How to pronounce French words

Final consonants of a word are usually dropped: allez (go) is pronounced ahl-AY, not ahl-AYZ; tard (late) is pronounce tar, not tard. Also a final "e" is usually silent. But if the next word begins with a vowel, the consonant may be pronounced; this is called liaison.

Stress is usually on the last syllable of a phrase, but sometimes when a word is emphasized, the stress moves to the middle of the word.

b	like "b" in "bed"
c	like "k" in "kill" (before "a", "o", and "u"), like "s" in "sun" (before "e" and "i")
ç	like "s" in "sun"
d	like "d" in "death"
f	like "f" in "fun"
g	like "g" in "go" (before "a", "o", and "u"), like "g" in "sabotage" (before "e" and "i" and at the end of words)
h	usually silent
j	like "g" in "sabotage"
k	like "k" in "kill"
l	like "l" in "like"
m	like "m" in "me"
n	like "n" in "nurse" (but see 'Diphthongs' below)
p	like "p" in "push"
q(u)	like "k" in "kill" (not like "qu" in "quick")
r	guttural; kind of like coughing up a hairball
s	like "s" in "sun"; like "z" in "zero" (between two vowels)
t	like "t" in "take"
v	like "v" in "value"
x	like "x" in "exit"
z	like "z" in "zero"

a	like "i" in "fight", like "ay" in "hay" (at the end of a word)
ail	like "i" in "fight"
ais	like "ea" in "bread" (at the end of a word)
au, eau	like "ow" in "blow"
an	nasal; kind of like "ahng", but without the hard "g" at the end
eu	between "ew" in "dew" and "ur" in "burp"; written eu in transcriptions
œ	more or less like "eu", slightly more "open"
er	like "ay" in "hay" -- usually found at the end of word/verb
ez	like "ay" in "hay"
en, em	nasal; same as "an"
in	nasal; like "ang" in "Tang", but without the hard "g" at the end
oi	like "wa" in "walk"
oin	nasal; like "wang", but without the hard "g" at the end
ou	like "oo" in "food"
on	nasal; like "ong" in "long", but without the hard "g" at the end
oui	like "wee" in "week"
ui	like "wee" in "week", but with the tongue forward
un	nasal; like "ung" in "hung", but without the hard "g" at the end
ch	like "sh" in "bush"
gn	like "ny" in "canyon". This is particularly difficult when followed by oi, as in baignoire (beh-NYWAR) "bathtub"
il	like "y" in "three years", with some exceptions (ville is veel)
ll	like "l"
ph	like "f" in "fun"
tch	like "ch" in "chew" (but kind of rare)
th	like "t" in "tin"
tr	"t" followed by a short gargle

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