French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "la pluie" in French?

la PLWEE — one syllable, with the /ɥ/ glide made in the French "u" position.

la pluie /la plɥi/

The phrase peaks on PLUIE, one dense beat. The consonant cluster plus the glide makes it a lot of movement for a single syllable.

Listen: la pluie

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Sound it out

pl An unaspirated "p" into a light "l", with no puff of air.

ui The /ɥ/ glide into "ee", the same combination as in "huit" and "nuit". Start with the tongue high and forward and the lips rounded, then slide to "ee". An English "w" has the tongue pulled back, which sounds noticeably different.

e Silent. It marks the noun as feminine and adds no sound.

Hear it in a sentence

La pluie s'arrête enfin.

The rain is finally stopping.

Listen: La pluie s'arrête enfin.

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"La pluie s'arrête enfin" uses the reflexive "s'arrêter" — French says the rain stops itself. The pronoun elides before the vowel. "Arrête" has a circumflex marking a lost "s" and ends in a pronounced "t" thanks to its silent "e". "Arrête enfin" links across the vowels: a-RET-ahn-FAN.

Where English speakers slip

Spread over two syllables it becomes "ploo-EE" or "plu-ee". It is a single beat. The glide also gets replaced by a plain English "w". And the final "e" gets voiced by people treating French like Italian; it is silent. Practise by saying "lui" first, then adding a "p" in front.