Pronouncing the letters u and ou in French

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Pronouncing the letters u and ou

• The letter u is pronounced .

you

hi

a street

• The letters ou are pronounced .

day

to cost

Exercise 1

Select the missing letters to complete the word that is being spoken in each case.

s r

ne

Select the missing letters to complete the word that is being spoken in each case.

ou 1

s u 2r

u 3ne

1 ou :

The word here is ou (where), spelled with o and u. Other examples: jour (day); nous (we).

1 u :

The letter u is pronounced . That's not the sound we heard here.

2 u :

Sur (on) is pronounced with an 'u' sound, as in tu (you) or super (great).

2 ou :

This sound is “ou” is pronounced , which is not what we heard here.

3 u :

The word here is une (one), which is pronounced with an “u” sound. other example: une rue (a street); une facture (an invoice).

3 ou :

The sound heard here is not “ou” .

Exercise 2

Which word contains the sound “u” as in une rue (a street)?

Which word contains the sound “u” as in une rue (a street)?

Vos (your) contains the sound “o” , not “u” .

Vous (you) contains the sound “ou” as in bonjour (hello), not "u" .

The word vu (saw) contains the sound “u” . Other examples: un mur (a wall), une surprise (a surprise).

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