Skip to content

A1 Lesson 1 of 3 · The Sounds of French

The vowels u and ou

The French u [y] does not exist in English: learn to hear and say it, against ou [u].

11 min · 8 activities

In this lesson you will

  • Hear the difference between u and ou
  • Place your lips and tongue for u
  • Say minimal pairs: tu / tout, dessus / dessous
QuizSortingSpeaking

Lesson summary

The key points to remember, for revision.

  • 1u [y]: tongue forward as for i, lips rounded (tu, rue, salut).
  • 2ou [u]: tongue back, lips rounded (tout, roue, nous).
  • 3Minimal pairs: tu / tout, dessus / dessous, rue / roue, vu / vous.

Key vocabulary

dessuson top
dessousunderneath
la ruethe street
la rouethe wheel