Il pleut – It is raining
To say that it is raining in French, say “il pleut.” This is a tricky phrase for English speakers to pronounce. “Il” = eel. That part is easy. The “pl” sound is just like English. The t is silent. The…
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:…
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…
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…
Sneak Preview of Nallenart.org
Note: Nallenart.org, with all its great benefits, has been updated and relocated to the French Curriculum Club. If you are looking for even more great free French teaching aids, there is much available now at Nallenart.org. The screenshot below offers…
Nasal Sounds in French
Hmmm… nasal sounds? Like somebody snoring? Not exactly! Some French sounds include forcing air through the back of the throat and into the nasal cavities. This cannot be taught by explanation. You need to hear the sounds and try to…
Vowel Sounds in French
French and English share some vowel sounds but others can be quite different. a (short a)sac (SAK) = bag a, â (ah)bas (BAH) = stockinggâteau (gah-TOH) = cakeé, ay, er, ez (long a)bébé (bay-BAY) = babypays (pay-EE) = countryparler (pahr-LAY)…
CH in French
Did you know that the letters CH say “sh” in French? Some English words that have been borrowed from French are pronounced this way, too. Do you know their English meanings? If not, use your dictionary to find out the…
TH in French
Did you know that in French, the letters th say “t,” like the letter T? If you look through the TH section of a French dictionary, many of the words will look familiar to you. That is because many of…