Link, but not everywhere
A French word often ends in a letter you do not hear on its own: the s of les, the t of petit, the n of un. When a vowel follows, that letter sometimes becomes audible. This is the liaison. It is either required, forbidden or a matter of style. This lesson covers the two fixed cases.
The required liaison
The liaison is required wherever two words belong closely together. If you skip it here, the sentence does not sound clearer, it sounds wrong.
The six required cases
| Context | Examples |
|---|---|
| determiner + noun | les_amis, un_hôtel, ces_enfants, mon_adresse, deux_ans |
| adjective before the noun + noun | un petit_appartement, de bons_élèves, un grand_effort |
| subject pronoun + verb | nous_arrivons, vous_êtes, ils_ont, on_écoute |
| verb + following pronoun | ont-ils, prend-on, allez-y |
| one-syllable preposition + its object | en_avion, dans_une heure, chez_elle, sans_argent, sous_un arbre |
| one-syllable adverb + adjective | très_intéressant, plus_ancien, moins_important |
With the subject pronoun, the liaison separates singular from plural: il a and ils ont differ only by the linked z.
Il a un chien.
[i·la]
He has a dog.
Ils ont un chien.
[il·zɔ̃]
They have a dog.
Required liaisons in full sentences
Nous cherchons un hôtel pas trop cher.
[œ̃·no·tɛl]
We're looking for a hotel that isn't too expensive.
Ils partent en avion demain matin.
[ɑ̃·na·vjɔ̃]
They're flying tomorrow morning.
Ce livre est très intéressant.
[tʁɛ·zɛ̃·te·ʁe·sɑ̃]
This book is very interesting.
Ont-ils réservé une table ?
[ɔ̃·til]
Have they booked a table?
Fixed phrases with a fixed liaison
The forbidden liaison
In some places there must be no liaison. There is a boundary between two parts of the sentence, and an audible link would glue them together.
Where linking is taboo
| Context | Example |
|---|---|
| after et | un homme et | une femme |
| before h aspiré | les | haricots, en | haut, les | héros |
| singular noun or name + verb or adjective | le repas | est prêt, Paul | est là, un étudiant | intelligent |
| before onze and oui | les | onze élèves, un | oui timide |
The vertical bar marks the place where you pause.
Here the gap stays
J'ai invité Paul et Anne.
[pɔl e | an – no z, no t]
I invited Paul and Anne.
Le repas est déjà prêt.
[ʁə·pa | ɛ]
The meal is already ready.
Les onze élèves sont là.
[le | ɔ̃·ze·lɛv]
The eleven pupils are here.
Le petit hôtel est tout à fait charmant.
[pə·ti·to·tɛl | ɛ tu·ta fɛ]
The little hotel is absolutely charming.
Linked after petit and in tout à fait, not after hôtel.
H muet and h aspiré
The French h is never pronounced, not even in hôtel or hôpital (unlike English hotel, hospital). Still, there are two kinds. Before h muet the word behaves as if it began with a vowel: it links and elides (l'homme, les_hommes). Before h aspiré it behaves as if it began with a consonant: no link, no elision (le héros, les | héros).
The test: if you say l' (l'homme), it is a h muet and the liaison is required. If you say le or la (le héros), it is a h aspiré and the liaison is forbidden.
Common words of both kinds
| h muet - linked | h aspiré - separate |
|---|---|
| l'homme, les_hommes | le héros, les | héros |
| l'heure, deux_heures | le haricot, les | haricots |
| l'hôpital, les_hôpitaux | la honte, le hasard |
| l'histoire, les_histoires | le hall, la hauteur |
Je n'aime pas les haricots verts.
[le | a·ʁi·ko – h aspiré]
I don't like green beans.
Les hôpitaux sont ouverts la nuit.
[le·zo·pi·to – h muet]
Hospitals are open at night.
