Vocalyra

French pronunciation for Spanish speakers

Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:

Spanish has five clear vowels and mostly phonetic spelling. French has many more vowels, several ways to write each sound and many silent letters. The good news: once you know the patterns, French spelling is fairly predictable when reading aloud.

More vowels than Spanish

Spanish « e » corresponds to two French sounds: closed /e/ (été, parler) and open /ɛ/ (mère, lait). Spanish « o » splits into /o/ (beau) and /ɔ/ (porte). Add the rounded vowels and the schwa (le, petit) and you need to train your ear, not just your mouth.

/y/: the French « u »

Spanish « u » is /u/, written « ou » in French (tout, vous). French « u » is /y/: say « i », then round your lips without moving the tongue. Pairs: vous / vu, tout / tu, dessous / dessus.

The French R

Neither the tap of « pero » nor the trill of « perro » works. The French R is made at the back of the mouth, close to the sound of Spanish « j » in « jamón » but voiced and softer: Paris, merci, rouge.

Nasal vowels

Spanish pronounces the n in « bien » or « tan ». French often does not: « bien » ends in a nasal vowel, « tant » has no audible n or t. When a vowel follows, the n comes back: « bon » (nasal) vs « bonne » [bɔn].

Silent endings and liaison

  • Final consonants are usually silent: grand, petit, ils parlent.
  • Final -e is usually silent: porte, madame.
  • Liaison links a silent consonant to the next vowel: les enfants [lezɑ̃fɑ̃], ils ont [ilzɔ̃]. Compare ils sont [ilsɔ̃] (be) and ils ont [ilzɔ̃] (have).
  • French « s » between vowels is /z/ (maison), and « z » exists as a voiced sound — unlike in most Spanish accents.

Rhythm and stress

Spanish word stress changes meaning (término, termino). French has no lexical stress; the last syllable of a phrase is slightly longer. Avoid stressing the penultimate syllable: say « ré-pu-bli-QUE », « mai-SON ».

Quick self-check

  1. « vous » or « vu »: which has /y/?

    Show answer

    « vu ».

  2. How is « s » pronounced in « maison »?

    Show answer

    /z/.

  3. « ils sont » or « ils ont »: which has a [z]?

    Show answer

    « ils ont » (liaison).