Why Vowels Matter More Than Consonants in French
Consonants don’t matter?! But what about the dreaded French R??
Yes, even the French R doesn’t matter that much. Why? Because even if you pronounce all the consonants exactly as you do in your native language when speaking French, you will be understood by French speakers. You’ve been taught that using the American R is enough to get you sent to the Bastille (though the Bastille is now a modern opera house). Honestly, French speakers won’t care because they understand you despite this venal sin of pronunciation. Language exists to communicate with words, so speaking and understanding are important, but the goal is to communicate, no matter what.
My native language is English, and when tourists speak to me in broken English, asking how to get to the Empire State Building, I try to understand them even if their English isn’t perfect. I reply in a way that they can understand, speaking slowly, with lots of hand gestures. I salute those who try to learn a second language, not just because it’s challenging but because it allows for greater communication among the world’s people. I digress; I was talking about how unimportant consonants are in learning to speak French.
Vowels are where it’s at in French! Mispronouncing a consonant won’t change the meaning of the word or phrase, but mispronouncing a vowel could offend your listener or simply confuse them. If you say “jamais” (never, in English) but pronounce it like “j’aimais” (I loved, in English), there might be a misunderstanding. The difference between the vowel sounds here is slight, but the difference in meaning is vast.
In my last post, I talked about my early journey speaking French in France and confusing “above” (au-dessus, French) and “below” (au-dessous, in French). The difference between these words is just a slight rounding of the lips on the last syllable, almost imperceptible to the untrained ear. If you’re saying “put the book on the table” (au-dessus) or “put the book under the table” (au-dessous), no one gets hurt. However, if you say, “put the kitten on the ground” as opposed to “put the kitten under the ground,” there will be consequences. Save the kitty, learn to pronounce French vowels!!
Back to the consonants. While pronouncing them perfectly in French is not necessary for understanding, being able to pronounce them perfectly will impress French speakers. Getting that R just right and using it easily and without hesitation is a triumph. Finding out that the letters D, T, N, L, and S are articulated in the same manner will make your French sound so much more French. To further impress your interlocutors, learn when to pronounce the S like an “S” and when to pronounce it like a “Z”. Their ears will perk up in delight to hear your mastery of these consonants.
You can learn all this from me by scheduling a lesson. I teach French pronunciation by helping learners to understand where in the mouth the sounds are made. We look at diagrams of vocal organs, we practice pronouncing sounds based on those diagrams, and we learn the rules of when to pronounce things a certain way. You’ll learn how to distinguish “au-dessus” from “au-dessous”, and much, much more.
