The French alphabet is almost the same as the Indonesian alphabet (known as the Roman alphabet), but the pronunciation can be completely different. Learning pronunciation is very important in pronouncing and spelling French words. In addition to the normal alphabet, there are several accents and combinations to learn to improve your French fluency.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Reciting the Basic Sounds
Step 1. Listen to the alphabet pronounced by a native speaker
You can watch YouTube for lots of examples of the pronunciation of the alphabet to listen to as often as possible. Search the Internet for videos of pronunciation of each French letter.
Step 2. Say the letter A like “Ah”
Open your mouth wide to pronounce the first alphabet. The pronunciation of this letter is similar to "A smooth" in Indonesian.
Step 3. Say B like “Bei”
The sound of this pronunciation is smooth, like saying "hey" in Indonesian. Imagine the first syllable of the word “baby” in English.
Step 4. Pronounce C like "sei"
This is the first letter whose pronunciation is very different from Indonesian. You can also soften the "ei" sound so that it sounds like "Sey".
Step 5. Pronounce D like “Dei”
The pronunciation is similar to B, C and then later, V and T. All of these letters use a soft "ei" sound preceded by the corresponding letter.
Step 6. Pronounce F as "ef", just like how it is pronounced in Indonesian
The letters L, M, N, O, and S in French are pronounced the same as in Indonesian.
Step 7. Pronounce H as "ahsh"
The pronunciation of this letter begins with a soft A sound, such as “ahhhh”, followed by an “sh”. This sound is similar to the English word " gosh ".
Step 8. Pronounce I like "ii"
Use the long I sound as in Indonesian.
Step 9. Pronounce K as "kah"
This letter is quite easy to pronounce
Step 10. Say the letters L, M, N, and O as in Indonesian
Easy and simple. The pronunciation of these letters is "el", "em", "en", and "oh", respectively, just like in Indonesian.
Step 11. Pronounce P like “peh”
The pronunciation of this letter is similar to Indonesian.
Step 12. Pronounce the R as "err", but with a slight quiver at the end
If you can't vibrate the letter R, don't worry. Just say the usual "err". The pronunciation is similar to the first syllable of the word "error".
Step 13. Pronounce S as "es", similar to Indonesian
The S sound in both languages is the same.
Step 14. Pronounce T as "tei"
The pronunciation is simple, similar to the letters B and D. This letter rhymes with the word “May”.
Step 15. Pronounce V as "vei"
Again, the pronunciation is quite simple. Pronounce this letter like the end of the word “survey”.
Step 16. Pronounce W as "duub-leh-vei"
This pronunciation means “double V”, like the English W. The letter W is pronounced like two separate words: "Duub-leh" and "vei".
The word "double" in French sounds like "duubley"
Step 17. Pronounce X as "iiks"
You can also pronounce it as "iix". The letter X is not used very often in French, and is more like the X in English with the extended i.
Step 18. Pronounce Z as "zed"
Easy and simple, the pronunciation of the letter Z in French is similar to Indonesian.
Method 2 of 2: Mastering Difficult Pronunciation
Step 1. Pronounce E like "euh"
This letter has a very throaty sound, almost like when you remember something disgusting.
Step 2. Say the letter G like "jhei", with a soft J sound
Think of it like saying “je” but with a slight buzz so that it sounds like an “sh” sound. Imagine the letter G in the word "George".
The pronunciation rhymes with “Shae”
Step 3. Pronounce J like "jhii"
The pronunciation of this letter is similar to the letter G, but with the sound of the letter I instead of the letter E.
Step 4. Pronounce U like "e-yuh," and know that this letter is the most difficult to pronounce
A good tip for pronouncing the letter U is to pronounce a loud e sound, such as “eeee”, then move your lips forward as if to say “yu”. These “mixed” sounds are a bit tricky, and the easiest way to learn them is by listening to native speakers. The sound is similar to the disgusted “iwwwww” sound, but begins with an e.
- Your tongue and mouth are positioned as if to make a “iii” sound.
- Your lips are rounded like an “O” shape.
Step 5. Pronounce Q like "kyu"
The pronunciation of this letter is similar to the Indonesian version, but you soften the y sound a bit in the middle. The pronunciation is similar to the letter U in French.
Step 6. Pronounce Y like "ii-grek"
The pronunciation of this letter is the strangest of the entire French alphabet. The letter Y has two sounds: "ii-grek". The second part sounds like “gekko” with an R and no O.
However, you can also pause between “ii” and “grek”. Think of it as a double-labeled word
Step 7. Know how to speak variously with an accent
When you add an accent, for example when you spell something to someone, you usually add an inflection or mark after the letter. So, for the letter "è" you say "e, accent grave”, (or phonetically, "eh, ak-sen ah grev").
- The line pointing to the right (`) is " accent grave " and is pronounced "ai-grev".
- The line pointing to the left (eg in the letter é) is "accent aigu " which is pronounced "ai-guu".
- The up arrow (^) is known as "circumflex". The pronunciation is "circumflex".
Step 8. Learn how to pronounce special characters
French has several additional letters and combinations for a total of 34 letters. The additional letters are:
- (Ss) (Also known as edilla, or "sirdiya")
- (Oo)
- (Ay)
- â (Ah)
- (Eh)
- (Uh)
- (Ooh)
- (Oh).
Step 9. Review the pronunciation of the entire alphabet
Once you know them all, try saying them in order to practice pronunciation:
- A (ahh), B (bei), C (sei), D (dei), E (euh), F (f), G (jhei),
- H(ahsh), I(ii), J(jhii), K(kah), L(l), M(m), N(n),
- O(o), P(pei), Q(kyuu), R(err(r buzzing)), S(es), T(tei), U(e-yuh),
- V (vei), W (dubley-vei), X (iks), Y (ii-grek), Z (zed).
Tips
- French teachers will be very happy if you use French spellings instead of Indonesian.
- One way to learn quickly is to write the letters on one side of the card and the pronunciation on the other. Use these cards to study in your spare time.
- Ask a native French speaker for help. They will be able to correct your mistakes and improve your French fluency.
- Take extracurricular classes to improve your language.
- If your school offers French classes, take them if you really want to learn French.
- Practice whenever possible. Repetition is very important in learning another language. Understand that you will not succeed unless you try hard.
- If you can't accept another language, you'll never learn. Listen to other people's pronunciations and try to imitate them!
Warning
- Your pronunciation may not be perfect. If possible, ask the French to pronounce the alphabet so you can hear the pronunciation of the letters.
- Don't try to pronounce French words using these letters because often accents will change sounds, silent letters, and sounds that are different from how the letters in the alphabet are pronounced.
- You can forget the basics easily. To prevent it, keep practicing!
