zh – an unusual sound

The sound that is sometimes represented by zh in phonetic notation is fairly rare in English. In English, we use the zh sound in: g in beige s in usual In French, it is the sound made by the letter j: je (I) jambon (ham) jardin (garden) It is also the soft sound made by the … Read more

u says "oo," almost

The French u sound is different from any sound we have in English. It is very close to the “oo” sound in food, but not exactly the same. To make the French u sound shape your tongue and teeth as if you are going to say “ee” and shape your lips as if you are … Read more

é says "ay"

Sometimes French uses accents to show what kind of sound a certain letter should have. In French é says “ay.” Here are some é words for you to translate. bébé (bay-BAY)téléphone (tay-lay-FUN)éléphant (ay-lay-FAH)café (ca-FAY)télévision (tay-lay-vee-ZYOH) Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9. * Please note that these guides give only … Read more

a says "a" in sack

In French, the letter a makes a short sound like the a in sack. Can you translate these French words based on their sound? sac (sak)radio (rad-YOH)carotte (ca-RUT)table (TA-bluh)salade (sa-LAD) Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9. * Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real … Read more

i says "ee"

The letter i says “ee” in French, as in the name Lisa. Here are some French words that use the “ee” sound made by the letter i. Can you tell what these words mean in English? tigre (TEE-gruh)appétit (a-pay-TEE)favori (fa-voh-REE)Bible (BEE-bluh)girafe (zhee-RAF)* Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9. * … Read more

French Fact: Bilingual Canada

Did you know that Canada has two official languages? They are English and French. The Official Languages Act states that: “the Constitution of Canada provides that English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament … Read more