French I: Consonants

Consonants

The French consonants in Table 1 are pronounced the same as they are in English: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, z. Most final French consonants remain unpronounced except for c, r, f, and l (think of the word ca re fu l). When in doubt, consult a good dictionary.

TABLE 1

Consonant Sounds

Consonant	Sound
c + a, o, u	c as in car
c + e, I	s as in sent
ch	sh as in ma chine
g + a, o, u; gu + e, i, y	g as in go
g + e, I; ge + a, o	zh as in mea sure
gn	ny as in u nion
j	zh as in mea sure
h	always silent
q and qu	k as in kind
r	no equivalent — the sound is gutteral and pronounced at the back of the throat as if gargling
s between two vowels and the s in - sion	z as in zero
t in - tion	s as in sea
th	t as in tea
x (before vowel)	eg as in l eg
x (before consonant)	xc as in e xcel