🗣️ Pronunciation Guide for French Speakers

Focus on sounds that make the biggest difference in meetings!

Sound #1: TH /θ/ /ð/ - THE MOST IMPORTANT!

Why it matters: This sound doesn't exist in French. French speakers say "S" or "Z" instead.

Common mistakes: "Sank you" → "Thank you" | "I sink" → "I think" | "Ze meeting" → "The meeting"

How to make this sound: (1) Put your tongue between your teeth (2) Blow air out (3) Keep tongue visible - don't hide it! It should feel strange - that's normal!

Practice: "Thank you all for joining" | "I think we should move forward" | "The three main points"

Sound #2: H /h/ - CRITICAL FOR RESPECT

Why it matters: Dropping H makes you seem less professional.

Common mistakes: "Ello everyone" → "Hello everyone" | "Ow are you?" → "How are you?"

Technique: Breathe out like fogging a mirror or warming hands. Feel the air from your throat. Think: "HAAAA" like at the doctor!

Practice: "Hello everyone, how are you today?" | "Here is our agenda" | "I hope we can finish"

Sound #3: Word Stress - CHANGES MEANING!

Why it matters: French has flat stress. English uses stress to change meaning!

Word	NOUN (stress first)	VERB (stress second)
present	PREsent (gift)	preSENT (to show)
record	REcord (document)	reCORD (to write)
project	PROject (plan)	proJECT (forecast)
progress	PROgress (advancement)	proGRESS (to advance)

Practice: "Let me preSENT this PREsent" | "We need to reCORD this for the REcords"

Sound #4: Final Consonants - PRONOUNCE THEM!

Why it matters: French drops final consonants. English doesn't!

Mistakes: "mee" → "meeT" | "projec" → "projecT" | "importan" → "importanT"

Fix: Exaggerate final consonants at first. Make T, K, P, D very clear. Practice slowly, then speed up.

Practice: "Let's meeT nexT week" | "ImportanT poinT abouT the budgeT"

🗣️ Numbers, Times & Practice (Page 2)

Numbers: Teens vs Tens - CRITICAL!

Why it matters: Wrong number = people miss the meeting!

Teen (13-19)	Stress	Ten (30-90)	Stress
thirteen	thirTEEN	thirty	THIRty
fourteen	fourTEEN	forty	FORty
fifteen	fifTEEN	fifty	FIFty
sixteen	sixTEEN	sixty	SIXty
seventeen	sevenTEEN	seventy	SEVen-ty
eighteen	eighTEEN	eighty	EIGHTy
nineteen	nineTEEN	ninety	NINEty

Rule: TEENS = stress at END. TENS = stress at START.

Practice: "The meeting is at thirTEEN thirty" (1:30pm) | "Let's meet at THIRty past two" (2:30)

Time Expressions

Written	Spoken (Option 1)	Spoken (Option 2)
9:00	nine o'clock	-
9:15	nine fifteen	quarter past nine
9:30	nine thirty	half past nine
9:45	nine forty-five	quarter to ten
9:50	nine fifty	ten to ten

Don't say: "nine hours and half" ❌ | Say: "half past nine" OR "nine thirty" ✅

Dates

Written	Spoken
5 May	the fifth of May
23 June	the twenty-third of June
1 December	the first of December

Important: Use ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) NOT "May five" ❌ → "the fifth of May" ✅

✍️ Daily 10-Minute Practice Plan

Minutes 1-3: TH Sound

Say "thank you" 20 times (tongue between teeth!)
Say "I think that" 20 times | Say "the three things" 20 times

Minutes 4-6: H Sound

Say "hello, how are you?" 20 times
Say "here is, here are" 20 times | Say "I hope, I have, I hear" 10 times each

Minutes 7-8: Final Consonants

Read any email, pronouncing ALL final consonants clearly. Exaggerate at first!

Minutes 9-10: Numbers & Times

Say today's date | Say current time | Say your next meeting time | Practice 13 vs 30, 14 vs 40

🎯 Self-Check Questions

☐ Can I feel my tongue between my teeth for TH?
☐ Can I feel air coming out for H?
☐ Am I pronouncing the final T in "important"?
☐ Do I stress "TEEN" at the end for 13-19?
☐ Do I stress the START for 30-90?
☐ Can I say dates using ordinal numbers (fifth, not five)?

💡 Pro Tip: Record yourself with your phone! Listen back and compare to native speakers on YouTube.