Liaison
Les amis sounds like “lé-za-mi”. Vous avez sounds like “vou-za-vé”. Liaison is why spoken French seems to run words together, and why learners often struggle to understand it. Learn the main rules and you will understand more, and sound more natural.
In this guide
What is liaison?
Many French words end in a consonant that is normally silent: les, vous, petit. When the next word starts with a vowel or a silent h, that consonant is sometimes pronounced and linked to the next word:
- les [le] → les‿amis [le-za-mi]
- vous [vu] → vous‿avez [vu-za-ve]
- petit [pti] → un petit‿ami [pti-ta-mi]
How the sounds change
These sounds appear only when a liaison is made. Elsewhere, the final letter stays silent: les [le], deux [dø], chez [ʃe].
| Written letter | Sound in liaison | Example |
|---|---|---|
| s, x, z | [z] | les‿enfants, deux‿ans, chez‿elle |
| t, d | [t] | petit‿enfant, grand‿homme, quand‿il |
| n | [n] | un‿ami, on‿a, mon‿école |
| f | [v] (mainly in neuf ans and neuf heures) | neuf‿heures |
Required liaisons
These are made in standard French:
| Context | Example |
|---|---|
| Determiner + noun or adjective | les‿étudiants, un‿homme, mes‿amis, ces‿arbres |
| Pronoun + verb | nous‿avons, ils‿ont, vous‿êtes, on‿arrive |
| Verb + pronoun (inversion) | ont-ils, allez-y, prend-elle |
| Adjective + noun | un petit‿appartement, de grands‿arbres |
| Short preposition or adverb + next word | chez‿eux, dans‿un mois, très‿important, en‿avance |
| Fixed expressions | tout‿à fait, de temps‿en temps, les‿États-Unis, and c’est-à-dire, pronounced [sɛtadiʁ] with the t linked |
Ils ont or ils sont? The liaison is the key: ils‿ont [il-zɔ̃] (they have) vs ils sont [il-sɔ̃] (they are). This difference is tested in listening.
Forbidden liaisons
These are avoided in standard French:
| Context | Example |
|---|---|
| After et | un homme et / une femme |
| Before an aspirated h | les / héros, les / haricots, en / haut |
| After a singular noun | un étudiant / intelligent |
| Before oui, onze, huit | mais / oui, les / onze joueurs, les / huit jours |
| After a name | Jean / est là |
Making a forbidden liaison, especially les‿héros (which sounds like les zéros, “the zeros”), is a classic mistake.
Optional liaisons
Some liaisons depend on the register: they are more frequent in formal speech, careful reading and speeches, and less frequent in casual conversation:
- je suis‿allé / je suis allé
- pas‿encore / pas encore
- des histoires‿effrayantes / des histoires effrayantes (plural noun + adjective: optional, according to the OQLF)
In an exam, making the required liaisons and avoiding the forbidden ones is what matters. You do not need to make every optional one.
Enchaînement: linking a pronounced consonant
Liaison concerns a silent consonant that becomes pronounced. Enchaînement is different: a consonant that is always pronounced simply links to the next vowel:
- il‿arrive [i-la-riv]
- une‿amie [y-na-mi]
- avec‿elle [a-vɛ-kɛl]
Together with elision (l’ami, j’arrive), liaison and enchaînement explain why French sounds like a continuous stream instead of separate words.
Numbers: deux, six, dix and huit
Numbers are where liaison causes real misunderstandings: in prices, times, addresses and phone numbers. Six, dix and huit change their pronunciation depending on what follows, and deux adds a z sound before a vowel:
| Number | Alone | Before a consonant | Before a vowel |
|---|---|---|---|
| deux | [dø] j’en ai deux | [dø] deux livres | [døz] deux‿euros |
| six | [sis] j’en ai six | [si] six livres | [siz] six‿euros |
| dix | [dis] j’en ai dix | [di] dix livres | [diz] dix‿euros |
| huit | [ɥit] j’en ai huit | [ɥi] huit livres | [ɥit] huit‿euros |
These forms follow the OQLF’s pronunciation guidance. In dates, other pronunciations are also heard: le 10 juin can be [dis] or [di].
The deux / dix trap: deux‿euros and dix‿euros differ by a single vowel: [ø] in deux (close to the “euh” sound) and [i] in dix (like “ee”). In a listening test, or on the phone about a price or a date, listen for that vowel. If it matters, simply ask: Deux ou dix ?
Why it matters for listening
In TCF Canada listening, each recording is played once at natural speed; in TEF Canada, most recordings are played once and some twice, as the instructions say. Either way, there is little time to replay a sentence in your head. If you know liaison, you can:
- recognise words that seem to “start” with a z or a t: les‿yeux is “lé-zyeu”, not a new word “zyeux”;
- tell ils ont from ils sont, and nous avons from nous savons;
- separate words in a continuous flow of sound.
Practice
Mark the liaisons (‿) that are required. Some sentences have none.
- Les enfants sont arrivés.
- Ils ont un appartement.
- Un homme et une femme.
- Vous êtes très aimable.
- Les héros sont fatigués.
- C’est un petit hôtel.
- Il est neuf heures.
- Mais oui !
Show the answers
- Les‿enfants sont arrivés. (sont‿arrivés is optional)
- Ils‿ont un‿appartement. (ont‿un is optional, but very common)
- Un‿homme et une femme. (no liaison after et)
- Vous‿êtes très‿aimable.
- Les héros… (no liaison: aspirated h)
- C’est un petit‿hôtel. (c’est‿un is optional, but very common)
- Il est neuf‿heures. [v]
- Mais oui ! (no liaison before oui)
Frequently asked questions
Is liaison required in French?
Some liaisons are required (les‿amis), some are forbidden (et / un) and some are optional, depending on the register.
Why does “les héros” have no liaison?
Héros starts with an aspirated h, which blocks liaison. With liaison, it would sound like les zéros.
How does liaison help in the TEF and TCF?
It helps you split continuous speech into words, and hear differences like ils ont vs ils sont.