French I: Vowels - CliffsNotes

Vowels

Some vowels in French have multiple pronunciations determined by specific linguistic rules, letter combinations, and/or accent marks, as shown in Table 1 . You can always find exceptions, however, so when in doubt, consult a dictionary. In addition, expect sounds that are unfamiliar when vowels appear in combinations.

TABLE 1

Vowels and their Sounds

Vowel	Sound
a, à, â	ah as in m a
e, final er and ez, es in some one-syllable words, some ai and et combinations	ay as in d ay
e in one syllable words or in the middle of a word followed by one consonant	uh as in th e
è, ê, and e (plus two consonants or a final pronounced consonant), et, ei, ai	eh as in g et
i, î, y, ui	i as in magaz ine
ill or il when preceded by a vowel	y as in you o (before se)
o (last pronounced sound of word) ô, au, eau	o as in g o
o when followed by a pronounced consonant other than s	oh as in l ove
ou, où, oû	oo as in b oot
oy, oi	wah as in watch
u, ù, û	no English equivalent – try saying ew with lips rounded.