LinguaThe last seven letters, and the end of a word
Seven letters today, T to Z, and the alphabet is complete. Their names: t is « té », u is « u », v is « vé », w is « double vé » (a double v, not a double u), x is « ixe », y is « i grec » (the Greek i) and z is « zède ». The u is the French vowel you already met in une, rue and lune: round your lips as for “oo” and say “ee”. With the letters done, here is the rule that makes French look longer than it sounds: the end of a word is often written but not said. petit ends in a t you never hear, grand in a silent d, trop in a silent p, nez in a silent z. The plural adds an s (vélos) or an x (yeux), and you never hear that either. One letter changes everything: a final e is silent itself, but it WAKES the consonant before it. petit is “puh-tee”; petite is “puh-teet”.
« té ». Capital T: the bar across the top first, then the post down from its middle. Small t: a post that stops short of full height, with a tiny hook at the bottom, then the bar across it. Silent at the end of petit, heard in taxi and petite.
« u ». Capital U: down the left side, round the bottom and up the right, one stroke. Small u: the same cup, then a short line down on the right. The sound: lips as for “oo”, tongue as for “ee”: tu, une, rue.
« vé » and « double vé ». V: two diagonals that meet at the bottom, left one first. W: two v side by side, four strokes without lifting the pen. The w is rare and mostly sounds v: wagon.
« ixe ». Two strokes that cross: from top left to bottom right, then from top right to bottom left. In the middle of a word it is “ks”: taxi. At the end it is silent and often marks a plural: yeux.
« i grec », the Greek i. Capital Y: two short diagonals meeting in the middle, then the post down. Small y: a short diagonal down to the right, then a long one from the top right that dives below the line. Alone it is “ee”; before a vowel it is the y of “yes”: yeux.
« zède ». Three strokes without lifting the pen: the top bar to the right, the diagonal down to the bottom left, the bottom bar to the right. A buzzing z at the start (zéro), silent at the end of a word (nez).
| Letter | French name | How it sounds | In a word |
|---|---|---|---|
| T t | té | the t of “stop”, without a puff of air | taxi |
| U u | u | lips rounded for “oo”, tongue placed for “ee” | tu |
| V v | vé | the v of “very” | vélo |
| W w | double vé | v in most words; w only in English borrowings | wagon |
| X x | ixe | “ks” inside a word; silent at the end | taxi, yeux |
| Y y | i grec | “ee”; the y of “yes” before a vowel | yeux |
| Z z | zède | a buzzing z; silent at the end of a word | zéro, nez |
| Last letter | What you hear | Words |
|---|---|---|
| t | nothing | petit, lit |
| d | nothing | grand, pied |
| p | nothing | trop, sirop |
| s | nothing; it marks the plural | vélos, tapis |
| x | nothing; the other plural mark | yeux, prix |
| z | nothing | nez, riz |
| e | nothing, but the consonant before it is heard | petite, vite |
| Masculine | Feminine | What the e wakes up |
|---|---|---|
| petit | petite | the t |
| grand | grande | the d |
| gris | grise | the s, said as z between two vowels |
un grand taxia big taxi
les yeux du bébéthe baby’s eyes
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tu | you (one person, informal) | Tu es à Nice ? Are you in Nice? |
| un | a, an; one | Un taxi, vite ! A taxi, quick! |
| vélo | bike, bicycle | Le vélo de Zoé. Zoé’s bike. |
| wagon | carriage (of a train) | Le wagon est vide. The carriage is empty. |
| taxi | taxi, cab | Un taxi à la gare. A taxi at the station. |
| yeux | eyes | Les yeux de Léa. Léa’s eyes. |
| zéro | zero (0) | Zéro sel, zéro sucre. No salt, no sugar. |
| petit | small, little (feminine: petite) | Un petit dé. A small dice. |
| petite | small, little (feminine) | Une petite île. A small island. |
| grand | big, tall (feminine: grande) | Un grand lac. A big lake. |
| trop | too much, too | Trop de sel ! Too much salt! |
| vite | fast, quickly | Vite, le taxi ! Quick, the taxi! |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
In one of these words the final consonant is written but NOT pronounced. Which one?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.