Sneak Preview of Nallenart.org

If you are looking for even more great free French teaching aids, there is much available now at Nallenart.org. The screenshot below offers an example of what is available for the first level of L'Art de lire:


The site is still under construction, but there are great free resources for you to take advantage of, including French Phonics Lapbooking Kits that correspond to the lessons in L'Art de lire 1 and 2.

You must register and login to access the material on the site. Click on Create New Account in the Login box. Registration will also enable you to receive email updates as new material is posted.

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Nasal Sounds in French

Hmmm... nasal sounds? Like somebody snoring? Not exactly! Some French sounds include forcing air through the back of the throat and into the nasal cavities. This cannot be taught by explanation. You need to hear the sounds and try to imitate them as best you can.

on, ont, om (nasal oh sound)
bon (BOHn) = good
sont (SOHn) = (they) are
trompette (trohn-PET) = trumpet

an, ant, en, ent, am, em (nasal ah sound)
ange (AHnZH) = angel
enfant (ahn-FAHn) = child
parent (pa-RAHn) = parent, relative
champ (SHAHn) = field
temps (TAHn) = time

un, um (nasal uh sound)
brun (BRUHn) = brown
parfum (par-FUHn) = fragrance

in, ain, im, ym, yn, en (nasal eh sound)
pingouin (pehn-GWEHn) = penguin
main (MEHn) = hand
limbe (LEHnB) = limb
sympa (sehn-PAH) = nice
syndrome (sehn-DROHM) = syndrome
rien (RYEHn) = nothing

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Vowel Sounds in French

French and English share some vowel sounds but others can be quite different.

a (short a)
sac (SAK) = bag

a, â (ah)
bas (BAH) = stocking
gâteau (gah-TOH) = cake

é, ay, er, ez (long a)
bébé (bay-BAY) = baby
pays (pay-EE) = country
parler (pahr-LAY) = to speak
nez (NAY) = nose

e (short u)
le (LUH) = the
me (MUH) = myself
renard (ruh-NAHR) = fox

e, è, ë, ê, ai,ei (short e)
mets (meh) = put
poète (poh-EHT) - poet
Noël (noh-EL) = Christmas
être (EH-truh) = to be
aime (EM) = love, loves
beigne (BEHN-yuh) = donut

eu (a strange blend of short u and r)
bleu (BLEUH) = blue

eu, oeu (a more open version of the above sound)
heure (UHR) = hour
coeur (KUHR) = heart

i, î, y (long e)
livre (LEE-vruh) = book
île (EEL) = island
gymnase (zheem-NAZ) = gymnasium

ou, oux, oû (oo like boot)
hibou (ee-BOO) = owl
bijoux (bee-ZHOO) = jewelry
août (OO) = August

u (long u, put your teeth in ee position, your lips in oo position)
tortue (tor-TU) = turtle

oi, oy (oo-ah, like wah)
roi (RWAH) = king
royal (rwah-YAL) = royal

o, au, eau, ô (long o)
pot (POH) = jar
autobus (oh-toh-BUS) = bus
cadeau (ka-DOH) = gift
rôle (ROHL) = role

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CH in French

Did you know that the letters CH say "sh" in French? Some English words that have been borrowed from French are pronounced this way, too. Do you know their English meanings? If not, use your dictionary to find out the meanings of these borrowed words, and the French words they come from.

chalet (sha-LAY)
chateau (sha-TOH)
chauffeur (shoh-FUR)
chef (SHEF)
chic (SHEEK)

Here are some more French words with the CH "sh" sound:

chapeau (sha-POH) = hat
chaud (SHOH), chaude (SHOHD) = hot
cheval (shuh-VAL), chevaux (shuh-VOH) = horse, horses
chercher (shayr-SHAY) = to search for, to seek
recherche (ruh-SHAYRSH) = search, investigation, research
chanter (shawn-TAY) = to sing. Chanter is related to the English words chant, which is a type of song, and chantey (a.k.a. chanty or shanty), a song sung by sailors as they are doing their work.

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TH in French

Did you know that in French, the letters th say “t,” like the letter T? If you look through the TH section of a French dictionary, many of the words will look familiar to you. That is because many of the TH words in French come from Greek roots, and English uses words from these same Greek roots. Related words like thermomètre (tayr-moh-MET-ruh) and thermometer are called cognates (KAWG-nayts - Like etymological cousins)

Other TH words in French:

bibliothèque (bee-blee-oh-TEK) = library
thé (TAY) = tea
thon (TOH)= tuna
théâtre (tay-AT-ruh) = theatre
théorie (tay-oh-REE) = theory
thème (TEM) = theme
Thaïlande (ta-ee-LAHND) = Thailand

Why is TH used and not just the letter T? It stands for the Greek letter theta (THAY-tuh) in the original Greek ancestors of our words. Theta looks like an upper case O with a horizontal line through it.

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http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/FRXX0295.html

Visit our sponsor Nallenart for French curriculum and teaching aids.
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