28d (edited) • General 🗣
U vs OU
The U vs OU Sound
Salut! Today you're tackling one of the most important pronunciation distinctions in French — and one of the hardest for English speakers to hear at first.
Video below
Le son U — lips rounded, tongue forward near your teeth
Think of the English "ee" sound but with your mouth shaped like an O
tu, vu, une, sur, lune
Le son OU — lips rounded, tongue deeper inside the mouth
Think of the English "oo" in food
tout, vous, roue, soupe, bouche
The best practice sentence — Tu vois tout ?
Tu = U sound / tout = OU sound — both in the same sentence!
Minimal pairs — say these slowly and exaggerate the difference
tu — tout
vu — vous
sur — sourd
rue — roue
lu — loup
bu — bout
jus — joue
nu — nous
mur — mou
These two sounds can completely change a word's meaning, so it's worth drilling them until the difference feels automatic!
Can you make a few sentences using today's words? Write them in the comments below!
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U vs OU
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