Liaison

One of the trickiest aspects of French pronunciation for learners is liaison – the smooth linking of a normally silent final consonant to the beginning of the following word when that word starts with a vowel or a silent “h”. Knowing when to do a liaison and when to avoid it is key to sounding more natural and fluent in French.


What Is a Liaison?

In French, many words end in consonants that are normally silent, such as:

  • vous [vu]
  • petit [pə.ti]
  • grand [ɡʁɑ̃]

However, when the next word starts with a vowel sound (or a mute “h”), that final consonant often reappears to link the words smoothly.

Example:

  • vous avez → [vu‿za.ve]
    (The normally silent s in vous is pronounced as [z])

This is what we call liaison.


Obligatory Liaisons (Always Required)

These occur in certain grammatical contexts and should always be made:

1. Between a determiner and a noun

  • les enfants → [lez‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃] (the children)
  • un homme → [œ̃‿nɔm] (a man)

2. Between a pronoun and a verb

  • nous avons → [nu‿za.vɔ̃] (we have)
  • ils arrivent → [il‿za.ʁiv] (they arrive)

3. Between an adjective and a noun (when the adjective comes before the noun)

  • petits enfants → [pə.ti‿zɑ̃.fɑ̃] (small children)
  • grands arbres → [ɡʁɑ̃‿zaʁbʁ] (tall trees)

4. In fixed expressions

  • états-unis → [e.ta‿zy.ni] (United States)
  • de temps en temps → [də tɑ̃‿zɑ̃ tɑ̃] (from time to time)

Optional Liaisons (Style/Formality Dependent)

These are common in formal speech but may be dropped in informal or casual conversation.

1. After plural nouns

  • des enfants intelligents → [dez‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃ ɛ̃.te.li.ʒɑ̃] (intelligent children) – optional liaison between enfants and intelligents

2. After verbs (when the subject is a noun)

  • Ils finissent à huit heures → [il fi.nis‿a ɥit‿œʁ] (They finish at eight o’clock) – both liaisons are optional

Note: Optional liaisons are often used by news anchors, politicians, or in formal settings.


Forbidden Liaisons (Never Done)

Some liaisons are considered incorrect and can sound unnatural or even ungrammatical.

1. After a singular noun

  • le président‿est ici – wrong
    le président est ici → [lə pʁe.zi.dɑ̃ ɛ.ti.si]

2. After “et” (and)

  • un père et‿un enfant – wrong
    un père et un enfant → [œ̃ pɛʁ e œ̃n ɑ̃.fɑ̃] – no liaison after et

3. Before an aspirated ‘h’

Some words that begin with “h” do not allow liaisons. These are called aspirated h-words.

  • les‿haricots – wrong
    les haricots → [le a.ʁi.ko] (beans) – no liaison because haricots begins with an aspirated h

Compare:

  • les‿hommes → [lez‿ɔm] (men) – hommes starts with a mute h, so liaison is required

Common Liaison Sounds

Here are the most common liaison consonants and how they are pronounced:

Final LetterLiaison SoundExamplePronunciation
s, x[z]vous avez[vu‿za.ve]
d[t]grand homme[ɡʁɑ̃‿t‿ɔm]
n[n]bon ami[bɔ̃‿na.mi]
t[t]tout à fait[tu‿ta fɛ]
r[ʁ]premier étage[pʁə.mje‿ʁ‿taʒ]

Note that in the case of s, x and d, the liaised consonant becomes a harder and harsher version of itself. For example, an s becomes a z sound, and a d becomes a t sound.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • il reste

    The French verb rester (“to remain”) gives rise to several useful impersonal constructions that express what is left or remaining. An impersonal construction means the subject of the verb is “il,” which normally means “he,” but instead translates to “it.” So instead of meaning “he remains,” it means “it remains” or “there remains.” 1. The Basic…

  • pour + infinitive

    In French, one of the most common ways to express purpose or intention is by using “pour” followed by an infinitive verb. This structure is equivalent to “in order to” in English and is widely used in both spoken and written French. In everyday English, the words “in order” are often omitted. 1. Basic Structure…

  • more than

    The English phrase “more than” is commonly used for comparisons, but translating it into French requires attention to context. Specifically, the translation changes depending on whether “more than” is followed by a person or a countable noun. 1. “More than” + a Countable Noun When “more than” is followed by a countable noun, or a…

  • x and ex

    A common pronunciation mistake by French learners is the letter “x” and the letter combination “ex.” To fix these mistakes, we need to start at with the French alphabet and the letter “x.” In French, “x” in the alphabet is not pronounced EX like it is in English. Instead, it is pronounced EEKS. That’s important…

  • adjectives as adverbs

    In French, adverbs are commonly formed by adding -ment to the feminine form of an adjective (e.g., lent becomes lentement). However, in some cases, adjectives themselves are used as adverbs without any modification. 1. Common Adjectives Used as Adverbs Several adjectives can function as adverbs without changing their form. They are typically short, often come…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *