Are you a native French speaker who:
- struggles with pronouncing American English vowels, such as the tense EE /i/ sound in beat and the lax IH /ɪ/ sound in bit?
- has difficulty speaking American English with appropriate fluency, intonation, and flow?
- is confused about how to pronounce the American R /ɹ/ consonant, like in the words world, girl, and first?
American English Pronunciation for French Speakers: Top 5 Pronunciation Challenges
If you are a native speaker of French and you struggle with American English pronunciation, then this resource is for you. Here you’ll learn 5 of the most common pronunciation challenges that native speakers of French experience when speaking English, and you’ll learn how to improve your pronunciation of American English.
Read about the top 5 pronunciation areas below, and then watch the free English pronunciation video lessons to learn how to pronounce each sound. Don’t forget to click here to download your free Guidebook to the Sounds of American English, too!
French Challenge #1: The American R /ɹ/ Sound
In French, the "r" is pronounced in the same area of the mouth as the American English /ɹ/, which is in the back area of the mouth. However, the French "r" is pronounced more like a consonant, in which the back of the tongue makes contact with the soft palate (the soft, squishy part of the back of the roof of the mouth). This creates an "r" that has a noisy, constricted quality to it.
The American English R /ɹ/ is pronounced with a much different tongue placement. The back of the tongue does not touch the soft palate; instead, the tongue widens, pulls up and back into itself, and the sides of the tongue push against the inside of the upper back teeth/molars for support. The tongue tip is neutral; it also doesn't touch anything in the mouth.
The American R can also be either a consonant or a vowel, depending on where it occurs in a word. Both the consonant R and the vowel R are difficult for many native speakers of French to pronounce.
Click here for a downloadable PDF of How to Pronounce the American English R Sound
The American R /ɹ/ functions as a consonant when it comes at the beginning of a syllable or when it's part of a consonant cluster. The words right and bread both contain a consonant R. But when the R sound comes after a vowel in the same syllable, it functions as one unit with that vowel and becomes a vowel R. The words world, girl, and first all contain a vowel R.
When French speakers pronounce the vowel R in American English, the pronunciation can become even more challenging due to the nature of English spelling and pronunciation. Sometimes the vowel that comes before the R is pronounced in American English, and sometimes it isn't. For example, the word first contains a vowel R in its pronunciation (the ER /ɝ/ vowel), but this vowel is pronounced just like the R sound. It's tricky because the spelling of this vowel is "ir", but the letter "i" is not pronounced; instead, it's just the R sound. When native speakers of French include the letter "i" in the pronunciation, the word first sounds closer to "feerst" to the ears of a native speaker of American English.
The word fire, on the other hand, also contains the "ir" spelling, but the vowel is pronounced in this word: "fye-er".
How to Pronounce the American R /ɹ/ Sound
The American R /ɹ/ consonant and the vowel R are pronounced the same tongue placement, but they differ slightly with the lip position. The tongue is in a wide shape, the back of the tongue is high and pulls back, and the tongue tip is neutral (the tongue tip doesn’t touch anything inside the mouth!). The lip position for the American R /ɹ/ consonant is very similar to the OO /u/ vowel, like in the word boot - the lips round into a tight circle. However, the lip position for the vowel R is slightly more relaxed and the lips flare away from the teeth slightly.
To learn how to pronounce the American R /ɹ/ consonant and the vowel R (also called R-colored vowels) in American English, watch the pronunciation videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the R /ɹ/ Consonant; How to Pronounce the ER /ɝ, ɚ/ Vowels; An Introduction to R-colored Vowels.
French Challenge #2: Intonation
Intonation refers to the melody of speech: the highs and lows of the pitch of the voice. It's helpful to think of the highs of the voice as "peaks" and the lows of the voice as "valleys". Every language has its own rules that govern the melody or intonation of the way it is spoken, and the intonation rules of French and American English are quite different.
French intonation patterns tend to follow an upward pattern at the end of each phrase or thought group. In contrast, American English intonation patterns tend to follow a more stair-step pattern, with the highest pitch used on stressed syllables and the lowest pitches used on unstressed and reduced syllables.
Using the incorrect intonation pattern can lead to confusion for a native speaker of American English, as simply changing the intonation of the voice slightly can convey completely different meanings. A slight rise in intonation changes a statement to a question in English. Make the voice rise even more, and this can convey surprise, doubt, or even annoyance.
If a native speaker of French uses French intonation patterns in American English, this can lead to perceptions that the speaker is asking questions, or that they lack confidence in what they are saying.
How to Pronounce American English Intonation
There are a variety of correct types of intonation patterns that a speaker can use when speaking American English, and many times it’s up to the speaker to decide which type of intonation pattern they want to use based on the context of the conversation. However, there are a few guidelines that most native speakers of American English will follow most of the time.
So to begin learning about the many types of American English intonation patterns, watch the videos below. Or you can read about American English intonation by clicking here: Advanced Intonation of Statements and Questions; Sound Natural and Native with Intonation Templates; 3 Powerful Techniques to BOOST Your Intonation.
French Challenge #3: The AA /æ/, AH /ɑ/, and EH /ɛ/ Vowels
Although French and American English share many vowels between the two languages, there are a few vowels that are notoriously difficult for French speakers to pronounce accurately in American English. One such vowel is the AA /æ/ as in apple vowel, as this vowel does not exist in French.
The most common substitution of French speakers is either the AH /ɑ/ as in father vowel or the EH /ɛ/ as in bed vowel. These substitutions result in the words glass and man sounding like gloss and men, respectively. This can lead to a lot of confusion for a native speaker of American English as these substitutions can result in many real words in English, and the listener may be left wondering, “What did they say?”
Click here for a PDF on How to Pronounce the AH /ɑ/ and UH /ʌ/ Vowels
Click here for a PDF on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) of American English Vowels
For example, consider the following sentence: The man talked quickly. If a native speaker of French substitutes the EH /ɛ/ vowel instead, the sentence sounds like this: The men talked quickly. This sentence results in a completely different meaning than what the speaker had intended!
How to Pronounce the AA /æ/, AH /ɑ/, and EH /ɛ/ Vowels
There are four main things to consider when pronouncing American English vowels:
- Tongue placement: Is the tongue at the front, middle, or back of the mouth?
- Tongue position/jaw position: Is the tongue high/jaw closed or is the tongue low/jaw open?
- Lip placement: Are the lips rounded or retracted?
- Tension: Are the muscles tense or relaxed?
AA /æ/ is pronounced with an open jaw, retracted lips, and the back of the tongue pulls up slightly towards the throat. AH /ɑ/ is also pronounced with an open jaw, but the lips are neutral, and the tongue depresses down to the bottom of the mouth. EH /ɛ/ is pronounced with the jaw slightly closed compared to AA /æ/ and AH /ɑ/, with slightly more relaxed lips and a fully relaxed tongue.
To learn how to pronounce the AA /æ/, AH /ɑ/ and EH /ɛ/ vowels in American English, watch the pronunciation videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the AA /æ/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the AH /ɑ/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the EH /ɛ/ Vowel.
French Challenge #4: The TH /θ, ð/ Consonants
The TH /θ, ð/ consonants do not exist in French, so these can be particularly challenging for native French speakers to pronounce in English. It can be common for French speakers to substitute /s/, /f/, or /z/ for the TH consonants in English words, which results in the words the, this, and that sounding like "zuh", "zis" and "zat", and think, thing, and three as "sink/fink", "sing/fing", and "sree/free".
These types of pronunciation patterns can result in confusion for a native speaker of American English as they can create many real word pairs in English, such as three/free and thing/sing. Other substitutions, like the/zuh and this/zis may not lead to direct misunderstandings, but they can distract the listener from the message and cause them to think, "Where is that person from?"
How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants in American English
To pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ consonants, the tongue tip comes out between the upper and lower teeth. The teeth lightly come together to anchor the tongue tip in place (don't bite the tongue!). The body of the tongue is in a wide shape. The air flows out of the mouth along the top of the tongue, between the space where the upper teeth make contact with the upper surface of the tongue. The cheeks come together to push the corners of the lips in towards each other.
The TH /θ/ is voiceless, meaning just air is released as you make this sound (no vocal cord vibration). This is how the "th" in think, thing, and three is pronounced. But the TH /ð/ is voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate as you say this sound, and this is how the "th" in the, this, and that is pronounced.
To learn how to pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ consonants in American English, watch the videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the TH /θ, ð/ Consonants; Place, Manner, and Voicing of the American English Consonants; English Made Easy: The TH /θ, ð/ Sound.
French Challenge #5: The EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels
The EE /i/ as in beat and IH /ɪ/ as in bit vowels are very common in American English. The EE /i/ vowel is also found in French, but the IH /ɪ/ vowel is not in French, and this is where native speakers of French tend to have difficulty with pronunciation.
The EE /i/ as in beat vowel is a long, tense vowel in American English. This means there is tension somewhere in the vocal tract when you pronounce it. Say “eee” and place your hand under your chin - do you feel the muscles tensing there when you say “eee”?
Click here to download a PDF of How to Pronounce the EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels
In contrast, the IH /ɪ/ as in bit vowel is a short, lax vowel in American English. This means the muscles in the vocal tract are relaxed as you say it. When you say the IH /ɪ/ vowel, there should not be any tension in the muscles under your chin - IH /ɪ/ should feel very different from EE /i/ in terms of muscle tension.
Native speakers of French tend to pronounce the short, lax IH /ɪ/ vowel like the long, tense EE /i/ vowel, so a word like bit may sound like beat, or a phrase like his big sister, which uses the IH /ɪ/ vowel, might be mispronounced as "heez beeg seester", with the EE /i/ vowel.
How to Pronounce the EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels in American English
The biggest difference between the pronunciation of EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ is tongue tension. When you pronounce IH /ɪ/, remember to relax your mouth and tongue. Use a mirror to make sure you are relaxed when you say it. Now contrast that with the tense EE /i/ vowel and add as much tension as possible when you say it. Can you feel the difference in muscle tension?
To learn how to pronounce the EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ vowels, watch the pronunciation videos below. Or you can read about their pronunciations by clicking here: How to Pronounce the EE /i/ Vowel; How to Pronounce the IH /ɪ/ Vowel; EE /i/ and IH /ɪ/ Vowels: Minimal Pairs Listening Test.
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