What everyday French sounds like
In fast, relaxed speech the smallest words shrink: pronouns lose their vowel, je merges with the next sound, and frequent phrases turn into fixed short forms. Native speakers pronounce these forms largely the same way, and many even have a set spelling for text messages.
One sentence, two speeds
Je suis en retard, je ne sais pas ce qu'il y a.
[[ʒə sɥi ɑ̃ ʁətaʁ ʒə nə sɛ pa sə kil i a]]
I'm running late, I don't know what's going on.
Dictation speed, which you rarely hear.
Chuis en r'tard, chais pas c'qu'y a.
[[ʃɥi ɑ̃ ʁtaʁ ʃɛ pa skja]]
I'm running late, dunno what's up.
Normal speed among friends.
Pronouns shrink
Tu becomes t' before a vowel: t'as, t'es, t'étais. Il and ils drop the l before a consonant and sound like [i]. Il y a becomes [ja]. English does something similar with contractions (you've, there's), but the French forms reach into almost every sentence.
Listen and repeat
T'as vu l'heure ?
[[ta] vy lœʁ]
Have you seen the time?
T'es sûr de toi ?
[[te] syʁ də twa]
Are you sure?
I' faut qu'on y aille.
[[ifo] kɔ̃ni aj]
We've got to go.
I' sont pas encore là.
[[isɔ̃] pa zɑ̃kɔʁ la]
They're not here yet.
Y a plus de pain.
[[ja] ply d(ə) pɛ̃]
There's no bread left.
je merges
When the e of je drops, [ʒ] meets the next consonant directly. If that consonant is voiceless, like [s], [t] or [p], [ʒ] becomes voiceless too and sounds like [ʃ], the sh in shoe. That is where chuis and chais come from. This adjustment is called assimilation.
[ʒ] turns into [ʃ]
Chuis crevé.
[[ʃɥi] kʁəve]
I'm shattered.
Chais pas, moi.
[[ʃɛ] pa mwa]
No idea.
J'te dis pas la galère !
[[ʃtədi] pa la galɛʁ]
You wouldn't believe the hassle!
j'te dis pas means: beyond words.
J'pense que oui.
[[ʃpɑ̃s] kə wi]
I think so.
Fixed short forms
Some frequent words lose whole syllables. You need to be able to hear these forms, or the linking words of the sentence slip past you at normal speed.
Full and short
| Full form | Spoken | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| parce que | pasque | [paskə] |
| peut-être | p't-être | [ptɛt] |
| quelque chose | qu'que chose | [kɛkʃoz] |
| celui-là | çui-là | [sɥila] |
| tu sais | t'sais | [tsɛ] |
In a sentence
Je viens pas, pasque chuis malade.
[[paskə] ʃɥi malad]
I'm not coming, 'cause I'm ill.
P't-être demain, t'sais.
[[ptɛt] dəmɛ̃ [tsɛ]]
Maybe tomorrow, you know.
When to reduce yourself
With friends and colleagues
Reductions are normal here. Full forms in every word sound stiff, as if read aloud.
Presentations and client meetings
Speak more clearly. Light reductions like y a barely register, while chuis and chais come across as sloppy.
Writing
Written short forms belong in chats, dialogue and subtitles. Any formal text uses the full forms.
