LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "la valise" in French?
la va-LEEZ — the single "s" between vowels is a "z", and the final "e" is silent.
la va-LISE, weight on the final syllable. English borrowed the word as "valise" with roughly the same shape, which for once makes it fairly easy.
Listen: la valise
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Ma valise est lourde.
My suitcase is heavy.
Listen: Ma valise est lourde.
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"Ma valise est lourde" uses the feminine "lourde", where the "d" is audible thanks to the feminine "-e" — the masculine "lourd" would end in silence. "Valise est" runs together across the vowels. "Lourde" has the back "oo" and a throat "r": LOORD.
Where English speakers slip
The "s" stays a hiss for learners who have not internalised the rule, producing "va-LEESS". A lone "s" between two vowels is always voiced in French. The final "e" also gets voiced by people treating French like Italian. And the feminine "lourde" needs its "d" pronounced, which is a real audible difference from the masculine.