1. Topic Introduction
In French, many letters change sound when they come together.
This is called letter combinations.
A single letter may sound one way alone, but when two or more letters join, the pronunciation becomes different.
This is very important because in French:
- we often do not pronounce each letter separately
- we pronounce the whole group as one sound
- one combination can appear in many words
Today we will learn the most important combinations:
AI, EI, AN, AM, EN, EM, ON, OM, OU, AU, EAU
These combinations appear constantly in everyday French.
2. Main Letter Combinations and Rules
AI → sounds like “eh”
Rule
When A + I come together, they usually sound like eh.
Examples
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| la maison | house | meh-zon |
| le pain | bread | peh |
| j’ai | I have | zheh |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| La maison est grande. | The house is big. |
| J’achète du pain. | I buy bread. |
| J’ai un livre. | I have a book. |
EI → also sounds like “eh”
Rule
EI usually has almost the same sound as AI.
Examples
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| seize | sixteen | sez |
| la neige | snow | nehzh |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il a seize ans. | He is sixteen years old. |
| La neige tombe. | Snow is falling. |
AN / EN → nasal sound
Rule
AN and EN produce a nasal sound.
Air comes partly through the nose.
You do not pronounce N separately.
Examples
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| enfant | child | ahn-fahn |
| blanc | white | blahn |
| grand | tall / big | grahn |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| L’enfant dort. | The child sleeps. |
| Le mur est blanc. | The wall is white. |
| Il est grand. | He is tall. |
AM / EM → same nasal sound before M
Rule
Before M, the sound remains nasal.
Examples
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la chambre | room |
| le temps | time / weather |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| La chambre est propre. | The room is clean. |
| Le temps est bon. | The weather is good. |
ON / OM → nasal “ohn”
Rule
ON and OM create another nasal sound.
Examples
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bonjour | hello |
| nom | name |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bonjour monsieur. | Hello sir. |
| Mon nom est Paul. | My name is Paul. |
OU → sounds like “oo”
Rule
OU always sounds like oo.
Examples
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bonjour | hello |
| rouge | red |
| vous | you |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vous êtes ici. | You are here. |
| La voiture est rouge. | The car is red. |
AU → sounds like “o”
Rule
AU usually sounds like o.
Examples
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| chaud | hot |
| aujourd’hui | today |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il fait chaud. | It is hot. |
| Aujourd’hui, je travaille. | Today, I work. |
EAU → also sounds like “o”
Rule
EAU has the same sound as AU.
Examples
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| beau | beautiful / handsome |
| l’eau | water |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| L’eau est froide. | The water is cold. |
| Le jardin est beau. | The garden is beautiful. |
3. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| la maison | feminine | house | meh-zon |
| le pain | masculine | bread | peh |
| la neige | feminine | snow | nehzh |
| l’enfant | masculine | child | ahn-fahn |
| la chambre | feminine | room | shahmbr |
| le temps | masculine | time / weather | tahn |
| le nom | masculine | name | nohn |
| la voiture | feminine | car | vwa-toor |
| l’eau | feminine | water | oh |
| le jardin | masculine | garden | zhar-dan |
4. Mini Paragraph (Memorize)
La maison est grande et belle.
L’enfant mange du pain.
Aujourd’hui, il fait chaud.
La voiture est devant la maison.
L’eau est sur la table.
Meaning:
The house is big and beautiful.
The child eats bread.
Today, it is hot.
The car is in front of the house.
The water is on the table.
5. Memory Practice
Read slowly and focus on sound groups:
La maison
Le pain
La neige
Le temps
Bonjour
L’eau
Beau
Aujourd’hui
Important:
Do not read letter by letter.
Read by sound groups.
Example:
maison = mai + son → meh-zon
That is how French becomes easy.