LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "le cheval" in French?
luh shuh-VAL — "ch" is "sh", the middle vowel is a schwa, and the final "l" is pronounced.
le che-VAL, weight on the second syllable, with the first reduced. The plural is irregular — "les chevaux", where "-al" becomes "-aux" and the "x" is silent — so singular and plural sound quite different.
Listen: le cheval
Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.
Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Le cheval court dans le champ.
The horse is running in the field.
Listen: Le cheval court dans le champ.
Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.
"Le cheval court dans le champ" uses "court" as the verb "courir" conjugated, /kuʁ/ with a silent "t". "Champ" ends in a nasal vowel with both the "m" and the "p" silent, so it is one beat: /ʃɑ̃/. Two "ch" sounds in the sentence, both pronounced "sh".
Where English speakers slip
An English "ch" is the first problem, and "chevalier" or "cavalry" then drags the stress forward. French wants "sh", a reduced first syllable, and the weight at the end. The plural is the other trap — "chevaux" is a completely different-sounding word, and using "chevals" is an error French speakers notice immediately.