Rx 1. [a] / [ɑ] | a / â / à
Your instructor has identified this sound as a challenge for you. Please complete the training below. These exercises will help you get used to pronouncing the letters a, â or à as they should sound in French.
Read and Listen
Sound [a]
The sounds [a] and [ɑ] sound very similar except that the second is held slightly longer than the first. They can be spelled with the letters a, â or à in French. Listen to the [a] sound.
In English, we don’t use the shorter [a], but tend to use the longer [ɑ] in words like spa and father. This sound is not found in the English words such as cat, tall or tan. As a result, you need to rethink the way you pronounce the letters a, â or à in French words. Click on the button to listen to how the sound [a] is pronounced in words plage, flamme, tram.
plage, flamme, tram
Dialogue
Read the dialogue. Then click on the button to listen. Pay attention to the sound [a], which is spelled a in French.
Valentin: Bonjour, Alexis! Comment ça va?
Alexis: Bonjour, Valentin! Ça va bien, et toi?
Valentin: Oui, ça va pas mal.
Alexis: Tu fais quoi ce soir?
Valentin: Je pars à Atlanta.
Alexis: Ah, parfait. A plus tard!
- Ah, parfait. A plus tard!
- Ah, parfait. A plus tard!
Listen and repeat
As you play each of the below audio files, listen carefully and repeat the sounds you hear in the pause between words. When you hear the sound [a], think about opening your mouth like you are at the doctor–say ah!
think about opening your mouth like you are at the doctor–say ah!1.
ma, ta, sa, va, ça, la, à, pas
2.
Natalie, capitale, garage, caravane, Alpes, Paris, tram, Chantal
3.
tradition, garagiste, narration, ratatouille
4.
Anne va à la plage.
5.
La caravane arabe va à Bagdad.
Listen and differentiate
Listen to the following proper nouns in French and in English. Pay attention to the difference in the way the French-speaker pronounces the letter a.
French & English Proper Nouns
Canada Névada Arizona Santa Barbara Californie Anne
Indicate the order in which you heard the words.
You will hear a series of four words. Some will use the [a] sound, while others will not. Determine which series of words you hear.
Listen in context and notice: Exceptions!
Watch this famous scene from The Mariage of Figaro. Pay attention to the word femme, meaning woman, whose pronunciation is an exception to normal French spelling of [a] sounds.
femme, évidemment
Listen carefully and repeat the following exceptions: femme \fam\ and évidemment \e.vi.da.mɑ̃\.These words include an [a] sound that should not appear given their spelling.
Le temps des virelangues!
Now practice what you have learned with a French tongue twister, a vire-langue. Listen and repeat until you get it correct!
Culminating Recording
If you have carefully followed the above instructions, you should be able to now read and correctly pronounce the following sentences in an audio file for your professor.
Anne va à Atlanta. La femme malade va mal. Natalie va à la plage. La table n’a pas de nappe. Elle achète une banane.