r sound at the end of French words

ByFast French

In French, the presence or absence of the “r” sound at the end of a word can drastically change its meaning. Many words that look similar can have entirely different definitions, because of this small difference in pronunciation. Here are a few examples, but other combinations may exist.

1. Le vs. Leur

  • Le (the) – Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.)
  • Leur (their) – Leur maison est grande. (Their house is big.)
  • Leurs (their, plural) – Leurs voitures sont rouges. (Their cars are red.)

2. Peux/peut vs. Peur

  • Peux (can, first-person singular of “pouvoir”) – Je peux voir l’océan. (I can see the ocean.)
  • Peux (can, second-person singular of “pouvoir”) – Tu peux connaître la réponse. (You can know the answer.)
  • Peut (can, third-person singular of “pouvoir”) – Il peut venir ce soir. (He can come tonight.)
  • Peur (fear) – Elle a peur du noir. (She is afraid of the dark.)
  • Peurs (fears) – La somme de toutes les peurs. (The sum of all fears.)

3. Se vs. Sœur

  • Se (reflexive pronoun) – Il se lève tôt. (He gets up early.)
  • Sœur (sister) – Ma sœur habite à Paris. (My sister lives in Paris.)
  • Sœurs (sisters) – Toutes ses sœurs sont blondes (All his sisters are blondes)

4. Ma vs. Marre

  • Ma (my, feminine singular) – Ma voiture est rouge. (My car is red.)
  • Marre (fed up) – J’en ai marre de ce bruit ! (I’m fed up with this noise!)

5. Vois/Voit/Voix vs. Voir/Voire

  • Vois (see, first/second-person singular of “voir”) – Je vois la mer. (I see the sea.)
  • Voit (sees, third-person singular of “voir”) – Il voit un oiseau. (He sees a bird.)
  • Voix (voice) – Elle parle d’une voix douce. (She speaks in a gentle voice.)
  • Voir (to see, infinitive verb) – Elle veut voir ce film. (She wants to see this movie.)
  • Voire (even, indeed) – C’est difficile, voire impossible. (It’s difficult, even impossible.)

6. Queue vs. Cœur/Chœur

  • Queue (tail, line) – Il y a une longue queue devant le cinéma. (There is a long line in front of the cinema.)
  • Cœur (heart) – Elle parle avec son cœur. (She speaks from her heart.)
  • Chœur (choir) – Le chœur de l’église chante magnifiquement. (The church choir sings beautifully.)

7. Me vs Meurt

  • Me (myself) – Je me lave. (I wash myself.)
  • Me (to me) – Il me parle. (He is talking to me.)
  • Me (me) – Elle me voit. (She sees me.)
  • Meurt (dies, is dying) – Il meurt de faim. (He is dying of hunger.)
  • Meurt (dies, is dying) – La plante meurt sans eau. (The plant dies without water.)

8. Soi/sois/soit vs Soir

  • Soi (self) – Apprendre la maîtrise de soi. (To learn self-control)
  • Sois (be) – Je veux que tu sois heureux. (I want you to be happy)
  • Soit (be) – Ils veulent qu’elle soit à l’heure. (They want her to be on time)
  • Soir (evening) – Nous allons nous rencontrer ce soir. (We are going to meet this evening)

9. Foi/Foie/Fois vs Foire

  • Foi (faith) – Nous adhérons à la foi chrétienne. (We follow the Christian faith)
  • Foie (liver) – Il a mal au foie. (He has an upset stomach)
  • Fois (time) – Vous nous avez appelé plusieurs fois. (You called us several times)
  • Foire (fair) – La foire du livre aura lieu dimanche. (The book fair will take place on Sunday)

10. Cuis/Cuit vs Cuir

  • Cuis (Cook) – Je cuis ici ! Baisse un peu le chauffage !. (I’m boiling here! Turn the heating down a bit!)
  • Cuit (cooks, bakes) – Ce gâteau cuit au four à 180 degrés. (This cake is baking in the oven at 180 degrees.)
  • Cuit (cooks, bakes) – Fais attention ! La viande n’a pas assez cuit. (Be careful! The meat hasn’t cooked enough.)
  • Cuir (leather) – Elle a acheté un sac à main en cuir. (She bought a leather handbag.)

11. Bois/Boit vs Boire

  • Bois (wood) – C’est en bois ? (Is it made of wood?)
  • Bois (drink) – Je ne bois que de l’eau. (I only drink water)
  • Boit (drinks) – Il boit toujours lentement. (He always drinks slowly)
  • Boire (to drink) – Tu dois boire quelque chose. (You have to drink something)

12. Pas vs Par

  • Pas (not) – Il ne veut pas l’acheter. (Is it made of wood?)
  • Pas (not) – Pas pour moi, merci. (Not for me, thanks/)
  • Par (by, per) – Tu dois aller par là. (You need to go that way)
  • Par (by, per) – Six fois par semaine. (Six times a week, six times per week)

13. Euh vs Heure

  • Euh (um, ah [a sound, not a word]) – Euh, j’en suis pas sûr. (Um, I’m not sure)
  • Heure (hour, time) – Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?)
  • Heure (hour, time) – Je vais arriver à 14 heures. (I’ll arrive at 2pm)

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