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French pronunciation practice with real sentences, sound by sound

French pronunciation comes down to a handful of sounds that English speakers say the English way: the nasal vowels, u against ou, the R from the back of the throat, pure vowels, the letters you write but don’t say, and words that run into each other. Here are 15 real sentences from a French lesson with hand-written captions, grouped by those sounds, with the word to listen for in bold. Each one opens at its own line: listen, say it after the speaker, then play your take beside the original. Start with this one:

Try it now: two nasal vowels in four words

Je me sens bien.

I feel good. The n in sens and bien is not said: the vowel goes partly through your nose and stops there. The s at the end of sens is silent too.

Say this line after the speaker

3:43–3:47 · After the speaker · French Shadowing, human-written captions

Nasal vowels: an, on, in

French has three common nasal vowels. an and en sound close to the “ah” of “father” said through the nose; on and om close to “oh”; in, ain and ien close to the “a” of “bang” without the “ng”. In all three, don’t close the vowel with an n or m: stop on the nasal vowel. When a vowel follows the n, as in bananes, the n is a normal n again.

  1. Je me sens bien. I feel good. 3:43–3:47
  2. Ça coûte combien ? How much does it cost? 5:12–5:16
  3. Maintenant, je rentre à la maison. Now I’m going home. 6:45–6:50

U and OU: two different sounds

ou is the “oo” of “food”: où, vous. u has no English match: say “ee”, then round your lips as if for “oo” without moving your tongue. Mix them up and the word changes: du (some) said with “oo” becomes doux (soft).

  1. Où est le riz ? Where is the rice? 6:04–6:08
  2. Pouvez-vous m'aider ? Can you help me? 5:55–6:00
  3. J'achète du lait et du fromage. I’m buying milk and cheese. 4:52–4:57

The French R

The French R is made at the back of the throat, close to a soft gargle or the “ch” of Scottish “loch” with your voice on. Keep the tip of your tongue down behind your lower teeth, and don’t round your lips the way English does for r.

  1. Je travaille ma prononciation. I’m working on my pronunciation. 1:37–1:42
  2. Les boissons sont à droite. The drinks are on the right. 6:23–6:28

Pure vowels: é, è and eau

English glides its long vowels: “day” ends in a small “ee”, “go” in a small “oo”. French vowels hold still from start to end. eau is a clean, tight “oh”, never “oh-oo”. é is a short, tight “ay” with spread lips and no “ee” at the end; è is more open, like the e in “bed”. You hear both in répète.

  1. Je prends une bouteille d'eau. I’ll take a bottle of water. 5:02–5:07
  2. Je répète chaque phrase à voix haute. I repeat each sentence out loud. 7:46–7:51

Silent letters at the end of a word

A final s, t, d, x or z is usually not said, nor a final e, nor h anywhere. français ends on the vowel, and in des pommes et des bananes you hear none of the four final s, nor the t of et, nor the final e of pommes and bananes. Final c, r, f and l are often said, as in avec.

  1. Je parle un peu français. I speak a little French. 1:17–1:22
  2. J'achète des pommes et des bananes. I’m buying apples and bananas. 4:21–4:26

Liaison and elision: why a sentence sounds like one word

A silent last letter is sometimes said when the next word starts with a vowel, and the two words join: mes amis sounds like “may-za-mee”, with the s said as z. Short words like je, le and de drop their vowel before another vowel and join the next word: J'ai is one syllable. Say each sentence as one stream, not word by word.

  1. J'ai une petite famille. I have a small family. 2:46–2:51
  2. Je vois mes amis le soir. I see my friends in the evening. 2:55–3:00
  3. Le supermarché est ouvert jusqu'à huit heures. The supermarket is open until eight. 6:33–6:39

How to practise French pronunciation with these sentences

  1. Pick one sound a day. Read its rule, then listen to its sentences twice before you speak.
  2. Say each line after the speaker three times. If it feels fast, choose 0.75× under “More options”.
  3. Compare. Open Compare and play your take beside the original. Listen only for the bold word first, then for the whole line.
  4. Come back tomorrow and say yesterday’s lines once before the next sound.

What Sada can and cannot tell you

Sada compares your take with the captions: which words its speech recognition heard, which it missed, and your timing against the speaker. It does not grade a single sound, so it cannot tell you whether your u was rounded enough or your nasal vowel was right: du said with “oo” may still be heard as du. A missed word is a hint to listen again; your ears judge the sound. Recordings stay on your device.

For a ten-minute routine and French videos by level, see the French shadowing guide. Preparing for Canada: TCF Canada speaking practice.

Every line comes from Learn to Speak French in 20 Minutes | Shadowing (French Shadowing), whose French captions are written by hand; the teacher says each sentence twice and the link opens the first. Lines and ranges were checked against the captions Sada uses on 2026-10-25. Captions can change.

Pronunciation in other languages

Questions people ask

How can I practise French pronunciation on my own?

Work on one sound at a time inside real sentences: read the rule, listen to a native speaker say the sentence, say it after them three times, record it and play your take beside the original. A few sounds (the nasal vowels, u and ou, the R, pure vowels, silent final letters and liaison) cover most of what English speakers get wrong.

Which French sounds are hardest for English speakers?

Usually the u of “tu” (English has no rounded “ee”), the nasal vowels in “bon”, “vin” and “temps”, and the R made at the back of the throat. Pure vowels without a glide, silent final letters and liaison are easy to learn once you know them.

What is liaison in French?

Liaison is when a final letter that is normally silent is said because the next word starts with a vowel, so the two words join: “mes amis” sounds like “may-za-mee”. An s or x said this way sounds like z.

Can Sada check my French pronunciation?

Sada shows which French words its speech recognition heard in your take, which it missed, and your timing against the speaker. It does not grade individual sounds, so listen to your take beside the original in Compare to hear the difference. It is free and works in the browser without an account.

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