C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First StepsLes sons: How French Letters Sound Together
C1.1 C1.3About 35 minutes
Learning goals- I can read common French letter teams like ou, oi, on, an, eau and ch.
- I can tell that many letters at the end of a French word are silent.
- I can use sound patterns to read new French words.
- I can use spelling patterns to guess what a word might mean.
Words to know
un son
A sound.
letter team
Two or three letters that make one sound together, like ou or eau.
silent letter
A letter you write but do not say, like the t in chat.
nasal sound
A sound that goes partly through your nose, like on in bonjour or an in maman.
pattern
Something that repeats, so you can use it again and again.
A puzzle to start
Read this French word the English way: trois (three). Did you say "troys"? In French, it sounds like "trwah"!
French uses the same letters as English, but some letters join together to make new sounds. Once you know these letter teams, you can read lots of French words, even words you have never seen.
Sound rule 1: Many last letters are silent
In French, the last consonant of a word is often not said. A plain e at the end is usually quiet too.
- chat (cat) sounds like "shah"
- petit (small) sounds like "puh-tee"
- trois (three) sounds like "trwah"
- vert (green) sounds like "vair"
- rouge (red) sounds like "roozh"
Careful: some last letters are said, often c, r, f and l. Think of the English word CaReFuL: avec (with), bonjour, neuf (nine), Noël. This tip works often, but not always. (In chanter, to sing, the r is silent.)
On its own, the letter h is always silent in French (in ch it teams up with c to say "sh"): hiver (winter) sounds like "ee-vair".
Three red apples in the snow: trois pommes rouges dans la neige. In trois and rouges, the last letters are silent: "trwah" and "roozh". AI-generated imageMany last letters are silent (faded). Last c, r, f and l are often said: think CaReFuL.| Letter team | Sounds like | Example words |
|---|
| ou | oo (as in zoo) | rouge (red), douze (twelve), jour (day) |
| oi | wah | trois (three), moi (me), noir (black) |
| au / eau | oh | jaune (yellow), chaud (hot), gâteau (cake), beau (nice) |
| ch | sh | chat (cat), chien (dog), chaud (hot) |
| qu | k | quatre (four), qui (who) |
| é / er / ez (at the end) | ay | été (summer), papier (paper), nez (nose) |
| on | ohn (nasal) | bonjour (hello), onze (eleven), non (no) |
| an / en | ahn (nasal) | maman (mom), blanc (white), enfant (child) |
| in / ain | an (nasal, as in bag through your nose) | lapin (rabbit), main (hand), cinq (five) |
| gn | ny (as in canyon) | montagne (mountain), champignon (mushroom) |
Sound rule 2: Soft c and soft g
- c before e or i sounds like s: cinq (five), ciel (sky), merci.
- g before e or i sounds like zh: rouge, girafe.
- Before a, o or u, c and g are hard: café, gomme (eraser), gâteau.
What is a nasal sound?
For on, an, en, in, do not say the n out loud like in English. Instead, let the air go out through your nose. Try this: hold your nose and say bonjour. If the "bon" part feels buzzy, you are doing it!
Worked exampleLet's sound out a word together
Read the word poisson (fish).
- Break it into parts: poi - sson.
- p + oi = p + "wah" = "pwah".
- ss between two vowels sounds like s. on is nasal "ohn".
- Put it together: "pwah-sohn".
poisson sounds like "pwah-SOHN" and means fish.
Worked exampleLet's use a spelling pattern to guess a meaning
You know an means year. Now you see the words année and anniversaire in a birthday card. What could they mean?
- Look for the part they share: an.
- an is about years. A word that starts with an- might also be about years.
- année = year (the whole year). anniversaire = a birthday, the day you turn one year older.
- Check with the picture: a cake with candles! That fits.
Words that share a spelling pattern often share a meaning. an, année, anniversaire are all about years.
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chat (cat), chien (dog), poisson (fish), lapin (rabbit). Which letter teams can you find? ch, ch + ien, oi + on, in.Hands-on activityLetter-team detective
You need: 10 small pieces of paper, a pencil, a bowl.
- Write one letter team on each paper: ou, oi, au, eau, ch, qu, on, an, in, é.
- Put them in a bowl. Pull one out.
- Say its sound. Then find a French word with that team on a food package, a book or the table in this lesson. Read it out loud.
- Give yourself 1 point for the sound and 1 point for the word.
- Grown-up's turn! Can they read the word with the sound you taught them?
Bonus: write chocolat and draw a line under each part you can read: ch-o-c-o-l-a-t. Which letter is silent? (The t.)
Just for funFunny but true: oiseau (bird) has all five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, yet it sounds like just "wah-ZOH"!
Your turn
1What sound does oi make? Read moi (me).
oi sounds like "wah". moi sounds like "mwah".
2Which letter is silent in petit?
The last t. It sounds like "puh-tee".
3What sound does eau make in gâteau?
"oh". gâteau sounds like "gah-toh".
4Read chien (dog). What sound does ch make?
ch sounds like "sh". chien sounds like "shee-an" (the end is nasal).
5Read douze (twelve). What sound does ou make?
"oo". douze sounds like "dooz".
6Is the h in hiver (winter) said or silent?
Silent. hiver sounds like "ee-vair".
7Which word has a nasal sound: bonjour, rouge, merci?
bonjour: the on is nasal.
More practice: warm-up
"k", like in quatre (four).
2Which letter is silent in chat?
3What sound does au make in jaune?
"oh". jaune sounds like "zhohn".
4Read non. Is the n at the end said like in English?
No. It is a nasal sound: the air goes through your nose.
"ay", like in été ("ay-tay").
More practice: on your own
1Read noir (black) and say which team helps you.
"nwahr". The team oi makes "wah"; the r is said (it is one of the CaReFuL letters).
2Why does the c in cinq sound like s?
Because it comes before i. c before e or i is soft (s).
3Read montagne (mountain).
"mohn-TAHN-yuh". on is nasal and gn sounds like "ny".
4Which word does NOT end with a silent letter: vert, trois, neuf?
neuf (nine). The f is said. Reasoning: in vert the t is silent and in trois the s is silent.
5You see jour (day) and then journée in a story. What might journée mean?
Something about a day, the whole day. Reasoning: both words share the pattern jour.
Challenge
1Read oiseau (bird). Break it into parts.
oi - s - eau = "wah-zoh". Reasoning: oi = wah, a single s between two vowels sounds like z, eau = oh.
2Read chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). Which letters are silent?
"shoh-koh-lah shoh". The t in chocolat and the d in chaud are silent. Reasoning: last consonants are often silent; ch = sh and au = oh.
3A word starts with gi. Will the g sound like g in go or like zh? Give an example.
Like zh, because g before i is soft. Example: girafe ("zhee-rahf").
Quiz
2. What sound does ch make in French?
3. Which letter is silent in vert?
4. What sound does eau make?
5. Which word has the ou sound (oo)?
6. In merci, how does the c sound?
Big idea: The curriculum asks Grade 4 students to use reading strategies, including spelling patterns (for example an, année, anniversaire), to figure out meaning (C1.1), and to read familiar words with ease (C1.3). Knowing a dozen letter teams unlocks a huge number of French words.
Common difficulties:
- Reading French with English sounds (saying "troys" for trois). Point to the letter team and ask "What does this team say in French?"
- Pronouncing every last letter. Remind your child that the last consonant is often silent; the CaReFuL tip (c, r, f, l) works often but not always.
- Nasal sounds. These are new for English speakers. The hold-your-nose trick helps. Don't worry about perfect pronunciation; understanding is the goal.
At home: Listen to French pronunciations together (online dictionaries, French children's TV, or a bilingual neighbour). Children's ears learn faster than adults'. Praise attempts.