Our Day 3

Immersion – 3
French Vowel Sounds

Part A
Input time

French	Sound	As in English	Example
a â à	ah	card	la tasse (lah tahs) = cup le gâteau (luh gah – toh) = cake là- bas(lah bah) = over there
e eu	uh	dull (approximate)	le petit (luh puh – tee) = little one la fleur (lah fluhr) = flower
é ez er	ey	may	les cafés (ley kah-fey) = coffee houses le nez (luh ney) = nose parler (pahr- ley) = to speak
è ê ai ei et	eh	set	la mère (lah mehr) = mother la fenêtre (lah fuh-neh-truh) = window clair (klehr) = clean, light coloured la neige (lah nehzh) = snow le secret (luh suh kreh) = secret
i i y	ee	feet	vite (veet) = quickly la gîte (lah zheet) = shelter le/les pays (luh/ley pey-ee) = country/countries
o ô au eau	oh	boat	le mot (luh moh) = word les côtes (ley koht) = ribs l’ hôtel (loh – tehl) = hotel aujourd’ hui (oh – zhoohr-dwee) = today l’eau(f) (loh) = water
o	ohh	love	la pomme (lah pohhm) = apple les bottes (ley bohht) = boots
ou où	ooh	you	l’ amour(m) (lah moohr) = love où (ooh) = where
oi oy	wah	watch	la soie (lah swah) = silk moyen (mwah – yaN) = average
u	ew	----	salut (sah-lew) = hello

Part B
Exercise

1. a, â, à (ah)
mari(mah-ree) = husband
à bientôt (ah byaN-toh) = see you soon
château (shah-toh) = castle

2. e, eu (uh)
le (luh) = the
beurre (buhr) = butter
bleu (bluh) = blue
couleur (kooh – luhr) = colour

3. é, ez, er (ey)
chanter (shahN – tey) = to sing
décembre (dey-sahN-bruh)= December
déjeuner (dey-zhuh-ney) = lunch
le nez (luh ney) = nose

4. è, ê, ai, ei, et (eh)
père (pehr) = father
être (eh-truh) = to be
graine (grehn) = seed
oreille (oh-rehy) = ear
violet (vwa-leh) = violet

5. i, î, y (ee)
dix (dees) = ten
stylo (stee-loh) = pen
joli (zhoh-lee) = pretty
facile (fah-seel) = easy

6. o, ô, au, eau (oh)
bon/bonne (bohN/bohhn) m/f = good
chapeau (shah-poh) = hat
eau(oh) = water
côte (koht) = coast

7. oi,oy (wah)
bonsoir (bohN-swahr) = Good evening
employé (ahN-plawh-yey) = employee
pourquoi (poohr-kwah) = why
savoir (sah-vwahr) = to know

8. u (ew)
sur (sewr)= on, on top of
sud (sewd) = south
sucre (sew-kruh) = sugar
mur (mewr) = wall

9. h
hôtel (oh – tehl) = hotel

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