One letter, several E sounds
The accent on an e is a pronunciation instruction: it tells you how the e sounds. For a plain e without an accent, its position in the word decides.
É [e]: closed
Your mouth is almost closed and the corners pull outward. Hold it still: the vowel does not glide toward ee.
thé
tea
café
coffee
été
summer
école
school
idée
idea
È / Ê [ɛ]: open
Your mouth is more open than for é. è and ê sound the same.
très
very
mère
mother
père
father
fête
party
tête
head
E without an accent [ə]: short or silent
In small words and in the first syllable, the e is a short murmured sound, like the a in about, with slightly rounded lips. At the end of longer words it is not pronounced at all.
le
the (masculine)
je
I
demain
tomorrow
table
table
grande
big, tall (feminine)
E sounds in full sentences
C’est l’été, il fait très chaud.
It is summer, it is very hot.
Mon frère est à l’école.
My brother is at school.
Je préfère le café au lait.
I prefer coffee with milk.
