Mouth positioning for great French pronunciation

Dec 24, 2024

Pronouncing French well means you get to understand spoken French more easily too.

But you have to build muscle memory to make it easier.

What if someone showed you how, breaking it down with a few simple tips.

We won’t cover the whole of the French language - but you can get started and make a significant change in seconds!

In this mini-lesson I share with you:

How to pronounce French well

How understanding how you pronounce well will help you understand spoken French more easily

A way to always pronounce well

3 main factors to pronounce French well.

First, you should be aware of what is required to master specific sounds. When it comes to pronunciation, there are some elements you pay attention to. These are 3 main ones:

tongue position

air flow
lips

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 one 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.

How understanding how you pronounce well will help you understand spoken French more easily

How can you improve your pronunciation? If you want it to be natural and fluent, speaking French should be a habit. In other words, if you train your muscle memory, you will naturally speak French effortlessly.

Here are my vital tips:

Go slow

Be aware of what you’re doing

Get feedback on your sound

Apply to more words and phrases

Let’s explain each point in the next sections…

Go slow to decipher each element.

When you learn something for the first time, you struggle. Have you ever wondered why? It’s because it’s something completely new for your brain and you.

Indeed, your brain needs to digest what is going on in order to reproduce on autopilot mode. Thus, to achieve this, your brain wants to analyze each phase.

Talking about languages, your brain requires everything that is needed to produce a certain sound: lip position, the air flow, intonation, and much more. Then, your brain needs the syllables to compose a word and ultimately a sentence with the right tone.

Remember that when you learn something, decompose it so your brain registers each section in order to memorise it.

Be aware of what you’re doing.

This point goes with the previous one. If you go slow, it allows you to take the necessary time to be aware of what you’re doing.

And if you know what you are doing, you can repeat it indefinitely.

If you are aware that the French O is different than the English O, you can prepare yourself and do what what is required to produce the correct French sound.

Not only is your mouth position essential but also your tongue.

Get feedback on your sound.

Do you know what is the illusion of speaking well? I highly recommend these 2 movies: Marguerite (the original French film) and its British version Florence Foster Jenkins. It’s hilarious. It’s the story of a rich woman who has always dreamt of being a singer and no one dares to tell her that she sings completely out of tune!

You don’t want the same! So, please, get feedback as soon as possible.

There exist different ways to do so.

First, you can record your voice and listen to your own pronunciation.

Then, you can ask a peer or even better a native French person.

Don’t take it personally. The person may hurt your feelings but in the end, you will improve your pronunciation.

Apply to more words and phrases.

Once, you master a sound, play with it and say words, then, phrases. You want your own words, your own production. This is why it’s crucial that you have your own examples for the sake of your memory.

For instance, if you wish to focus on the nasal sounds, choose a sentence with the various ones and repeat it many times until you remember each of them.

Build up from a word to complex sentences.

Remember that you want to progress with a solid basis. Start small, then add words.

You can begin with a simple word, then ask a question. When you feel more confident, use complex sentences…

Of course, to achieve this, you will need to practice as much as possible.

Tips to always produce the perfect French pronunciation.

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.