LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "la chaise" in French?
lah SHEZ — "ch" is "sh", the "ai" is an open "eh", and the "s" between vowels is a "z".
The phrase peaks on CHAISE, one syllable ending in a buzz. The word is a doublet of "chaire" (a pulpit or professorial chair), which took the "r" where this one took an "s".
Listen: la chaise
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Hear it in a sentence
Il n'y a plus de chaises libres.
There are no free chairs left.
Listen: Il n'y a plus de chaises libres.
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"Il n'y a plus de chaises libres" uses "ne... plus" for "no longer", and here "plus" is pronounced without its "s" — /ply/ — because that is the negative sense. Compare it with the "plus" meaning "more", where the "s" is often sounded. "Il n'y a" compresses to something like "eel-nya".
Where English speakers slip
Say the "ch" as in "church" and leave the "s" unvoiced and you have produced the English word "chase". Both are wrong: "sh" then "z". The vowel is also flat and open, not the English "ay". And the negation detail is worth noting — in "ne... plus" the "s" of "plus" is always silent, which distinguishes it in speech from "plus" meaning more.