u says "oo," almost

The French u sound is different from any sound we have in English. It is very close to the "oo" sound in food, but not exactly the same. To make the French u sound shape your tongue and teeth as if you are going to say "ee" and shape your lips as if you are going to say "oo" in food. The sound that comes out will be the French u sound!

Can you translate these French words?

tortue (tor-TY) - hint: a slow-moving animal
brune (bryn) - hint: brunette
tulipe (ty-LEEP) - hint: a spring flower
tuque (tyk) - hint: keeps your head warm in winter
lune (lyn) - hint: lunar

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* "y" = the French u sound. Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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é says "ay"

Sometimes French uses accents to show what kind of sound a certain letter should have. In French é says "ay." Here are some é words for you to translate.

bébé (bay-BAY)
téléphone (tay-lay-FUN)
éléphant (ay-lay-FAH)
café (ca-FAY)
télévision (tay-lay-vee-ZYOH)

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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a says "a" in sack

In French, the letter a makes a short sound like the a in sack. Can you translate these French words based on their sound?

sac (sak)
radio (rad-YOH)
carotte (ca-RUT)
table (TA-bluh)
salade (sa-LAD)

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* Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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i says "ee"

The letter i says "ee" in French, as in the name Lisa. Here are some French words that use the "ee" sound made by the letter i. Can you tell what these words mean in English?

tigre (TEE-gruh)
appétit (a-pay-TEE)
favori (fa-voh-REE)
Bible (BEE-bluh)
girafe (zhee-RAF)*

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* "zh" = g in beige or s in usual. Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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Months of the Year

The French months of the year are very similar to the English months. Notice that the last four months are almost exactly like English.

We get the names of our months from the Roman calendar. Originally the first month was March, mars in French, named after Mars, the Roman god of war, who was important in such an imperialistic culture. The theory was that if you are planning to take over the world, you need to keep the war-god happy. September was then the seventh month, like the French number sept from the Latin septem for seven, October was then the eighth month, from the Latin octo for eight, November was then the ninth month, like the French number neuf from the Latin novem for nine, and December was then the tenth month, like the French number dix from the Latin decem for ten.

Learn the French months of the year:

janvier (zhahn**-VYAY) - January
février (fay-vree-YAY) - February
mars (MARS*) - March
avril (av-RIL) - April
mai (MAY) - May
juin (ZWUHn**) - June
juillet (zhwee-YEH**) - July
août (OO) - August
septembre (sep-TAHn-bruh) - September
octobre (ahk-TAH-bruh) - October
novembre (noh-VAHn-bruh) - November
décembre (day-SAHn-bruh) - December

* - pronounce this s like "s" not "z."
** - zh is pronounced like "s" in usual or "g" in beige

(Please note that the guides to pronunciation only give a rough idea of what things really sound like in French. Listen to the podcast to hear the correct pronunciation.)

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Numbers One to Twelve

Today's lesson is about counting to twelve. Practice saying the French numbers.

(Please note that the guides to pronunciation only give a rough idea of what things really sound like in French. Listen to the podcast to hear the correct pronunciation.)

1 = un (UHn), une (UN)

2 = deux (DEUH)

3 = trois (TRWAH)

4 = quatre (KA-truh)

5 = cinq (SEHnK)

6 = six (SEES)

7 = sept (SET)

8 = huit (u-EET)

9 = neuf (NEUF)

10 = dix (DEES)

11 = onze (OHnZ)

12 = douze (DOOZ)

It's great to learn to count to twelve in French, but you also need to practice your numbers out of order or randomly. Here are some ideas to help you practice your numbers.

1. Write the numbers on small pieces of paper. Put them in a hat or a box and pull them out one at a time and say them out loud.

2. Use a pair of dice. Roll the dice and say the numbers that appear on each die and on the pair together.

3. Concentration: Make two cards with each number on them. Shuffle them to mix them up well. Lay them in rows face down on the table. Turn them over two at a time to try to find matching pairs.

4. Use your number cards to play Go Fish with a friend. Start with five cards each. See How many pairs of numbers you can collect.

5. Take an inventory of your fridge or pantry. How many eggs, apples, or bananas can you count? Count everything you can in French!

6. Use your number cards as flashcards. Shuffle and practice saying the numbers out loud.

7. Play a counting game like Sorry. Count in French.

These are just a few ideas to help you to learn your numbers one to twelve in French.

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Please and Thank You

To say please in French, we use the phrase:

s'il vous plaît (SEEL voo PLAY)

This polite expression literally means, "if it pleases you." Perhaps you have received an invitation that contains the initials R.S.V.P. This is short for the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît, which means "please respond." The person giving the invitation wants to know if you will come or not. This little bit of French etiquette is used quite commonly in English.

There is also a more familiar form of please:

s'il te plaît (SEEL tuh PLAY)

This is the form that you would use with your close friends. The other form s'il vous plaît is more polite. You would say s'il vous plaît to an adult, a person you don't know very well, or a stranger.

Now we will learn how to say thank you. The word for thank you is:

merci (mayr-SEE)

Thank you very much is:

merci beaucoup (mayr-SEE boh-KOO)

Doesn't merci look like the English word mercy? They are cognates, words that are related because they have a common origin. Both are derived from the same Latin word: merces. Merces means payment or reward. The family of related English words includes merchant, merchandise and market.

Saying thank you in French is like returning the payment deserved by the person who has been kind to you. Note that our English word mercy means giving something that is better, kinder or more compassionate than what is expected or deserved. When someone does something nice for you, always remember to give back at least this one thing: a sincere merci !

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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.

To check the temperature and see the weather forecast for France, including amazing satellite photos, visit:
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/FRXX0295.html

Visit our sponsor Nallenart for French curriculum and teaching aids.
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