What is the most difficult sound to pronounce in French for French language learners?

The first sound that a lot of students have a lot of trouble with is the “eur” sound. A lot of French words end in this sound and it’s totally unnatural for non-native speakers. To say it you basically say “eu” (almost pronounced ‘uh’ as as if you were punched in the stomach) and combine it with the French “R”.

Why does French sound so nasally?

French nasal vowels come from nasalization before nasal consonants and the loss of final consonants.

How are vowels pronounced in French?

The majority of French vowels are pronounced closer to the front of the mouth than their English counterparts. The tongue and lips remain tensed through the pronunciation of French vowels, and the sounds remain “pure,” rather than diphthonging into y or w sounds, like English vowels tend to do.

How do you pronounce a nasal vowel?

Nasal vowels are pronounced by passing air through the nose and mouth, in comparison to oral vowels, for which air passes only through the mouth.

Are vowels nasal sounds?

Nasal vowels are produced when air passes through the nose as well as the mouth. English has nasal-like vowels in words such as sing and impossible, but the nasal consonants /n/ and /m/ are still pronounced. The consonant is totally assimilated into the vowel pronunciation.

Does French distinguish between long and short vowels?

Vowels in French are pure vowels, i.e. they are not diphthongs as in American English. The distinction between long and short vowels exists in French, but a few American short vowels do not exist ([ɪ] as in did and [ʊ] as in put) so make sure to never pronounce these vowels when speaking (European) French.

How do you pronounce nasal vowels in French?

Nasal vowels in French can be a bit tricky to understand in everyday speech, but learning how to pronounce them correctly isn’t too difficult. [œ̃] is being replaced with [ɛ̃] in European French; though this distinction is kept in Belgian and Quebecois French A phrase with all nasal vowels is: un bon vin blanc

What are pure vowels in French?

Pure Vowels. Vowels in French are pure vowels, i.e. they are not diphthongs as in American English. Americans pronounce a and e with an extra yuh sound at the end, and o and u with an extra wuh sound at the end. You must not do this in French. The distinction between long and short vowels exists in French,…

Why does French have so many different sounds and vowels?

In French, there are actually more combinations of vowel letters than there are sounds – different combinations of letters and placement in a world will determine a unique sound. Since we all speak our native languages without thinking about the movements in our mouth, you probably can’t feel what direction your tongue is moving when you speak.

How do you pronounce the French vowel y?

The French vowel Y is not super common in French. Except that Y a pronoun – see my lesson on the pronoun Y – and it’s part of a very common French expression: “ il y a “, pronounced “ ya ” in modern spoken French! There are a few exceptions where the Y combines with an A for a È sound, and then still keep another I sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBhzA6GVif0