French Liaison: When to Link Words and When Not To

What Is French Liaison and How Does Letters' Sound Change?

At its core, liaison is a bridge between two words within the same rhythmic group. On its own, the word "les" (the, plural) ends with a silent S. The word "amis" (friends) starts with a vowel. When you put them together in "les amis" (the friends), the silent S wakes up and attaches itself to the start of the second word, sounding like "lé-zami".

Before you look at the rules of when to link, you need to know how final consonants change their sound during a liaison. They rarely sound the way they look on paper. If you are still getting comfortable with why so many endings are unpronounced in the first place, our guide to French silent letters is a helpful starting point.

• S, X, and Z all sound like a buzzing Z: "les enfants" (the children) sounds like "lé-zenfan", "deux ans" (two years) sounds like "deu-zan", and "chez elle" (at her place) sounds like "ché-zel".
• D sounds like a crisp T: "un grand arbre" (a big tree) is pronounced "un gran-tarbre", and "quand il parle" (when he speaks) sounds like "quan-til parle".
• F sounds like V in a few very common phrases: "neuf ans" (nine years) sounds like "neu-van", and "neuf heures" (nine o'clock) sounds like "neu-veur".
• N wakes up and keeps its N sound, often making the previous vowel slightly less nasal: "un ami" (a friend) sounds like "uh-nami", and "bon appétit" (enjoy your meal) sounds like "bo-napéti".
• T and P simply keep their normal sounds: "c'est utile" (it is useful) and "trop important" (too important).

Required Liaisons: The Links You Must Make

Required liaisons (liaisons obligatoires) happen when two words are so closely connected in grammar that they act like a single unit. Every native speaker makes these links, whether they are chatting at a bakery or giving a formal lecture.

Determiner + Noun or Adjective

Whenever you have an article, a possessive word, a demonstrative, or a number right before a noun or adjective, you must link them. Examples include "un enfant" (a child), "mes amis" (my friends), "ces idées" (these ideas), "trois heures" (three hours), and "quels beaux arbres" (what beautiful trees).

Pronoun + Verb (and Verb + Pronoun)

Subject pronouns and object pronouns are glued to their verbs. You must link in phrases like "nous avons" (we have), "ils aiment" (they love), "on écoute" (we listen), "je les écoute" (I listen to them), and "nous y allons" (we are going there). The same rule applies when the order is flipped in questions or commands: "ont-ils" (do they have) or "vas-y" (go ahead).

Short Prepositions and Adverbs

Short, one-syllable prepositions and degree adverbs always link to the word that follows them. Practice saying "en Italie" (in Italy), "dans un mois" (in a month), "sans argent" (without money), "chez eux" (at their place), "très intéressant" (very interesting), and "plus agréable" (more pleasant).

Adjective + Noun

When a short descriptive adjective sits before the noun it describes, link them together: "un petit oiseau" (a little bird), "un bon exemple" (a good example), "les grands hôtels" (the big hotels). Note that the H in "hôtels" is silent (H muet), so it counts as a vowel sound.

Forbidden Liaisons: Where Linking Sounds Strange

Learning where not to link (liaisons interdites) is just as important as learning where to link. Making a forbidden liaison can confuse your listener or make a plural noun sound like a completely different word.

• Never link after the word "et" (and): In "un frère et une sœur" (a brother and a sister), the T in "et" is permanently silent.
• Never link before an aspirated H (H aspiré): Some French words starting with H block liaison completely. You must say "les héros" (the heroes) with a silent S. If you link the S, it sounds identical to "les zéros" (the zeros). Other common H aspiré words include "les haricots" (the beans), "en haut" (upstairs), and "les hiboux" (the owls).
• Never link after a singular noun: Do not link the T in "un étudiant intelligent" (an intelligent student) or the S in "un repas excellent" (an excellent meal).
• Never link after a full noun subject before a verb: In "les enfants écoutent" (the children listen) or "mon ami arrive" (my friend arrives), keep a clean break between the subject and the verb.
• Never link before "oui" (yes), "onze" (eleven), or "huit" (eight): Say "les onze joueurs" (the eleven players) without pronouncing the S in "les".

Optional Liaisons: The Relaxed Middle Ground

Optional liaisons (liaisons facultatives) depend on how formal you want to sound. In formal speeches, news broadcasts, or poetry reading, speakers make many optional liaisons. In everyday conversation, native speakers drop most of them.

Common optional spots include after plural nouns before an adjective, such as "des livres intéressants" (interesting books), after forms of the verb "être" (to be) like "c'est important" (it is important) or "vous êtes invités" (you are invited), and between an auxiliary verb and a past participle, such as "ils ont aimé" (they loved).

A stress-free rule for learners: If a liaison is optional, do not make it in casual speech. Sticking strictly to required liaisons and respecting forbidden ones will make your everyday French sound completely natural.

A Five-Minute Liaison Drill you Can Do Today

Reading rules helps your brain understand the system, but your mouth needs physical repetition to build the habit. Training your ear with dictation and vocabulary tools is one of the fastest ways to notice these links in real audio, because a missed liaison often changes whether you hear a singular or plural word.

1. Read this short sentence out loud, linking the Z sound in the first pair: "Mes amis habitent ici" (My friends live here). You should hear "mé-zami" at the start, but no link between "amis" and "habitent" because "amis" is a noun subject.
2. Now read this contrast pair: "Ils aiment les héros" (They love the heroes) versus "Ils aiment les zéros" (They love the zeros). Link "ils aiment" with a Z sound in both, keep "les" silent before "héros", and buzz the Z in "zéros".
3. Try a D-to-T transformation: "Quand il arrive, c'est un grand avantage" (When he arrives, it is a big advantage). Practice saying "quan-til" and "gran-tavantage".
4. Record yourself on your phone reading all three items at a comfortable pace, then listen back to check if any forbidden consonants slipped through.

Your Quick Liaison Checklist

• Did I link my articles, numbers, and pronouns to the very next vowel word?
• Did I turn S and X into a Z sound, and D into a T sound?
• Did I keep the word "et" (and) completely silent at the end?
• Did I pause slightly after singular nouns and full noun subjects instead of linking them?
• Did I check whether an H word is silent (like "l'homme", the man) or aspirated (like "le héros", the hero)?

Your Next Step

Pick three required liaison pairs you use every week, such as "nous avons" (we have), "très utile" (very useful), and "deux heures" (two hours), and practice saying them as single, unbroken words until they feel automatic. When you are ready to test your pronunciation in real time and get gentle corrections from a teacher, join one of our small-group French classes to practice speaking with confidence.