There are a few general guidelines to keep in mind when pronouncing French vowels:
- Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English counterparts.
- The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.
- French vowels do not diphthong. In English, vowels tend to be followed by a y sound (after a, e, or i) or a w sound (after o or u). In French, this is not the case - the vowel sound remains constant: it does not change into a y or w sound. Thus the French vowel is a "purer" sound than the English vowel.
Vowels followed by M or N are usually nasal. Nasal pronunciation can be very different from the normal pronunciation of each vowel.
Accents may change the pronunciation of vowels.

