French

Study the whole book, but also pay special attention to the topics outlined below. These are the common areas of difficulty for native French speakers.

Consonants

The Letter h

Make sure you pronounce the h sound at the beginning of words. The h is always pronounced in English except in these common words: hour, honest, honor, herb, heir, exhaust, vehicle, and ghost.

Word Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair differently:

Native French speakers also have a tendency to insert an /h/ sound where there shouldn’t be one.

Practice Sentences

1. Henry hardly ever has a headache.
2. Perhaps he hasn’t heard of the hypothesis.
3. Have you ever eaten homemade Hungarian food?
4. I hope his habit doesn’t make him an alcoholic.
5. The horror movie had a horrible ending.

The Final s

In French, the s at the end of words is almost always silent. Make sure that you clearly pronounce all of the s endings when speaking English.

Confusing th with /s/ or /z/

Review the exercises for these sounds in Chapter Four. Be especially careful with words that have a th and s sound near each other, such as thousand and south.

Word Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you don’t pronounce these pairs of words the same:

The /r/ Sound

When it appears at the end of a word or before another consonant, the /r/ sound may pose some difficulties for the native French speaker. Review the explanations and exercises for the /r/ sound in Chapter Four. Make sure you pronounce the final /r/ at the end of words.

Word Pairs for Practice

Make sure you don’t pronounce these pairs of words the same:

The /l/ Sound

Make sure you don’t quickly release the tip of your tongue for the l at the end of words. This will cause you to over-pronounce the /l/. The American /l/ sound is softer and longer than the French, and the tip of the tongue is more relaxed. Review the exercises for the American /l/ sound in Chapter Four.

Pronouncing ing

Over-pronouncing ing is another common mistake French speakers make. Be sure not to release the /g/ sound in words that end with ing, such as going and doing. Review the rules for this sound in Chapter Four.

Vowels

It is recommended that you study all of the American vowel sounds in detail. (See Chapters One and Two.) However, pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for French speakers of English.

The /eɪ/ Sound

The /eɪ/ sound (as in take) doesn’t exist in French, so French speakers generally pronounce it as /ɛ/. Thus, the words take and tech end up sounding the same. Pay special attention to this vowel sound when it’s at the end of words. Listen to the way that Americans pronounce French words such as fiancé, resumé and bouquet. You will hear two vowel sounds at the end. For the word stay, instead of “sté,” say “steiii.”

Word Contrasts for Practice

Make sure that you pronounce the words in each pair differently:

The /ɔ/ Sound

Be careful that your /ɔ/ sound (as in saw) is not influenced by the very different British version of this sound. In British English pause sounds almost like “pose,” but in American English it sounds much more like /pɑz/, and has the same /ɑ/ sound as in father or watch.

Word Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair differently.

The /I/ Sound

You might have a tendency to pronounce /I/ (as in sit) incorrectly. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:

The /ɘ/ Sound

You might confuse /ɘ/ as in fun, with /ɑ/ as in hop. Practice pronouncing the following words differently:

The /ʊ/ Sound

Do not make the common error of confusing /ʊ/ as in good, with /u/ as in food. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:

Similar Words in French and English

One of the biggest challenges for French speakers is the fact that there are many same or very similar words in English and French. Beware! Usually they are pronounced quite differently. People may have a hard time understanding you if say them with French pronunciation. Usually the difference is in syllable stress and vowel sound. You must simply get into the habit of looking up the pronunciation of these words and listening to native speakers of English.

Here is a sample of some of these words that exist in both languages but have different pronunciations. Test yourself by saying them in English. If you are not sure about their pronunciation, look them up in an audio dictionary.

develop, science, subject, professor, depend, specific, services, normal, realize, important

Syllable Stress

Chapter Five is particularly important for native French speakers. It will make you aware of the big differences between the rules of French and English word stress and vowel reduction. Review the explanations and exercises there.

Word Stress

In French, speakers stress the adjective more than the noun. In English it’s the opposite. It’s especially important for you to study all the rules of word stress in Chapter Six.

Similarly, in French one tends to stress the first content word of a phrase or a sentence; in English the last content word gets the most stress.

Other common word stress errors:

Study all of the other rules of word stress in Chapters Five through Eight and practice the exercises over and over.

Intonation

There’s a tendency for French speakers to use rising intonation or wavering intonation. Study the rules of intonation in Chapter Seven.  Wrong intonation can make you sound hesitant, doubtful, or even sarcastic.  
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