aquarium. Eight questions and four picture cards.

In short

French qu usually represents /k/: qui /ki/, quatre /katʁ/ and quand /kɑ̃/. The u adds no vowel in these words. Learn aquarium /akwaʁjɔm/ as a useful exception with /kw/.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A tranquil aquarium with a few simple fish swimming among green aquatic plants, viewed from a quiet French living room, no people or labels.
Aquarium is a useful exception to the usual qu sound. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: letters and sounds
WordSoundMeaning
qui/ki/who
quelle/kɛl/which (feminine)
quatre/katʁ/four
quand/kɑ̃/when
l’aquarium/akwaʁjɔm/the aquarium

In qui, say /k/ followed straight away by /i/. In quatre, the qu also supplies just /k/; the /tʁ/ belongs to the end of the word. In aquarium, /w/ glides into /a/ within the syllable.

Find the qu spelling inside the word

Au guichet
  1. Agent

    Pour quelle date ?

    For which date?

  2. Client

    Pour vendredi. Il reste quatre places ?

    For Friday. Are there four seats left?

  3. Agent

    Oui. À quelle heure voulez-vous partir ?

    Yes. What time would you like to leave?

How do you pronounce qu in French?

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Which pronunciation fits qui?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /ki/. The usual qu spelling gives /k/ here; the following i gives /i/.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    How many syllables does qui have?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    One.. Qui /ki/ contains one vowel nucleus, so it has one syllable.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Which sound does qu supply in quatre?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /k/. The u adds no vowel or glide in the common pronunciation /katʁ/.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Which word has /kw/ in the model above?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    l’aquarium. Aquarium is the lexical exception shown here: /akwaʁjɔm/.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    What does quand mean in this question?Tu pars quand ?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    When?. Quand asks about time; its common word pronunciation begins /kɑ̃/.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Choose the correct feminine question word.À ___ heure partez-vous ?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Quelle. Heure is feminine, so the adjective is quelle, pronounced /kɛl/.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Which word finishes with the sound sequence /sk/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    le disque. In disque /disk/, qu supplies /k/ after /s/; the final written e is silent.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    What is the w in /akwaʁjɔm/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    A glide into the next vowel.. The /w/ is part of the spoken /kw/ sequence and leads directly into /a/.

Sources and further reading

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