Your Guide to French Liaison Rules

Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated: October 4, 2026

Have you ever noticed how French words seem to flow together seamlessly? A big reason for this is liaison, a key feature of French pronunciation. Mastering liaison will not only make your French sound more natural and fluent, but it will also improve your listening comprehension.

What Is French Liaison?

Liaison is the practice of pronouncing a normally silent final consonant of a word at the beginning of the next word. This only happens when the second word begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute 'h'.

For example, the word 'vous' (you) ends with a silent 's'. The word 'avez' (have) starts with a vowel. When you put them together, you connect them by pronouncing the 's' as a /z/ sound: 'vous-z-avez'.

Liaison Sounds: What You'll Hear

The letter at the end of the first word doesn't always match the sound it makes in a liaison. Here are the most common sounds you will create and hear:

A /z/ sound from -s, -x, or -z: 'les amis' (the friends) sounds like 'lay-z-ami'. 'deux ans' (two years) sounds like 'deu-z-an'.
A /t/ sound from -t or -d: 'petit enfant' (small child) sounds like 'peti-t-enfant'. 'quand il' (when he) sounds like 'quan-t-il'. Notice the final 'd' is pronounced as a /t/.
A /n/ sound from -n: 'mon ami' (my friend) sounds like 'mo-n-ami'. 'en Europe' (in Europe) sounds like 'en-N-europe'.
A /v/ sound from -f: This is specific to 'neuf' (nine) before 'ans' (years) or 'heures' (hours). 'neuf ans' sounds like 'neu-v-ans'.
A /p/ sound from -p: This is very rare. You might hear it in 'trop important' (too important), pronounced 'tro-p-important' in very careful speech.

Compulsory Liaisons: When You Must Connect

In some situations, making a liaison is mandatory. Omitting it would sound incorrect or unnatural, even to a casual listener. Think of these as non negotiable rules for clear communication.

Between a determiner and a noun: 'un ami' (a friend), 'les enfants' (the children), 'ces arbres' (these trees).
Between an adjective and a noun when the adjective comes first: 'un petit oiseau' (a small bird), 'de grands yeux' (big eyes).
Between a subject pronoun and its verb: 'nous avons' (we have), 'elles arrivent' (they are arriving), 'on est' (one is / we are).
After short adverbs like 'très', 'plus', or 'moins': 'très important' (very important), 'plus ou moins' (more or less).
After short prepositions like 'dans', 'chez', or 'en': 'dans un an' (in a year), 'chez elle' (at her place), 'en avion' (by plane).
In many fixed expressions: 'c'est-à-dire' (that is to say), 'de temps en temps' (from time to time), 'tout à fait' (absolutely).

Forbidden Liaisons: When Not to Connect

Just as important as knowing when to connect words is knowing when not to. Making a liaison in these cases is a clear error and can lead to confusion.

After 'et' (and): The 't' in 'et' is always silent. For example, 'un garçon et | une fille' (a boy and a girl).
After a singular noun: You do not connect a singular noun to the adjective that follows it. For example, 'un projet | intéressant' (an interesting project).
Before an aspirated 'h' ('h aspiré'): Words like 'héros' (hero) or 'haricots' (beans) start with an aspirated 'h', which acts like a consonant and blocks liaison. For example, 'les | héros' (the heroes).
Before 'oui' (yes) or 'onze' (eleven): 'mais | oui!' (but of course!), 'les | onze' (the eleven).

Liaison vs. Enchaînement

You might also hear the term 'enchaînement', which means linking. It's slightly different from liaison. Liaison involves pronouncing a normally silent consonant. Enchaînement involves connecting a consonant that is always pronounced anyway.

Liaison: 'un grand arbre' (a big tree). The 'd' in 'grand' is usually silent, but here it's pronounced as /t/ to link to 'arbre'.
Enchaînement: 'une grande table' (a big table). The 'd' in 'grande' is always pronounced because of the final 'e'. It simply links smoothly to the next word.

Optional Liaisons and Formality

This is where French pronunciation gets flexible. Many liaisons are optional, and whether you use them depends on the situation and your personal style. Using more optional liaisons is a marker of formal or very careful speech, like in a news broadcast or a prepared speech. In relaxed, everyday conversation, these are often omitted.

Optional Liaison Examples and Their Usage
Example	Pronunciation (with liaison)	Context
je suis ici	je sui-z-ici	More formal or poetic speech
des cours intéressants	des cour-z-intéressants	Very formal, rarely used in conversation
ils sont arrivés	ils son-t-arrivés	Common in careful speech, often omitted otherwise

As a learner, it's generally safer to stick to compulsory liaisons and avoid optional ones until you feel more comfortable. Your speech will still be perfectly correct.

Common Mistakes with Liaison

Here are a few common pitfalls to watch out for:

Connecting with 'et': Saying 'et-t-alors' is incorrect. Always say 'et | alors' (and then).
Connecting a singular noun: Saying 'un plan-n-intéressant' is a mistake. The correct way is 'un plan | intéressant' (an interesting plan).
Forgetting liaison with a mute 'h': 'les hommes' must have the /z/ sound ('les-z-hommes'). Saying 'les | hommes' is incorrect.
Incorrectly connecting with an aspirated 'h': A classic mistake is with 'les haricots' (the beans). Do not make the liaison. It is 'les | haricots', not 'les-z-haricots'.

The Two Types of 'H' in French

The behavior of words starting with 'h' is crucial for liaison. French has two types:

H muet (mute h): This 'h' acts like a vowel. It allows both liaison and elision (like 'l'homme' instead of 'le homme'). Examples include 'homme' (man), 'hôtel' (hotel), and 'habitude' (habit).
H aspiré (aspirated h): This 'h' acts like a consonant, creating a barrier. It blocks both liaison and elision. Examples include 'héros' (hero), 'hache' (axe), and 'haut' (high).

There is no pronunciation difference between the two 'h's (both are silent). You simply have to learn which words start with an 'h aspiré'. Dictionaries often mark them with an asterisk or other symbol.

Quick self-check

In the phrase `deux amis`, what sound does the liaison create?
Show answer
It creates a /z/ sound. The 'x' in `deux` connects to `amis` to sound like 'deu-z-ami'.
Why is there no liaison in `un garçon et une fille`?
Show answer
Liaison is always forbidden after the word `et` (and).
What's the difference between the 'h' in `l'hôtel` and `le homard` (lobster)?
Show answer
`Hôtel` begins with a mute 'h' (`h muet`), which allows liaison (`les-z-hôtels`). `Homard` begins with an aspirated 'h' (`h aspiré`), which forbids it (`les | homards`).

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