French for British Speakers
A personalised guide to French pronunciation for British English speakers. Discover which French sounds you already make, which need small adjustments, and which are genuinely new.
Sounds That Transfer Directly
These French sounds are identical or nearly identical to sounds you already make as a British English speaker. No learning needed — just recognition.
French oi
This one's free. French 'oi' = 'wa'. Your RP 'wa' in 'watch' or 'water' maps directly. Say 'mwa' and you've nailed 'moi'.
French è (open e)
Your 'bed' vowel maps directly to French 'è'. Say 'bed' — you're already making the right sound. Hold it slightly longer for French and keep it pure.
French a (front vs back)
RP has a natural advantage here. Your 'bath' vowel (the long 'ah' in 'bath', 'grass', 'father') maps directly to French back 'a'. Your 'cat' vowel is the front 'a'. French makes the same distinction you already make between 'cat' and 'bath'. Just use your natural vowels.
French j / ge (soft g)
Direct transfer. The 'zh' in 'pleasure' and 'measure' is the French 'j' sound. No adjustment needed.
French semi-vowel /j/ (yod)
Direct transfer. RP actually uses /j/ more than American English — you say 'tyoon' for 'tune' and 'nyoo' for 'new', keeping the 'y' glide that Americans often drop. This means the French /j/ in all positions should feel completely natural. Just learn the French spelling patterns.
Sounds That Need Adjustment
These sounds are close to sounds you already make but need a small modification. Your British accent gives you a specific starting point.
French r
Like Australian English, you're non-rhotic — you don't pronounce 'r' after vowels. This helps because you won't fight the urge to curl your tongue. The French 'r' is a gentle friction in the very back of your throat. Start with a soft gargle, then reduce it to a whisper.
French eu/oeu
Your 'bird' and 'nurse' vowel is in the right neighbourhood — a central vowel. Add firm lip rounding while keeping your tongue in the 'bird' position. The result should feel like you're saying 'bird' through an 'o'-shaped mouth.
French gn
RP speakers actually have an advantage here — you naturally use the 'ny' sound in words like 'news' (nyooz) and 'tune' (tyoon) more than American speakers do. The French 'gn' is this same palatal quality, just produced as one unified nasal sound.
French é (closed e)
Your RP 'ay' in 'say' starts very close to the French 'é'. Just clip the diphthong — say the first half of 'say' and stop. No upward glide. RP speakers typically find this one of the easiest French sounds.
French schwa (e muet)
RP uses schwa extensively — the final vowel in 'letter', 'butter', the 'a' in 'about'. Your schwa is well-practiced. The French version just needs slightly more lip rounding. Purse your lips gently while making your normal 'about' vowel.
French open o vs closed o
RP has a clear distinction between 'lot' (open, rounded) and 'goat' (diphthong). For French open 'ɔ', your 'lot' vowel is very close — just hold it slightly longer. For French closed 'o', take the start of your 'goat' diphthong and freeze it. No glide. That pure, rounded starting point is the French 'o'.
French dental l
RP has the same light/dark 'l' distinction as other English accents, but the dark 'l' tends to be less extreme than American or Australian. You're closer to the target. For French, simply maintain the 'light' quality in all positions. Tongue tip stays forward behind upper front teeth, back of tongue stays relaxed and low.
French h (silent vs aspirated)
RP carefully preserves 'h' in standard speech, which makes the French silent 'h' feel unnatural. You need to suppress it completely. No breath, no friction, nothing. 'Hôtel' starts with the vowel 'ô'. Practice reading French h-words and starting directly with the vowel that follows.
Genuinely New Sounds
These sounds have no close equivalent in British English. They deserve your focused practice time.
French u
Say 'ee' as in 'see', hold your tongue there, then round your lips firmly like you're saying 'oo' in 'goose'. The French 'u' lives exactly between those two English sounds. Think of it as 'ee' with 'oo' lips.
Nasal vowels (an/en, in, on)
RP English has less natural vowel nasalisation than American or Australian English, so this will feel more foreign. Start by humming 'mmm' — that's air through your nose. Now open your mouth while keeping air flowing through your nose and say 'ah'. That nasal 'ah' is close to the French 'an' in 'blanc'.
French semi-vowel /ɥ/
Think of 'w' and 'y' fused together — your lips round like 'w' but your tongue sits forward like 'y'. Say the French 'u' and then immediately glide into the next vowel. 'Huit' is 'ü' gliding rapidly into 'ee'. It should feel like one beat, not two.
French nasal 'un' /œ̃/
Start from the French open 'eu' (as in 'peur') — your 'bird' vowel with lip rounding. Now add nasalisation: let air flow through your nose while holding the vowel. The result is the French nasal 'un'. This is arguably the hardest French vowel, but the good news is that most French speakers merge it with /ɛ̃/ anyway.
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