Guide to French Pronunciation
For those unfamiliar with French phonetics, here's a practical guide to help you appreciate the music of French names:
Essential French Sounds
Vowels: - a: Like "ah" in "father" (Papa) - e: Can be silent, or like "uh" (le), "ay" (été), or "eh" (être) - i: Like "ee" in "meet" (Marie) - o: Like "oh" in "go" (beau) or "aw" in "law" (port) - u: No English equivalent—purse lips as for "oo" but say "ee" (Luc) - ou: Like "oo" in "moon" (tout)
Special Vowel Combinations: - ai/ei: Like "eh" in "let" (fait, neige) - au/eau: Like "oh" in "go" (château) - eu/œu: No English equivalent—like German "ö" (feu, cœur) - oi: Like "wah" (roi)
Consonants with Special Rules: - c: Before e/i, like "s" (Céline); otherwise like "k" (Claude) - ç: Always like "s" (François) - g: Before e/i, like "zh" in "treasure" (Georges); otherwise like "g" in "go" (Gaston) - h: Usually silent (Henri sounds like "on-REE") - j: Like "zh" in "treasure" (Jacques) - r: Pronounced in the throat, softer than English "r" - -s, -x, -z: Usually silent at word ends (Charles, deux) - ll: After i, often like "y" (Camille = "kah-MEE")
Nasal Vowels (vowel + n/m): - an/en: Nasal "ah" (Jean) - in/ain: Nasal "eh" (Martin) - on: Nasal "oh" (Léon) - un: Nasal "uh" (Lebrun)