How to Pronounce the Letter "Y" in French

The letter 'Y' may not make many appearances in French words, but it's important to know. Besides understanding the French pronunciations and when 'Y' might be a consonant or a vowel, you will also need to use it as a stand-alone pronoun to say "there."

If that's confusing, don't worry. The 'Y' in French is quite simple and a quick lesson will clear everything up for you.

Pronunciation Rules

The letter 'Y' is fairly uncommon in French and is used in just a few words. Just as it is in English, the French 'Y' can be either a consonant or a vowel.

1. As a vowel, it's pronounced like the 'Y' in happy.
2. When 'Y' is at the beginning of a word or syllable, it is a consonant and is pronounced just like the English 'Y.'

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You will primarily find the consonant 'Y' in foreign words, country names, and the like.

Words Using 'Y'

Now that you know the two rules for pronouncing the 'Y' in French, test yourself with a few simple vocabulary words. Can you decide which 'Y' sound to use in each? When you think you have it, click on the word to hear the correct pronunciation.

• y (there)
• cyclisme (biking, cycling)
• sympa (nice)
• yaourt (yogurt)
• yeux (eyes)

Did you notice the pronunciations of y and yeux? The pronoun y uses the vowel pronunciation and the word yeux sounds almost identical to the consonant sound. These are two important distinctions because you don't want to misinterpret y for yeux as "there" and "eyes" can change the meaning of an entire sentence.

'Y' as an Adverbial Pronoun

While the letter 'Y' is a bit of a rarity in French vocabulary, it does play a significant role in the language. This occurs when it is used as an adverbial pronoun to mean "there."

In English, we can often skip the word "there" because it's implied. However, in French, it is not an option. Notice the difference in this translation: in French, the question would not make sense without y.

• Nous allons au magasin. Tu veux y aller ?
  We're going to the store. Do you want to go (there)?

Keep this in mind and don't discount the 'Y' in your French studies. It's actually more important than you may think.