{"id":26132,"date":"2017-03-07T05:12:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T04:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=26132"},"modified":"2017-10-27T12:38:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T10:38:31","slug":"french-pronunciation-basics-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/french-pronunciation-basics-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"French pronunciation basics part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent reader survey, one of the top requests you, <strong>chers lecteurs, <\/strong>(<em>dear readers)<\/em> of the Transparent Language French blog made, was for more help with pronunciation. Providing a comprehensive overview of French pronunciation would take <strong>une \u00e9ternit\u00e9<\/strong> (<em>an eternity \/ forever)<\/em>, but that doesn&#8217;t mean we can&#8217;t have a go at it!<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/love-and-animals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">few weeks ago<\/a>, I shared a song by the French singer and t.v. personality <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doroth%C3%A9e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Doroth\u00e9e<\/a>. I was lucky enough in 1993 to see her perform live (with my step-daughters!) and I often go back to her videos . . . both because she has so many fun songs to choose from, but also because &#8211; since her songs were mostly aimed at children &#8211; she uses a lot of repetitive vocabulary and she has a very distinct &#8211; and proper &#8211; accent (I suspect you&#8217;ll see a few more from me in the future!). This week, we&#8217;ll look at (listen to!) examples of the &#8220;oo&#8221; sound in French.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Doroth\u00e9e - Chou, Hibou, Genou, Caillou | CLIP OFFICIEL - 1992\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6KclpaTaSME?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis*,<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say,<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis que tu m&#8217;aimes** <\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say that you love me<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tant pis !***<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Too bad!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>C&#8217;est pas mon probl\u00e8me<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>That\u2019s not my problem<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis,<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say,<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Que tu n&#8217;aimes que moi<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>That you love only me<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tant pis !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Too bad!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Moi je ne t&#8217;aime pas !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Me, I don\u2019t love you!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Je sais bien que&#8230;<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>I know that . . .<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tous les gar\u00e7ons sont des voyous, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>All boys are rogues, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous appellent \u00ab mon petit chou**** \u00bb, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They call us \u00ab\u00a0their little love\u00a0\u00bb, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous regardent comme des hiboux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They stare at us like owls, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Puis ils se jettent \u00e0 nos genoux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Then they throw themselves at our knees, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Mais leur c\u0153ur***** n&#8217;est qu&#8217;un gros caillou !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>But their hearts are nothing but big stones!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis,<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say,<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis que je t&#8217;envo\u00fbte<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say that I charm you<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Qu&#8217;il faut,<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>That it\u2019s required<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Qu&#8217;il faut que je t&#8217;\u00e9coute<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>It\u2019s required that I listen to you<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu dis<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You say<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Que ce n&#8217;est pas ta faute<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>That it\u2019s not your fault<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tant pis !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Too bad!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tu paies pour les autres !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You\u2019re paying for everyone else (the others)!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Je sais bien que&#8230;<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>I know that . . . <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tous les gar\u00e7ons sont des voyous, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>All boys are rogues, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous appellent \u00ab mon petit chou \u00bb, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They call us \u00ab\u00a0their little love\u00a0\u00bb, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous regardent comme des hiboux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They stare at us like owls, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Puis ils se jettent \u00e0 nos genoux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Then they throw themselves at our knees, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Mais leur c\u0153ur n&#8217;est qu&#8217;un gros caillou !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>But their hearts are nothing but big stones!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ne m&#8217;en veux pas<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Don\u2019t hold it against me<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Si je ne te crois pas<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>If I don\u2019t believe you<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>T&#8217;es doux, t&#8217;es chou, un peu fou<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>You\u2019re nice, you\u2019re cute, a little crazy<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Comme un petit toutou<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Like a little doggy<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Mais !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>But!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Je sais bien que&#8230;<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>I know that . . . <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Tous les gar\u00e7ons sont des voyous, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>All boys are rogues, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous appellent \u00ab mon petit chou \u00bb, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They call us \u00ab\u00a0their little love\u00a0\u00bb, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Ils nous regardent comme des hiboux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>They stare at us like owls, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Puis ils se jettent \u00e0 nos genoux, ouh, ouh, ouh<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>Then they throw themselves at our knees, oh, oh, oh<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Mais leur c\u0153ur n&#8217;est qu&#8217;un gros caillou !<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><em>But their hearts are nothing but big stones!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><div class=\"woo-sc-box  normal   \"> * &#8216;dire&#8217; (to say) is an irregular verb conjudated in the present tense as:<br \/>\n<em>je dis \/ tu dis \/ il-elle-on dit \/ nous disons \/ vous dites \/ ils-elles disent<\/em><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"woo-sc-box  normal   \">** &#8216;aimer&#8217; (to like or love) is a regular -er verb that is conjugated in the presnt tense as:<br \/>\n<em>j&#8217;aime \/ tu aimes \/ il-elle-on aime \/ nous aimons \/ vous aimez \/ ils-elles aiment<\/em><\/div><br \/>\n*** <em>&#8216;Tant pis&#8217;<\/em> is a very handy French expression for expressing shared dissapointment as well as disdain (just like the English &#8216;too bad&#8217; can be sympathetic or judgemental). Equally useful is <em>&#8216;Tant mieux&#8217; <\/em>which means &#8216;<em>very good\/well&#8217; <\/em>or &#8216;just as well&#8217;.<br \/>\n**** <em>&#8216;chou&#8217;<\/em> literally means &#8216;<em>cabbage&#8217;<\/em> but is also a common expression of endearment akin to &#8220;<em>dear<\/em>&#8221; or &#8220;<em>love<\/em>&#8221;<br \/>\n***** Notice that in French this formulation is singular. Where in English we would say &#8220;their heartS ARE stones&#8221; the constuction in French is singular since\u00a0 &#8211; even though there is more than one boy &#8211; each boy only has one heart!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent reader survey, one of the top requests you, chers lecteurs, (dear readers) of the Transparent Language French blog made, was for more help with pronunciation. Providing a comprehensive overview of French pronunciation would take une \u00e9ternit\u00e9 (an eternity \/ forever), but that doesn&#8217;t mean we can&#8217;t have a go at it! A&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/french-pronunciation-basics-part-1\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[10953,284,367,388,10349,432,408480],"class_list":["post-26132","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-vocabulary","tag-chanson","tag-free-french-lessons","tag-french-music","tag-french-pronunciation","tag-french-song","tag-french-vocabulary","tag-la-pronunciation-francaise"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26132"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29159,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26132\/revisions\/29159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}