LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "le café" in French?
luh ka-FAY — two even syllables in the noun, with the accent giving a clean closed "ay".
le ca-FÉ, weight on the second syllable. English borrowed the word twice — "café" and "coffee" — and both borrowings shifted the stress forward, so the French rhythm needs relearning.
Listen: le café
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
On prend un café en terrasse ?
Shall we have a coffee on the terrace?
Listen: On prend un café en terrasse ?
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"On prend un café en terrasse ?" uses "prendre" for having a drink, which is the natural verb — "avoir un café" would sound odd. "En terrasse" describes sitting at the outdoor tables, a fixed phrase with no article. The question is made by rising intonation alone.
Where English speakers slip
The English "CAF-ay" or "ca-FAY" with a stretched final vowel is close but not quite: French keeps both vowels short and clean, and the ending has no glide. Learners also sometimes use the wrong verb or article. And note the word covers both the drink and the establishment — "aller au café" means going out, not consuming a beverage.