Accent traps · French speakers
Accent traps for French speakers
Les pièges de l'accent américain pour les francophones
You already know thousands of English words because French has them too: education, situation, nature, comfortable. That is a head start — and a trap. Because the words feel familiar, they come out the French way, and they are some of the words you say most.
Each trap below is one rule that fixes a whole family of words. Learn the rule once and dozens of words change at the same time. They are ranked most common first — start at number 1.
22 traps257 words
The traps
1.TH is not S or Z: think, this, three
French has no TH, so think becomes sink and this becomes zis. Put the tongue between the teeth and blow: two sounds, in almost every sentence.
2.Say the H and the final consonant: hotel, concert
French drops the H and most final consonants; English says them. Hotel has a breathy H, concert ends in RT, moment ends in NT.
3.Stress up front: comfortable, vegetable, chocolate
French stresses the end of a word; English often stresses the start and swallows the rest. COMF-ter-bul, VEJ-tuh-bul, CHAHK-lit.
4.Weak vowels: animal, possible, police
In English, unstressed vowels shrink to a short 'uh' (schwa). Animal is AN-uh-mul, possible is PAH-suh-bul, police is puh-LEES.
5.-ed endings: walked, played, wanted
Walked is one syllable: WAWKT. The -ed ending is a T, a D or ID, and only after T or D does it add a syllable. Every past tense depends on it.
6.Ship or sheep: the short I
French has one I sound; English has two. Ship has a short, relaxed I and sheep a long, tense EE. Mix them up and live sounds like leave.
7.The American R: red, very, car, world
The French R is made in the throat; the American R is made with the tongue, which touches nothing. Say it after vowels too: car, world.
8.-tion says SHUN: nation, information, question
The French -tion (SYOHN) becomes a short, weak -shun in English: NAY-shun, in-fer-MAY-shun. After S it is -chun: question, suggestion.
9.Vowels that glide: table, radio, private, photo
English A, I and O often glide into a second sound: table is TAY-bul, private is PRY-vit, photo is FOH-doh. French vowels stay pure.
10.No nasal vowels: international, experience
In French, -in, -en, -an and -on melt into a nasal vowel. In English the vowel stays a vowel and the N is a real N: in-ter-NASH-uh-nul.
11.The hidden Y in education, graduate and usual
English hides a Y sound after d, s and z: education is EJ-uh-KAY-shun, not é-dü-ca-tion. One rule fixes dozens of words.
12.-ture says CHER: nature, culture, picture
Nature, culture, picture, future: in American English -ture is CHER, never the French -TURE. The same T + Y rule covers situation and actual.
13.U says YOU: music, menu, computer
French has a U sound English does not. In music, menu and computer the U is the word YOU: MYOO-zik, MEN-yoo, kum-PYOO-der.
14.Cat, cut, cot: three vowels, not one
Cat, cut and cot have three different vowels in American English. With the French A for all three, bad, bud and bod sound the same.
15.Noun or verb? REcord vs reCORD
Many two-syllable words change stress with their job: a REcord, to reCORD; a PREsent, to preSENT. Nouns lean on the first syllable, verbs on the second.
16.-or and -er say ER: doctor, actor, color
Doctor, actor, error: the ending is a weak ER, not the French -EUR, and the stress moves to the start. DAHK-ter, AK-ter, AIR-er.
17.-ive says IV: active, positive, creative
The French -if / -ive ending is long and stressed. In English, -ive is a short, unstressed IV: AK-tiv, PAH-zuh-tiv, kree-AY-tiv.
18.-ous says US: famous, nervous, delicious
French -eux becomes English -ous, and it shrinks to a weak US: FAY-mus, NUR-vus, dih-LISH-us. The stress moves toward the start of the word.
19.Endings -age, -ine, -ite, -ile: village, medicine
Village is VIL-ij, medicine is MED-uh-sun, favorite is FAYV-rit, fragile is FRAJ-ul. The French endings shrink to a short weak syllable.
20.CH is not SH: chance, character, chemistry
French CH is always SH. In English, CH is usually CH (chance, champion) and in Greek words it is K (character, chemistry).
21.Stress before -ic: economic, political
Words ending in -ic or -ical are stressed on the syllable just before it: ee-kuh-NAH-mik, puh-LID-ih-kul. French puts the weight on the very end.
22.-ism and -ist: tourism, journalist
-ism is IZ-um, two weak syllables, and -ist is a short IST. The stress stays near the front of the word: TOOR-iz-um, JUR-nuh-list, DEN-tist.