How to say O like a French native

Bonjour tout le monde!

Can you say this properly?

Our ‘English’ brain thinks it will be pronouncing it SO WELL . . . but for many, a small tweak can make a massive leap into the realms of sounding so much more French! 

If you want to try 12 ‘O’ words to help you lean in - try them out here where I lead you through the last time you pronounce the letter ‘O’ in an English way.

In this mini-lesson I share with you:

• How to recognise your English “O” 
• How to shift into the French “O”
• 12 great words to get that valuable practice

12 French words to master the sound O.

First, you should be aware what is required to master specific sounds. When it comes to pronunciation, there are some elements you pay attention to. These are:

• tongue position

• air flow

• mouth position
• intonation

Indeed, whether you want to produce the letter “l” or “r” in French, you won’t put your tongue in the same position. For the first one, your tongue will touch your palate while for the second letter, it will be at the back of your throat. By the way, for vowels, the tongue position is always the same since it will stay at the bottom of your mouth to allow the maximum of air to go through.

The air flow varies according to the letter. As we just mentioned, for vowels the air flow is extremely abundant. For plosive letters like “p”, “b”, you can imagine that the air flow is like a bomb.

Your mouth can open in 2 ways: vertically and horizontally. Its aperture will make all the difference. The letter “o” is far more open than the letter “u” in French. Can’t you hear the difference between “é” and “è”? Well, if you pay attention to a French native, you will physically see the difference.

For the o sound, your mouth is open and rounded. You should produce the sound “ooo”. Note that the French o is less open than the English one.

Finally, the intonation as the music of any language is unique. As far as French is concerned, the general rule is the intonation goes down for a normal sentence and the last syllable is stressed.

So, whenever you plan to improve your (French) pronunciation, take these 4 elements into account.

Here are the 12 French words you will be practising with:

• bonjour >>> good morning
• monde >>> world
• chocolat >>> chocolate
• lotion >>> lotion
• photo >>> photo
• tomate >>> tomato
• robot >>> robot
• mot >>> word
• mon oncle >>> my uncle
• chaussure >>> shoe
• montagne >>> mountain
• coquelicot >>> poppy

How the French vowel O is different from the English one.

Oui! The letter is the same but non! The sound is slightly different. Let’s start by saying these words in English:

Moan - foe - loan - show

I invite you to do this exercise in front of a mirror so you can see the shape of your lips. You can also record the pronunciation to appreciate the difference between the French and the English O sound.

In English, your lips move in a rounded way and the movement of the air is inside your mouth.

For the letter “O”, keep your tongue down and push your lips forwards. The word is sent out with air. Project the sound forwards.

Be sure to watch the video in order to see what happens and hear the right pronunciation of the sound.

What you need to do is to change the physical way you say this sound. To achieve it, keep it slow to get muscle memory.

One sound but different spellings in French.

Just like in English, you can produce the sound “o” with different spellings.

Here are the 3 ways to write this sound: o - au - eau

Sometimes, you may encounter an accent like this one: ô. 

Here are some examples:

• photo >>> photo
• bientôt >>> soon

• aussi >>> as well
• beaucoup >>> a lot

By the way, note that the nasal sound “on” is slightly different as well.

12 real examples with the sound O in French.

Here are some sentences for you:

• Dire bonjour est essentiel. >>> Saying good morning is essential.

• Le monde est petit. >>> The world is small.

• Elle aime uniquement le chocolat noir. >>> She likes black chocolate only. 

• C’est une lotion pour le visage. >>> It’s a lotion for the face.

• Ils adorent prendre des photos pendant leurs vacances >>> They love taking pictures of their holidays.

• Il préfère les tomates dans la salade. >>> He prefers tomatoes in the salad.

• Les robots ne remplaceront jamais l’humain. >>> Robots will never replace humans.

• Plus tu connais de mots, plus c’est facil de comprendre. >>> The more words you know, the easier it is to understand.

• Mon oncle est italien. >>> My uncle is Italian.

• Elle préfère les chaussures sans talon. >>> She prefers shoes without heels.

• Les champs de coquelicots sont magnifiques en été. >>> Poppy fields are amazing in summer.

Tips to produce the perfect French sound O.

Do you want to produce it perfectly each time? Here are some tips to help you just do this.

First, visualise the sound. Remember how to put your mouth, tongue, and everything required to say it.

Vocalise the sound. Don’t stay with the idea that you know how to say it without doing it aloud. The best thing you could do would be to record your voice and listen to it after to check. Even better, get instant feedback from a native speaker.

Don’t say the sound only but play with examples. Practice writing the sound in specific words and, as you write, say it aloud as well.

Finally, memorise one sound at a time. Master one then go ahead with another one. Trying to learn several sounds at the same time is counterproductive.  

If this mini-lesson helped you with your pronunciation and you wish to continue, have a look at these mini-lessons:

Sound like a French native with FRENCH FLEXY LIPS

Upgrade your French pronunciation with TÉLÉVISION

So, now you have 12 French words to practise this sound. Do you struggle with other sounds? I would love to help you!