LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "la salle de bains" in French?
la sal duh BAN — four beats, ending on a nasal vowel with the "n" and "s" both silent.
The phrase peaks on BAINS at the end, with everything before it running quickly. The whole thing behaves as one rhythmic unit rather than three separate words.
Listen: la salle de bains
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
La salle de bains est à l'étage.
The bathroom is upstairs.
Listen: La salle de bains est à l'étage.
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"La salle de bains est à l'étage" uses "à l'étage" for upstairs, with elision before the vowel of "étage". "Étage" ends in the soft "g" of "measure": ay-TAHZH. Note that "salle de bains" is the room with the bath — for the toilet you want "les toilettes", a distinction French maintains more strictly than English.
Where English speakers slip
The plural "bains" catches people out in writing, and in speech learners pronounce the "s" or the "n". Both are silent; the word ends on a nasal vowel. The "salle" also gets a "y" sound from learners who have absorbed the "-lle" rule — but that only applies after "i". Here it is a plain "l".