1.6. Patterns you’ll start to see

🪶 Before you start

You don’t need to memorize anything here.

Just look, listen, and notice.

These patterns will start to feel natural as you see more words.

🔴 1. Some letters change depending on what comes next

You might notice that the same letter doesn’t always sound the same.

Let’s look at a few examples.

C

ca → “ka”   (car)
co → “ko”   (comment)

ce → “se”   (ce)
ci → “si”   (cinéma)

💡 Notice:

C sounds hard (k) before a, o, u and soft (s) before e, i

💡 Sometimes you’ll see “ç” (like in ça)

It always sounds like “s”

G

ga → “ga”   (gare)
go → “go”   (gomme)

ge → “zhe”  (génial)
gi → “zhi”  (girafe)

💡 Notice:

G becomes soft (like J) before e, i

S

salut
soir

rose
maison

💡 Notice:

Between two vowels, S often sounds like “z”

🔴 2. Some sounds don’t exist in English

A few letters might feel unfamiliar at first.

That’s normal.

J

je
jouer

💡 This is a soft “zh” sound

(like in vision, not like English “J”)

R

rue
Paris

💡 The sound comes from the back of the throat

(not like English R)

U

tu
lune

💡 Try this:

Say “ee” → then round your lips

That’s the French “u”

Some sounds don’t exist in English

CH

chat
chaud

💡 Sounds like “sh” (not “ch” in English chair)

TH

thé
Thomas

💡 Sounds like “t” (not English “th”)

👉 This is important because English speakers always misread these.

🔴 3. Some letters are there… but not really heard

H

hôtel
homme

💡 H is not pronounced in French

But it still affects how words connect

E

le
petite

💡 E can be:

• clearly pronounced
• very soft
• sometimes not heard much

You’ll get used to it over time

🧠 4. A small observation

French sounds are generally smoother and more connected.

There’s less strong “burst” than in English.

Try listening to a few words again — you might start to feel this.

🪶 Closing

You don’t need to remember all of this right now.

The goal is simple:

Start noticing these patterns when you see new words.