Quick answer: French ai, ais, ait, and et often point to e-like sounds, not English eye. Beginners should train them as French vowel sounds inside words and phrases.
Five-minute practice
Try this routine aloud
Say mais slowly.
Say était with a steady vowel.
Say et as a short connector.
Compare spelling and sound.
Shadow one sentence with all three.
Do not treat three spellings as one fixed rule
The spellings ai and ais often point toward /ɛ/, while the conjunction et is commonly /e/ in reference French. But word, grammatical form and variety matter. Check a model for the exact form instead of pronouncing every ai as the English word “eye.”
Compare lait, mais and et as familiar examples. Keep each vowel steady. Then look at the word in a sentence so you know which grammatical form you are reading. Endings such as -ai and -ais can be treated differently by speakers; a written distinction is not a guarantee that every variety maintains the same spoken contrast.
The é, è and e guide provides the underlying vowel comparison. Use the vowel trainer if you need to hear /e/ and /ɛ/ before returning to spelling.
Mouth position and airflow
Keep the vowel short and forward. Do not read ai as the English word eye.
Three examples to practise
Round
French target
1
mais
2
était
3
et
Common mistakes and a correction
Avoid pronouncing ai like eye.
Avoid making et rhyme with English set too strongly.
Learn the three core French nasal vowel contrasts /ɑ̃/, /ɔ̃/, and /ɛ̃/: spelling patterns, mouth cues, minimal pairs, exceptions, and a five-minute routine.
