Rocket French Flashcards
Exposure to a different approach to learning French (19 cards)
What is the normal sound for C- soft or hard- Preceding which letters does it change pronunciation
The letter C in French is also similar to the letter “C” in English: it is normally hard, but it becomes soft when it’s followed by the vowels E, I, or Y.
What is the normal sound for G- soft or hard- Preceding which letters does it change pronunciation
The letter G is normally hard at the start of a word but soft before the vowels E, I, or Y—once again, just like in English!
Does the English K and French K sound similar?
K is one of those reliable letters that doesn’t sound any different in French than it does in English!
Does the English L and French L sound similar?
yes
When does and French M and N sound like the English M and N?
The French M and N sound like the English “M” and “N” when they are followed by a vowel.
When do M and N become softer and then nasal sounding?
When they are not followed by a vowel, though, these letters become much softer and more nasal. In fact, they will blend with the vowels that come before them and make them into nasal vowels.
At the end of a word, though, the French P is usually silent if it isn’t followed by a vowel. True or False
True
What does the French Q sound like>
The French Q is very similar to the English one: it makes a hard sound a lot like a K and it is often followed by a U. Just note that QU doesn’t normally make a “kw” sound in French like it does in English! Instead, it’s as though the U isn’t really there:
Do the letters S & T sound generally sound like their English equivalents? True or False
True
S and T
We’ll look at these two letters together as well because they behave similarly.
At the start of a word, the letters S and T generally sound just like they do in English:
Are they silent at the end of a word?
At the end of a word, though, they are usually silent if they’re not followed by the letter E. Compare the examples below—you should recognize one of them!
What does the French E sound like at the beginning or middle of the word?
E
This vowel can have a few different sounds in French, and they don’t always match up very easily with English vowel sounds.
In general, at the start or in the middle of a word, the French E will sound a bit like the English “E” in “pet.” You can hear this in the word for “salt,” which you’ve already encountered:
True or False
if an E is followed by a letter like R, S, T, or Z at the end of a word then the consonants become silent and the E often takes on a long sound that is similar to the “ey” in “hey, or (english Lee)” just without the “y” noise at the end.
True
if an E is followed by a letter like R, S, T, or Z at the end of a word, then the consonants become silent and the E often takes on a long sound that is similar to the “ey” in “hey,” just without the “y” noise at the end.
How do you say Et>
Confusing to me sounds like English A not English E
How do you make the French U sound?
U
This vowel can be tricky for English speakers, because the sound it makes doesn’t actually exist in English. It’s a bit like an “oo” sound, but higher.
Here’s how you can make it: First, start by pursing your lips slightly tighter than you would if you were saying “oo.” Then, with your mouth in that position, try to make an “ee” sound. As you do this, you’ll end up moving the front part of your tongue (but not the very tip) up to the roof of your mouth, which will create that French U vowel.
The French Y usually sounds like what French Letter? But often sounds like the English Y.
Y
The letter Y is usually counted among the vowels in French because it often sounds and behaves just a French I.
In other situations, though, the French Y will sound like an English “Y.”
When a grave accent is on an A or U what is its purpose?
The grave accent: À, È, Ù. When it’s on an A or U, it’s just used to tell two different words apart—it doesn’t change the sound of the letters at all.
How is a circumflex used?
The circumflex accent: Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û. It can be used to distinguish words that look the same, and it can also show that there used to be an S present in the word. On an I or a U, it doesn’t change the sound of the vowel at all.
Give some word examples of tréma
Noël
naïveté
The tréma (diaeresis): Ë, Ï, Ü. This simply tells you that the vowel it’s on should be pronounced separately from the vowel before it. You won’t see these ones very often—the most common instances are words like these:diaeresis: Ë, Ï, Ü. This simply tells you that the vowel it’s on should be pronounced separately from the vowel before it. You won’t see these ones very often—the most common instances are words like these:
How are M and N pronounced. Nasal when?
The consonants M and N are much softer and more nasal in French when they are not followed by a vowel, and blend with the vowels that come before them to make them into nasal vowels.
