French Enchainment Pronunciation

When you learn French and then get speaking, all is well until you join a conversation and the words all seem to run into each other. 

They really do, so it’s tough to work out where one word starts and another one finishes. By the time you think you’ve got it, the conversation has moved on. 

In a previous mini-lesson I explained about liaisons.  

In this mini-lesson, we look at enchainment, which is all about the last pronounced consonant running into the next word when it starts with a vowel sound. 

In some ways, it’s highly likely something you’ve been doing naturally already and never even realised, 

Once you get it, you understand spoken French more easily because you quickly realise what is going on and it doesn’t disrupt your comprehension. 

Since we all want that - find out just how easy it is in this mini-lesson:

•  enchainment is

• How you were probably doing this without even knowing

• Some good examples to stick in your head and use when you’re speaking French 

What does enchainment mean?

When we speak, we make some arrangements because we want to smooth the transition between words so it flows…You can do this with elision. (When you ignore the last vowel of a word because the following word starts with one as well)

And you can achieve it with enchainment as well. What is it exactly?

It’s when you produce the last consonant of a word that runs into the start of the next word (which starts with a vowel).

Let’s see it with an example:

• avec un autre >>> with another

In this case, the last consonant is the letter c and the following word starts with the vowel u. 

• avec un autre >>> with another

The sound is shifted over and joined onto the next word.

Therefore, you’ll say this: 

• ave- cun autre >>> with another

Real examples with enchainment.

Let’s continue with other examples in order to master enchainment.

une hôtesse >>> A hostess

• U - nhôtesse >>> A hostess

• Un homme anglais >>> An English man
• Un ho - manglais . >>> An English man

What’s the difference between enchainment and liaison?

It can be easy to mix up liaison and enchainment since they both share the same goal: to make speaking French easier and smoother.

However, they are different. Let’s see in detail below.

The main difference is that for enchainment, the sound remains the same even if the word is on its own. On the contrary, with liaisons, the pronunciation differs if the word is on its own or if it’s connected to another.

• Un ho - manglais. >>> An English man

In this example, oui! we link the 2 words but if we separate them, each of them has the same pronunciation:

• Un homme >>> A man
• anglais. >>> English 

As a result, you are dealing with enchainment.

• Des (z) hommes anglais. >>> Some English men

Here, the pronunciation requires an extra “z” sound to connect the article “des” and the word “hommes”. Hence, it’s a liaison.

The proof? Let’s separate them:

• des (dé)  >>> some
• hommes (om) >>> men

Separately, there’s no “z” sound at all. This is how you know it’s a liaison and not enchainment!

When enchainment does not take place.

As you know, the French language loves exceptions to make it more exciting! Thus, you should watch out when enchainment does NOT take place…

Let’s have an example:

• Un cours >>> A lesson

This word ends with s. Will you link it to the next word starting with a vowel?

Like this:

• Un cours ou deux cours aujourd’hui ? >>> A lesson or two lessons today?

The answer is: NON! Why is that? I explain everything in the next section…

The reason is simple: there’s no enchainment at all because you don’t pronounce the final “s” in the first place!

Here’s a list of some French words where the final s is silent:

• corps >>>  body
• souris >>>  mouse

• jus >>>  juice

• bras >>>  arm

• temps >>>  time

• mois >>>  month

When the liaison is optional...

Did you know that when the liaison is optional, it’s easier and even natural to do it? I’m sure you do it naturally because you hear it so much too like this example:

• Je suis (z)allé. >>> I have been
• Je sui  (z)allé. >>> I have been

If you know the spelling, you’ll sound more educated if you make the liaison.

How do you remember all of this?

I have a method for you to master the enchainment:

• Find any text you like
• Then read it and listen to it at the same time
• Identify the enchainments.
• After, listen without looking.
• Visualise the sounds.
• Vocalise the sound and speak it loud.
• Practise writing the sounds in specific words 

Finally, pay attention to what French people say in conversation or in films. Indeed, focus on just one sound to help consolidate the one you want to learn rather than all at once.

Here are some enchainment letters you could focus on (at a time):

• B
• C 
• F
• K
• L
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• V

To summarise, we connect words with the last consonant and the following word starting with a vowel in order to get this fluidity or melody in French, as long as the first word sounds the same on its own.

There’s another way to achieve fluidity in French with this:

How to use liaisons in French

The ultimate guide to use elision in French

Can you identify words when you hear native French people talking? If not, don’t worry and keep practising enchainment to get clarity.

If you haven't seen my FREE masterclass to work out what's holding you back from speaking French with more confidence (it’s my speciality) then click here: 👉🏾 FREE MASTERCLASS