Distinguish a pronounced ending from liaison
Some final consonants are part of a word’s ordinary pronunciation, as in avec. Others are normally absent when a word is said alone but can appear in a permitted liaison. These cases require different explanations, even if both place a consonant before the next vowel.
Compare petit and petite as forms of a word, then compare a liaison example such as les amis. Do not assume that the feminine ending simply adds a spoken e; the relevant change may be a consonant becoming audible.
A mnemonic can suggest a word to check, but it cannot replace the model because exceptions and context matter. Keep the example with its audio in your notes. Use the liaison guide for required and prohibited connections, and practise the complete phrase before trying to explain a new word from spelling alone.
Why this target matters
This foundation cluster helps a beginner understand why French spelling and French speech do not behave like English. It keeps the theory practical: one visible pattern, one sound target, one short speaking routine. In this lesson, success means that you can hear the target, produce it in avec, and keep it clear in a short phrase. That progression matters because a sound that works only in isolation is not yet reliable speech.
Mouth position and airflow
Let the word finish cleanly. If the consonant is pronounced, keep it short and do not add an English extra vowel after it.
Three examples to practise
| Round | French target |
|---|---|
| 1 | avec |
| 2 | petit |
| 3 | bus |
Common mistakes and a correction
- Avoid adding a vowel after final consonants.
- Avoid pronouncing all final letters.
- Avoid removing final consonants that are actually spoken.
Five-minute practice ladder
- Sort three words into pronounced or silent endings.
- Say each word slowly.
- Add a following vowel word.
- Listen for liaison.
- Use the group in a sentence.