How to use liaisons in French

Do you know what a liaison in French is?  Nope, not a relationship with someone, but the joining of the end of one word to the beginning of the next.  

Liaisons are guilty of making it really hard to understand spoken French, and why we think they speak so fast - you just can’t determine where one sound starts and another ends. 

But searches and lessons can lead to overwhelm on this subject as there are so many rules. 

So, so many! And we can’t possibly learn them all at once. 

In my mission to simplify learning French, help it stick, and make sense of the principle rules to get something to make listening and speak French easier, I explain what liaisons are and give some simple examples that will stick in your head.  It’s not a video with a list of all the rules, nope, it’s a mini-lesson with the MAIN ones that trip us up all the time. 

Want to get it in your head too? Here you go:

• What a liaison is in French - the easy version!

• Common liaisons

• Avoid some common liaison errors

What’s a liaison?

Have you ever wondered why French sounds so “romantic” and melodic?

One of the reasons could be the liaisons. Indeed, a liaison is a connection between a final consonant sound of a word and the following vowel sound in the next word.

As a result, there’s no boundary between words. It’s like music: all notes are connected.

But why do we have liaisons in the first place? Its purpose is to smooth the transition between words in spoken French. Sounds can vary a little bit like an “s” becoming a “z”... 

You see this:

• les amis >>> the friends

But you say or hear the following:

• le Zamis >>> the friends

3 types of liaisons in French.

Now, there are 3 types of liaisons

• les liaisons obligatoires >>> compulsory liaisons
• les liaisons facultatives >>> optional liaisons
• les liaisons interdites >>> forbidden liaisons

What does it entail?

In the first case, you must make the liaisons otherwise it’s a mistake or it sounds strange.

For the optional ones, you can guess: you make the liaison or not! Finally, if the liaisons are forbidden, you never make them.

The compulsory French liaisons in expressions.

You would usually find compulsory liaisons in expressions of at least 2 words.  Here are some examples:

• de temps en temps >>> from time to time
• vis–à-vis >>> regarding
• de plus en plus >>> more and more
• de moins en moins >>> less and less

Let’s have a look at them in complete sentences:

• De temps en temps, je travaille le dimanche  >>> From time to time I work on Sundays.
• Vis–à-vis de la location, le loyer n’est pas cher. >>> Regarding the location, the rent is not expensive.
• Elle est de plus en plus douée au piano. >>> She’s more and more gifted at the piano. 
• De moins en moins de personnes écrivent des lettres. >>> Fewer and fewer people write letters.

The hyphen requires a liaison.

Another rule would be words connected with a hyphen. Even if there’s a gap between words, when you say them, you make a liaison.

Here are 2 examples:

• Les États-Unis >>> the United States
• Musée de beaux-arts >>> museum of fine arts

Do you want to see them in full sentences?

• Ils ont déménagé aux États-Unis >>> They moved to the United Stated
• Le Louvre est un des plus grands musées de beaux-arts >>> The Louvre is one of the biggest museums of fine arts

As a reminder, the liaison with the letter “x” sounds like “z”.

Make the liaison with grand and petit.

What happens with the adjectives grand (tall / big) and petit (small)?

You have a natural liaison. What is special is that the pronunciation changes a little.

With the word petit, as you can expect, you will use the t sound.

• Il a vu un petit éléphant. >>> He saw a small elephant.

However, with grand, the last letter will become a "T" sound.

• J’ai peur de ce grand éléphant (grant éléphant) >>> I’m scared of this big elephant

Sometimes, you may have the temptation to make a liaison when it’s not required like with the adjective gros (fat).

• Ce gros éléphant mange beaucoup >>> This fat elephant eats a lot.

The liaison between the subject and the verb.

Let’s talk about something that you may already do without realising it. Indeed, when you conjugate, you make a liaison because it’s compulsory. Of course, when the subject ends with a consonant and the verb starts with a vowel.

Let’s prove it with the verb avoir (to have):

• Nous avons >>> we have
• Vous avez >>> you have (formal / plural)
• Ils ont  >>> they have (feminine)
• Elles ont  >>> they have (masculine)

Note that it also helps you to differentiate with the verb être:

• Ils / elles sont  >>> they are 

Here there’s no liaison, therefore we have an s sound. When there’s a liaison, it’s the z sound.

With the letter h it works exactly the same:

• Nous habitons >>> we live
• Vous habitez >>> you live (formal / plural)
• Ils habitent  >>> they live (feminine)
• Elles habitent  >>> they live (masculine)

Make the liaison with the pronouns EN and Y.

Finally, you have to make a liaison with the pronouns en and y.

As a reminder, a pronoun substitutes something. We also use them in idiomatic phrases. Let’s see some examples:

• Vas- y >>> go on (singular)
• Allez- y >>> go on (formal / plural)
• Nous en voulons  >>> We want some (of that)
• Ils s'y intéressent  >>> They’re interested (in it)

What’s an optional liaison in French?

If you are not sure, make the liaison to sound more formal except if it’s a forbidden liaison.

4 French words where a liaison can take place.

Let’s play with examples:

• Dans une semaine, il commence son nouveau travail.  >>> In one week, he starts his new job.

or 

• Dans une semaine, il commence son nouveau travail.  >>> In one week, he starts his new job.

• Après avoir mangé, je fais une sieste. >>> After having eaten, I have a nap.

or 

• Après avoir mangé, je fais une sieste. >>> After having eaten, I have a nap.

• Il est trop intelligent pour son âge. >>> He’s too clever for his age.

or 

• Il est trop intelligent pour son âge. >>> He’s too clever for his age.

• Ce n’est pas intelligent de jeter ses déchets dans la rue. >>> It’s not clever to throw trash in the street.

or 

• Ce n’est pas intelligent de jeter ses déchets dans la rue. >>> It’s not clever to throw trash in the street.

An optional liaison with the verb ÊTRE.

Remember what we saw with the verb être? This time it’s after the verb. You can make a liaison if you want to:

• C’est une fille qui aime beaucoup de choses.  >>> It’s a girl who likes many things.

or 

• C’est une fille qui aime beaucoup de choses.  >>> It’s a girl who likes many things.

• Il adore sa fille. Elle est incroyable. >>> He loves his daughter. She’s incredible.

or 

• Il adore sa fille. Elle est incroyable. >>> He loves his daughter. She’s incredible.

• Ils ont adoré le concert d’hier. C’était incroyable. >>> They loved yesterday concert. It was incredible.

or 

• Ils ont adoré le concert d’hier. C’était incroyable. >>> They loved yesterday concert. It was incredible.

• Le chanteur mérite son succès. Il était incroyable. >>> The singer deserves his success. He was amazing. 

or 

• Le chanteur mérite son succès. Il était incroyable. >>> The singer deserves his success. He was amazing. 

You can use a liaison with the past.

Let’s continue with verbs. But now, let’s focus on the past where some liaisons are optional.

• Je suis arrivé à l’heure.  >>> I arrived on time.

or 

• Je suis arrivé à l’heure.  >>> I arrived on time.

• Elle est allée en vacances à la montagne. >>> She went to the mountain on holiday.

or 

• Elle est allée en vacances à la montagne. >>> She went to the mountain on holiday.

• Si nous pouvions, nous aurions acheté une maison. >>> If we could, we would have bought a house.

or 

• Si nous pouvions, nous aurions acheté une maison. >>> If we could, we would have bought a house.

What’s a forbidden liaison?

Oui! You should make the liaisons but non! You shouldn’t forget the forbidden ones. It’s equally crucial. It would sound very strange if you made the forbidden liaisons.

Before we see them, I have a few tips for you:

• don’t try to memorise everything all at once

• apply one little thing at a time 

• create your own examples

Liaisons dangereuses!

Let’s dive in! First, you should know that with the French words et (and), you never have a liaison. For instance:

• Je prends la pizza et un verre de vin, s’il vous plaît. >>> I’ll have the pizza and a glass of wine, please.

Never make this liaison.

In addition, you should never have a liaison after a noun if the subject is singular:

• Il est un enfant intéressant. >>> He’s an interesting child.
• J’ai un tas impressionnant de repassage aujourd’hui. >>> I have an impressive pile of ironing today.

You never have a liaison with names. 

Another case where liaisons are forbidden: with names! Let’s see some illustrations:

• Thomas est arrivé. >>> Thomas has arrived.
• Iris est allée, pas moi. >>> Iris went, not me.

Be careful with this French number...

Finally, you never have a liaison with the number eleven: onze.

• Je vais laver les onze voitures là-bas. >>> I’m going to wash the 11 cars over there.

In conclusion, there are 3 types of liaisons: compulsory, optional, and forbidden.

You'll have seen the most common rules. If you forget a liaison or if you have one when there’s none, it will sound very strange (to a French person).

It all comes to practice and memorising these basic rules little by little.

I have other mini-lessons to help you:

Developing your conversational flow: Why cramming will not help you speak more easily!

Tips and tricks to improve your listening skills in French

Do you remember to make the liaisons when you read aloud or when you speak? What are your own tips?