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The big secret of French signs: a good share of the written letters make no sound, especially at the end of a word.
Rule 1. Final consonants are usually silent: petit, grand, trop, vous, Paris.
Rule 2. But c, r, f, l at the end are often pronounced. The English word CaReFuL helps you remember: sac, bonjour, chef, sel.
Rule 3. A final e is usually silent; the preceding consonant is often audible: table. The letter h is not pronounced: hôtel.
| FR | Sounds like | Means |
|---|---|---|
| petit | puh-tee | small |
| grand | gra(n) | big |
| trop | tro | too much |
| beaucoup | boh-koo | a loteau = «oh», p is silent |
| Paris | pa-ree | Pariss is silent |
| bonjour | bo(n)-zhoor | hellor is pronounced |
| chef | shef | chef, bossf is pronounced |
| table | ta-bluh | tablee is silent, but the «bl» is heard |
| hôtel | oh-tel | hotelh is silent |