Syllable division rules in French
March 23, 2024 by Mylene in Pronunciation Lessons ▪
A syllable is a sound or group of sounds that is pronounced with a single voice. In French, 8 out of 10 syllables end in a vowel. In what follows, I’ll show you how to separate words and sentences into syllables to master the melody of French and to get closer to the French accent.
- Syllabication rule
- Importance of vowels
- Enchainement
- Two consonants pronounced
- A consonant between two vowels
- Case of two identical written consonants
- A consonant followed by a liquid consonant
1. Syllabication rule
A syllable must contain a single vowel (V). This vowel can form a syllable on its own, or it can attract one or more consonants (C).
Examples of possible syllables:
- A vowel and no consonant pronounced: à (V) transcribed [a].
- A vowel and a pronounced consonant: ar (VC) transcribed [aʁ] or ra (CV) transcribed [ʁa].
- One vowel and two consonants pronounced: mar (CVC) transcribed [maʁ] or arm (VCC) transcribed [aʁm] or tra (CCV) transcribed [tʁa].
- One vowel and three consonants pronounced: tram (CCVC) transcribed [tʁam] or stra (CCCV) transcribed [stʁa] or tree (VCCC) transcribed [aʁbʁ]. The last E of arbre is not pronounced.
- One vowel and four consonants pronounced: stryge (CCCVC) transcribed [stʁiʒ].
- One vowel and five consonants pronounced: strict (CCCVCC) transcribed [stʁikt].
2. The importance of vowels
One in 8 syllables in French ends with a pronounced vowel. You should try as much as possible to make the syllabic separation after the vowel.
For example, take the sentence « sur un arbre » which is pronounced « su-run-narbre »:
- “su” ends with the phonetic vowel [y],
- “run” ends with the phonetic vowel [ɛ̃],
- “arbre”: The vowel e is silent. “Arbre” ends with the phonetic consonant [ʁ].
Here we are only interested in the pronounced form of words. Indeed, in writing, there remain numerous letters written and not spoken.
- Chants: the last sound pronounced is the nasal vowel [ɑ̃]
- La nuit: the last sound pronounced is the oral vowel [i]
3. Enchainement
In groups of words, you will use consonant sequences to link the words together. The objective is the same: end your syllable with a vowel.
- Votre ami: The E in “votre” is silent. Votre ami is pronounced [vɔ.tʁa.mi]. The 3 syllables end with a pronounced vowel.
- Toute étonnée: the E in “toute” is silent. Toute étonnée is pronounced [tu.te.to.ne]. The 3 syllables end with a pronounced vowel.
- Le soir et la nuit is pronounced [lə.swa.ʁe.la.nɥi]. The 5 syllables end with a pronounced vowel.
- La tasse orange is pronounced [la.so.ʁɑ̃ʒ] The first 2 syllables end with a pronounced vowel.
- La route étroite is pronounced [la.ʁu.te.tʁwat]. The first 3 syllables end in a pronounced vowel.
4. Two consonants pronounced
When 2 pronounced consonants are next to each other, you will cut the syllable in the middle of the 2 consonants.
Example :
- Partir is divided as follows: par-tir
- Observer is broken down as follows: ob-ser-ver
- Garçon: is cut as follows: gar-çon
5. A consonant between two vowels
When a single consonant is between 2 vowels, the consonant belongs to the second syllable.
- Matin is divided as follows: ma-tin
- Demain is divided as follows: de-main
- Décorer is divided as follows: dé-co-rer
6. Case of 2 identical written consonants
The rule is the same. There is no difference in pronunciation of the consonant in French when there is one consonant or two identical consonants.
- Redonner is broken down as follows re-donner
- Bassin is divided as follows: ba-ssin
- Appétit is divided as follows: a-ppé-tit
7. A consonant followed by a liquid consonant
If a consonant is followed by one of the two liquid consonants, R or L, then the 2 consonants are in the same syllables.
- Mercredi is pronounced like: this mer-cre-di
- Dédramatiser is pronounced like: this dé-dra-ma-ti-ser
- Reproduire is pronounced like this: re-pro-duire
- Rassemblement is pronounced like this: ra-ssem-ble-ment
Improve your French melody
I am often asked how I can get rid of my foreign accent? Better syllabic division is the answer in the majority of cases. Learn to end your syllables with vowels and you will get a better French accent. To discover other tips, you can join the pronunciation course available here.
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