"A course designed for my specific needs"Vowels 1
Pay close attention how the sound is spelled ; all the different spelling represent the same sound.
A. Main vowel sounds
A
like the a of 'cat'.
(beware, never like fate or hate).
The mouth is wide open.
ex : papa, sa, mâle…
EU
like the i of 'sir'.
The lips are pushed forward and almost closed, like a kiss, and the chin is way down. The voice usually goes down with this sound, it's a pretty deep sound, that resonates in the chest.
ex : le, je, feu, jeux…
OE
like the second ar in particular.
The mouth is open, it's a sound between A and EU.
ex : heure, jeune, oeuf…
I
like the ee in 'fee'.
The lips are way on the side, like a smile. The voice goes way up.
ex : si, lit, y…
U
similar to the i but lips pushed out and rounded, like a kiss. It helps saying I, then pushing your lips forward to find the U sound. BEWARE, this is never the sound of pool or full.
ex : une, lu, bu…
O
this sound is a bit like the vowel sound in ‘toe’, but it is much shorter and cliped.
The lips form a small o shape, and stay that way (unlike the lips in English "bow"). The voice goes deep down. There are many ways to spell this sound, all are a the same short sound, it doens't matter how it is spelled.
ex : pose, au, aux, eau,
eaux, bateau, chevaux
…
Sometimes pronounced somewhat like the o in 'not'.
the voice goes up, the mouth is open.
ex : bonne, fort…
É
note the direction of the accent
like ‘hey’.
voice goes down.
ex : les, et, nez, chanter,
chanté, épée, cassées,
pied…
È
note the direction of the accent
like the e in 'net'.
voice goes up. Mouth opens very wide. There are many ways to spell this sound, all are a the same short sound, it doens't matter how it is spelled.
ex : bête, près, ai,
avais, lait, est, elle,
bec, neige, raquette,
ancienne, vexe…
Practice the difference : Hélène [ÉlÈn], et [É], est [È]…