French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "chercher" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce chercher in French?

chercher is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/. It means “to look for.” shehr-SHAY — both "ch"s are "sh", and the final "r" is silent.

shehr-SHAY — both "ch"s are "sh", and the final "r" is silent.

chercher /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/

cher-CHER, weight on the second syllable. The word is a small lesson in French spelling: the same letter sequence twice, pronounced two different ways depending on whether it is inside the word or is the infinitive ending.

Listen: chercher

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Sound it out

cher "ch" as "sh", an open "eh", then a uvular "r". Nothing like English "cher" or "chair".

cher The same three letters again, but now the "er" is the infinitive ending, so it is a closed "ay" with a silent "r". Identical spelling, different pronunciation, in one four-syllable-looking word.

Hear it in a sentence

Je cherche la gare.

I'm looking for the station.

Listen: Je cherche la gare.

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"Je cherche la gare" uses "chercher" with no preposition — French says "I look the station", because the "for" is built into the verb. Adding "pour" is a common English-speaker error. "Cherche" is /ʃɛʁʃ/, one syllable with a silent final "e" that keeps the second "ch" audible, and "gare" ends in a pronounced throat "r".

Where English speakers slip

The English "ch" of "church" is the reflex, producing "cher-CHER" with two hard affricates. Both should be a soft "sh". The second half of the problem is the ending, where learners pronounce the "r" — it is silent, as in every -er infinitive. Say "shehr" then "SHAY", and remember not to add "pour" after the verb.