Liaison & Elision
French sounds graceful partly because of liaison and elision, which link words aloud and keep the rhythm smooth. This short guide shows when each happens so you can speak and understand natural French.
Liaison
Liaison joins a normally silent consonant at the end of one word to the vowel that starts the next, creating a single sound that connects the two. It occurs in set contexts like between an article and noun, an adjective and noun, or a pronoun and verb.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🌬️ Les amis arrivent. | The friends are arriving. | Liaison: s sounds before a |
| 🍞 Un autre pain, s’il plaît. | Another loaf, please. | Liaison: t sounds before p |
| ☕ Ils ont des tasses chaudes. | They have hot cups. | Liaison: s sounds before t |
| 🚶 Vous êtes en avance. | You are early. | Liaison: z sounds before ɑ̃ |
Key Rules
Liaisons are obligatory in certain phrase types, optional in others, and sometimes forbidden; learning which contexts require liaison helps you sound both correct and natural. Formal speech favors more liaisons while casual speech drops some that are optional.
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Elision
Elision cuts out a vowel, usually e, and replaces it with an apostrophe when the next word begins with a vowel or mute h, so the sentence flows without awkward pauses. It happens with certain short function words like le, la, de, que, si, and ne.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☕ L’eau est chaude. | The water is hot. | Elision: le → l’ before vowel |
| 🍊 J’aime l’orange. | I like the orange. | Elision: la → l’ before vowel |
| 🪑 C’est l’heure de partir. | It’s time to leave. | Elision: ce → c’ before vowel |
| 🧼 J’oublie d’être prêt. | I forget to be ready. | Elision: de → d’ before vowel |
Key Rules
Elision is mandatory for set words to maintain rhythm and avoid hiatus; you cannot elide before a consonant or an aspirated h. Paying attention to elision in speech helps you parse sentences quickly and sound fluent.
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Differences
Liaison adds a sound by pronouncing a consonant that links two words, while elision removes a vowel and joins the words with an apostrophe in writing and speech. Liaison affects whether you hear an extra consonant sound; elision affects word shape and prevents pauses between vowels.
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Summary
Liaison connects a final consonant to a following vowel sound in specific contexts, adding smoothness; elision shortens function words by dropping a vowel before another vowel-starting word to keep the flow. Practice common liaisons and elisions with short phrases to make your French sound natural and fluid.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025