French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "le passeport" in French?

luh pass-POR — the doubled "ss" hisses, the middle "e" drops, and the final "t" is silent.

le passeport /lə pas.pɔʁ/

le passe-PORT, weight on the second syllable. Two spoken beats, and English stresses the first — PASS-port — so the balance shifts.

Listen: le passeport

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Sound it out

pas An unaspirated "p", an open "ah", then a hissing "s" from the doubled letters.

se The "e" here is dropped entirely, so the word is two beats rather than three — pass-POR, not pass-uh-POR.

port An unaspirated "p", a short open "o", a uvular "r", and a silent "t".

Hear it in a sentence

N'oublie pas ton passeport.

Don't forget your passport.

Listen: N'oublie pas ton passeport.

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"N'oublie pas ton passeport" is a negative imperative with elision: "ne" becomes "n'" before "oublie". The "tu" imperative drops the "-s" the present tense would carry. "Ton passeport" makes no liaison since the noun begins with a consonant, so "ton" ends on a bare nasal.

Where English speakers slip

The final "t" gets pronounced, because the word looks like its English cousin and English says it. French drops it. Learners also give the middle "e" a beat and put the stress at the front. And the "r" needs the throat treatment, with the "o" before it kept short and open rather than merged into an American "or".