Elision
An elision is a type of contraction that occurs when two words are combined: one or more letters are dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. In French, written elisions are required, regardless of the register you're speaking or writing in. spelling
Learn some of the particularities of French spelling.
An elision is a type of contraction that occurs when two words are combined: one or more letters are dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. In French, written elisions are required, regardless of the register you're speaking or writing in. A1 - Beginning French • spelling
Euphonic Adjectives
French grammar is sometimes trumped by pronunciation, as in the case of euphonic adjectives. Because French does not like the hiatus created when a word ending with a vowel precedes a word that begins with a vowel or mute h, a few adjectives change their spelling—and thus their pronunciation—for purely euphonic reasons. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • adjectives • spelling
Fractions
adjectives • adverbs • B1 - Intermediate French • French Abbreviations - Acronyms - Apocopes • spelling
Grave Accent: à, è, ù
Only three French vowels can take the grave accent: à, è, and ù, and the purpose of the accent depends on the letter in question. H aspiré
Despite the name, the H aspiré is not aspirated or otherwise pronounced. A1 - Beginning French • spelling
H muet
The French H muet is not just silent, but essentially non-existent: words that begin with H muet act as if they begin with a vowel. A1 - Beginning French • spelling
Homophones
How to Type Accents in Any OS
In- Prefix
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a set of characters used to standardize pronunciation explanations across languages. It uses a unique symbol for each sound, which makes discussions of different languages much easier. IPA – Consonants
French has a total of 20 French consonant sounds, and thus 20 IPA symbols for these sounds. However, three of these sounds are only in words borrowed from other languages and one is very rare, so there are really just 16 French essential consonant sounds. IPA – Vowels
French has 19 different vowel sounds and therefore 19 IPA symbols for vowels, divided into three categories: normal vowels, nasal vowels, and semi-vowels. Irregular Adjectives
Five French adjectives (beau, fou, mou, nouveau, vieux) are particularly tricky because they have very irregular feminine forms as well as a special form used only for certain masculine nouns. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • adjectives • spelling
Nouns and Adjectives: Irregular Feminine Forms
Most French nouns and adjectives become feminine with the addition of -e, but there are some exceptions. Some nouns require an additional spelling change, depending on the final letter(s) of the word. adjectives • agreement • gender • nouns • spelling
Nouns and Adjectives: Irregular Plurals
Most French nouns and adjectives become plural with the addition of -s, but of course there are exceptions. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • adjectives • agreement • nouns • plurals • spelling
Unlike other French suffixes, -ci does not create new words, but rather adds additional meaning to the nouns and pronouns it's attached to.
