If you want to be extra-accurate, try to pronounce “lay” a little “breathier” than you normally would as an English speaker; almost as if it’s a puff of air. French is a very “breathy,” nasal language. [2] X Research source Listening to a native French speaker can help you imitate this quality.
If you want to be extra-accurate, try to pronounce “lay” a little “breathier” than you normally would as an English speaker; almost as if it’s a puff of air. French is a very “breathy,” nasal language. [2] X Research source Listening to a native French speaker can help you imitate this quality.
Again, keep your pronunciation short and “airy” here.
Again, keep your pronunciation short and “airy” here.
After saying “zeh” (the previous syllable), let air keep flowing through your throat. Without stopping, move the middle-back part of your tongue to the top of your mouth. Let the flow of air get narrow, but don’t block it completely. Move your tongue back down. The sound you made should have sounded like a light, “airy” combination between English r and h sounds. After the r, the rest of the syllable is easy. Use the short o sound (like in the English name “Rob”), then end with a b.
Note that, as with “Les,” the final s in “Miserables” is not pronounced.
Listening to a native French speaker can really help here. Luckily, there are many pronunciation clips available online. For instance, PronounceItRight. com has an excellent one. [4] X Research source
In French, an s at the end of a word is silent if the letter before it is a consonant or an e without an accent. [5] X Research source This means that there are other French words (like “vis”) where you will pronounce the s at the end, so don’t get too caught up on this rule.
In French, an s at the end of a word is silent if the letter before it is a consonant or an e without an accent. [5] X Research source This means that there are other French words (like “vis”) where you will pronounce the s at the end, so don’t get too caught up on this rule.
In French, an s at the end of a word is silent if the letter before it is a consonant or an e without an accent. [5] X Research source This means that there are other French words (like “vis”) where you will pronounce the s at the end, so don’t get too caught up on this rule.
In French, an s at the end of a word is silent if the letter before it is a consonant or an e without an accent. [5] X Research source This means that there are other French words (like “vis”) where you will pronounce the s at the end, so don’t get too caught up on this rule.
If you need more help with the French r sound, don’t worry — it’s usually the thing that English speakers have the most trouble with, so there are lots of help materials online. For example, try this French pronunciation guide. The r sound examples are about halfway down the page.
Another good example is the French word “chèvre” (“goat”). It’s tempting to pronounce it “shever” because in English words end with an “errr” sound, not a light “ruh” sound. In fact, the correct pronunciation is the latter one: “shevruh. "
Even with this easier pronunciation in wide use, some English speakers still use different pronunciations of “Les Miserables. " See this video for a humorous rundown of the ways that Americans, British people, and actual French speakers pronounce the word.
