La liaison / Linking words

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La liaison is when you pronounce the final consonant of a word together with the vowel at the beginning of the next word. This makes French sound smooth and connected.

How It Works

In French, many words end with silent consonants. But when the next word starts with a vowel or silent “h”, that consonant comes alive and links to the next word.

Example:

  • les amis [lez‿ami] – the friends
  • The “s” in “les” connects to “amis”

Common Liaison Consonants

Letter Sound Example Pronunciation
s, x [z] les enfants [lez‿ɑ̃fɑ̃]
n [n] un ami [œ̃n‿ami]
t, d [t] petit ami [pəti‿t‿ami]

Required Liaisons (Obligatoires)

You must make the liaison in these cases:

1. Article + Noun

  • les amis [lez‿ami] – the friends
  • un enfant [œ̃n‿ɑ̃fɑ̃] – a child
  • des oranges [dez‿orɑ̃ʒ] – some oranges
  • les étudiants [lez‿etydjɑ̃] – the students

2. Number + Noun

  • deux enfants [døz‿ɑ̃fɑ̃] – two children
  • trois amis [trwaz‿ami] – three friends
  • six heures [siz‿œr] – six o’clock

3. Adjective + Noun

  • petit ami [pəti‿t‿ami] – boyfriend
  • grand homme [grɑ̃t‿ɔm] – great man
  • bon ami [bɔn‿ami] – good friend

4. Subject Pronoun + Verb

  • ils ont [ilz‿ɔ̃] – they have
  • nous aimons [nuz‿ɛmɔ̃] – we love
  • vous êtes [vuz‿ɛt] – you are
  • on a [ɔ̃n‿a] – one has / we have

5. Common Expressions

  • Comment allez-vous? [kɔmɑ̃t‿ale vu] – How are you?
  • C’est un ami. [sɛt‿œ̃n‿ami] – He’s a friend.
  • tout à coup [tut‿a ku] – suddenly

Forbidden Liaisons (Interdites)

You must not make the liaison in these cases:

1. After “et” (and)

  • Paul et Anne [pɔl e an] – Paul and Anne ❌

2. Before “h aspiré” (aspirated h)

  • les haricots [le ariko] – the beans ❌
  • les héros [le ero] – the heroes ❌

3. After a singular noun

  • un enfant adorable [œ̃n‿ɑ̃fɑ̃ adɔrabl] – an adorable child ❌

Practice Sentences

Read these sentences aloud, making the liaisons marked with ‿:

  1. Ils arrivent à huit heures.
    [ilz‿ariv a ɥit‿œr]
    They arrive at eight o’clock.
  2. Nous avons des amis en Italie.
    [nuz‿avɔ̃ dez‿ami ɑ̃n‿itali]
    We have friends in Italy.
  3. C’est un petit appartement.
    [sɛt‿œ̃ pəti‿t‿apartəmɑ̃]
    It’s a small apartment.
  4. Vous êtes très aimable.
    [vuz‿ɛt trɛz‿ɛmabl]
    You are very kind.
  5. Les enfants ont un chat.
    [lez‿ɑ̃fɑ̃ ɔ̃t‿œ̃ ʃa]
    The children have a cat.