159 pages
Pronunciation & listening
French sounds, liaison and rhythm, and how to hear them.
ArticleB1
French rhythm: what syllable-timed means in real phrases
French rhythm gives syllables a relatively even flow while group endings and emphasis change their length. Compare short phrases and count sounds, not letters.
Cheat sheetA2
French x pronunciation: /ks/ in taxi, /gz/ in examen
Learn the two consonant sequences in taxi and examen, sort familiar x words, and keep final x separate with a compact sheet and four questions.
ArticleB1
Listening to French without translating every word: follow the message
Practise following French in chunks: catch the action, track ça and notice mais. Work through a changed meeting time and a parent’s wish, with a quiz.
ArticleA2
French accent marks: sounds, spellings and useful examples
Read é, è, ê, ë and ç in familiar French words. Compare pronunciation clues with meaning changes in a/à and ou/où, then check your choices.
ArticleB1
Do pâte and patte sound different? French a across varieties
Compare pâte and patte in a traditional two-vowel model and in merged speech. Use pictures, sentence context and four questions to keep the words clear.
ArticleB1
French pauses: where to break a longer message
Group French speech by meaning: keep linked words together, separate stages of a message and practise choosing useful pause points in short announcements.
ArticleA2
French /ɥ/: pronounce the glide in huit, nuit and lui
Find the shared glide in huit, nuit and lui. Compare /ɥ/ with French u and oui, practise short phrases and check the spellings and syllables.
ArticleB1
French consonant assimilation: why je pense can start with a ch sound
Follow the two changes in casual je pense: a vowel drops and neighbouring consonants interact. Compare absent and anecdote, then check the process.
ArticleA2
French final consonants: check the word, then the phrase
Is the last consonant silent? Compare chat, sac and fil, check petit/petite, and separate a word’s ending from liaison in a short quiz.
ArticleB1
Why familiar French words sound different in a new voice
Connect known French words to a new voice. Compare full and reduced phrases, check the wording, and use the same message to focus on speaker differences.
ArticleA2
Beau or bon? French oral and nasal vowels in useful pairs
Compare beau/bon and paix/pain, then follow a short family tea-time scene. See how bon, bonne and peinte have three different vowel-and-consonant patterns.
ArticleB1
French transcripts and speech: why the words seem different
Compare ordinary spelling, casual speech and edited transcripts through a café exchange, a correction and four questions on what the text preserves.
ArticleA1
French /j/: say yeux and pied in one syllable
Understand the /j/ glide in yeux, pied and fille. Compare it with written j in jour, see where it sits in a syllable, and practise with picture words.
ArticleA1
French b and v: close your lips for beau, use your teeth for veau
Compare beau/veau, bas/va and boire/voir. See how your lips make b and v, then practise choosing useful words in short French sentences.
ArticleA1
French u vs ou: say tu and tout with different vowels
Learn the mouth positions for French u /y/ and ou /u/. Compare tu/tout, rue/roue and vu/vous, then check the sound labels in a short quiz.
