Pronunciation is the most basic element of sounding like a native speaker. It’s the fundamental way you say the different sounds that make up words.
And to deal with it the right way, start by identifying your problem areas. Which words are the ones you’re struggling with? What sounds are they made up of?
In French, for example, the words that most language learners find challenging to pronounce are often those containing the letter combinations eux and eau. These sounds do not exist in English in their pure form, so they can feel unfamiliar and awkward to reproduce. The lips, tongue position, and airflow required are quite different from what English speakers are used to, which is why these sounds often take longer to master.
A simple yet effective way to practise is by using tools like Google Translate or even a basic Google search with the word “pronunciation” followed by the term you want to learn. These will let you hear the correct sound repeatedly. You can slow down playback, repeat as many times as necessary, and mimic the sound until you start matching it more closely.
One useful approach is active comparison. Listen carefully to the French sound, then find the nearest similar sound in your own language, and identify exactly what is different. This “spot the difference” technique sharpens your ear and helps you reproduce the sound more accurately.
For example, in English, the words been and bin differ only in the vowel sound, one is longer and more drawn-out, the other shorter and quicker. The same principle applies to French pronunciation: very small changes in mouth shape and vowel length can completely alter a word’s meaning, so training your ear to hear and reproduce these subtle distinctions is key.
