In spoken French, a final consonant that is normally silent can be pronounced before a word that starts with a vowel or with a h muet. You then hear the following word as if it were glued to the previous one: les amis is said with a z between the two words, un ami with a n. The consonant does not become a separate syllable; it serves to connect two words within a single sound group. To hear this mechanism, you must already know the silent consonants and the sounds of French, as in Lettres muettes and Sons et Phonétique.

In some cases, the liaison is always made. This is the case between a determiner and a noun, between an adjective and the following noun, and in several fixed forms such as vous avez or très intéressant. In other cases, it is forbidden: you do not liaison after a singular noun, nor before a clear pause, nor often after et. Between the two, the liaison depends on the register of speech. In careful spoken French, it appears more easily; in informal speech, it often disappears. The pronunciation of petit ami, très important or nous allons is clearly heard with the liaison, whereas mes amis or un ami do not behave the same as mes livres or un train. To hear these differences without hesitation, the module Homophones et ambiguïtés also helps distinguish similar forms in a sentence.

Cases where liaison changes pronunciation

Idea
The liaison is obligatory after determiners before a word starting with a vowel or a h muet.
The liaison is obligatory between the subject pronoun and the verb in formal language.
The liaison is forbidden after a singular noun followed by an adjective.
The liaison is forbidden after and in everyday speech.
The liaison is optional after certain common words in a formal register.

Short words placed just before a word starting with a vowel are the best triggers of liaison. Articles and determiners like les, des, un, ce, mon, ton, notre and vos very often make their final consonant heard. Pronouns and common forms like nous, vous, ils, elles, on and chez can also link. You hear for example les enfants with a z, mon ami with a n, vous avez with a z and ils arrivent with a z. The liaison is therefore very tied to the small grammatical words that precede the noun group, the verb or the adjective. The more frequent these words are, the more they serve as anchoring points for pronunciation.

enmesvousundesquelquestoutnousauxles

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Pronom sujet qui se lie souvent devant le verbeForme contractée qui se prononce souvent avec une liaison claireDéterminant possessif qui peut déclencher la liaison dans la phrasePronom sujet qui se lie souvent devant le verbeArticle défini au pluriel qui peut faire entendre la consonne finale devant une voyelleAdverbe ou déterminant qui peut produire une liaison dans un style soutenuDéterminant indéfini qui peut se lier devant un nom commençant par voyelleDéterminant pluriel qui peut se lier avec le mot suivantDéterminant qui peut se lier devant un mot commençant par voyellePronom fréquent qui peut s unir au verbe à l oral

Small words that often cause liaison

Word	Definition
les	Definite article in the plural that can make the final consonant heard before a vowel.
des	Plural determiner that can link with the following word.
mes	Possessive determiner that can trigger liaison in the sentence.
nous	Subject pronoun that often links before the verb.
vous	Subject pronoun that often links before the verb.
en	Pronoun frequently used that can join with the verb in speech.
aux	Contracted form that is often pronounced with a clear liaison.
un	Determiner that can link before a word beginning with a vowel.
tout	Adverb or determiner that can produce liaison in a formal style.
quelques	Indefinite determiner that can link before a noun beginning with a vowel.

Scramble

When je, le, la, me, te, se, ne, de and que are followed by a vowel or a h muet, their final vowel disappears and is replaced by an apostrophe. We write j’aime, l’homme, m’habiller, t’écouter, s’appeler, n’oublier, d’habitude, qu’il. In speech, the initial consonant of the following word remains at the start of that word; there is no extra consonant as in liaison. Elision cuts a vowel to avoid the clash of two vowels side by side. It mainly concerns very short and very frequent words, whose written form directly reflects pronunciation.

Words that lose their vowel before a vowel

Idea
I becomes j before a vowel or a silent h.
The becomes l before a vowel or a silent h.
The becomes l before a vowel or a silent h.
Me becomes m before a vowel or a silent h.
You becomes t before a vowel or a silent h.
Se becomes s before a vowel or a silent h.
Ne becomes n before a vowel or a silent h.
De becomes d before a vowel or a silent h.
Que becomes qu before a vowel or a silent h.

Before a h muet, the tongue behaves as if there were no initial consonant in the word. Liaison and elision are therefore possible: les hommes, l’histoire, j’habite. Before an h aspiré, on the contrary, we do neither liaison nor elision, even if the word starts with the letter h. We say le héros, la honte, les haricots without liaison. Writing alone is not enough to decide; you must know the type of word. The contrast between h muet and h aspiré is essential for reading and pronouncing words starting with h well. To reinforce this distinction, Accents et Accentuation helps observe how spelling sometimes guides reading, but not always pronunciation.

Difference between silent h and aspirated h

Idea
Before a silent h, liaison is possible as before a vowel.
Before a silent h, elision is also possible.
Before an aspirated h, liaison is blocked even if the letter h is written.
Before an aspirated h, elision is blocked.
The dictionary helps determine whether the h is silent or aspirated.

Liaison is part of a larger movement: words fuse together in a continuous sound group. After a pronounced consonant, the next word starts immediately, without artificial break. In vous avez, the final consonant of vous joins the beginning of avez; in petit enfant, the t of petit links to the following word. This phenomenon does not add a new syllable. It shapes the rhythm of the sentence and gives spoken French its fluency. The linking also concerns words whose last consonant is already pronounced, as in avec elle or dans un, where the transition between words remains very rapid.

Linking sounds in continuous speech

Word	Notation	Description	Example
les amis	le za mi	The final consonant of the is pronounced and attaches to the following word.	Les amis arrivent.The friends arrive.
nous avons	nu za vɔ̃	The final consonant of we becomes audible and moves onto the following word.	Nous avons faim.We have hunger.
un ami	œ̃ na mi	The final sound of a links with the following vowel without a pause.	Un ami chante.A friend sings.
très utile	tʁɛ zy til	The final consonant of very links to the following vowel to maintain fluency.	C est très utile.It is very useful.
petit arbre	pə ti taʁbʁ	The end of small is pronounced before the vowel of tree and creates a natural linking.	Un petit arbre pousse.A small tree grows.

To recognize liaison by ear, first look for short words before a vowel or a h muet. In les enfants, the z signals the liaison; in un ami, it is the n; in vous avez, the z links the two words. To recognize elision, spot the apostrophes in writing and listen to the word that follows immediately: j’aime, l’école, qu’il. Short sentences are the most useful for training the ear, because they clearly show the link between spelling and sound. Once these forms are recognized, it becomes easier to understand spoken French in longer sentences, especially when liaisons and elisions multiply within the same group of words.

Quick identification of linked sounds in speech

Word	Notation	Description	Example
les enfants	lez ɑ̃ fɑ̃	The final consonant of the becomes audible before the vowel of children.	Les enfants jouent.The children play.
mes amis	mez a mi	The final consonant of my is pronounced in the liaison.	Mes amis arrivent.My friends arrive.
j aime	ʒɛm	Elision removes the vowel of I and gives a shorter form.	J aime le jazz.I love jazz.
l école	lekɔl	Elision of the makes the beginning of the word more fluid.	L école ouvre tôt.The school opens early.
qu il	kil	Elision of that leaves a short form heard before the vowel.	Je pense qu il vient.I think he is coming.