A - French Pronunciation of A

The pronunciation of the letter A in French is fairly straightforward. It is usually pronounced more or less like the A in "father," but with the lips wider in French than in English: listen. An a with the accent grave à is pronounced the same way.

The a is sometimes pronounced further back in the mouth and with the lips more rounded than for the a sound described above above: listen. This sound is becoming obsolete, but technically should be pronounced when the letter a

• is followed by a z sound - base, gaz
• is followed by a silent s - bas, cas (exception: bras)
• has an accent circonflexe - pâtes, âne

French words with A

Click on the links below to hear the words pronounced in French:

   quatre   (four)

   ami   (friend)

   agréable   (nice)

   tabac   (tobacco shop)

   soulager   (to relieve)

   pâtes   (pasta)

   bas    (low)

   bras    (arm)


Letter combinations with A (click for detailed lessons)

   AI / AIS  |  AIL  |  AN  |  AU  |  EAU


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