The sounds ou and eu in French
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The sounds ou and eu
The ou and eu sounds are very similar. Listen and repeat if you feel up to it.
Tous mes vœux ! Best wishes!
• The pronunciation of the letters OU (or the IPA pronunciation symbol [u]).
Examples
Pronunciation
OU
ouvrir la bouche to open the mouth
OÙ
où vas-tu ? where are you going?
OUX
doux gentle, soft, kind
OÛ
coûter to cost
AOÛ
août August
• The pronunciation of the letters EU (or the IPA pronunciation symbol [ø]).
Examples
Pronunciation
EU
un petit peu a little bit
EUX
deux two
ŒU
un nœud a knot
Note:
• The past participle of avoir
eu is pronounced like the letter u (or [y] phonetically).
J’ai eu I’ve had
• For purists, there are two eu sounds, one of which is closed (for terms like pneu or deux) and an open eu sound which we hear in terms such as:
le meurtre the murder
un œuf an egg
avoir peur to be scared
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