French pronunciation
The letter combination eu has three possible pronunciations, two of which are very similar.
1) When it’s the past participle of avoir, eu is pronounced like u.
 |
Par exemple… | |
| ils ont eu | they had | |
2) In an open syllable (ends in vowel sound), eu is pronounced much like "u" in the English word "put" – listen. Phonetic symbol: [ø]
| bleu | blue |
| deux | two |
| monsieur | sir, Mr. |
3) In a closed syllable (ends in consonant sound), the mouth is a little more open, like in the English word "hurt" – listen. Phonetic symbol: [œ]
| une heure | hour |
| eau gazeuse | sparkling water |
| un fleuve | river |
Notes
- The ligature œ plus u (œu) follows rules 2 and 3.
- The letter combination euil has its own pronunciation rules.
Related lessons
- Letters: E | U
- Open and closed syllables
- French vowels
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