French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "le printemps" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce le printemps in French?

le printemps is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/. It means “spring.” luh pran-TAHN — two different nasal vowels, with the "p" and "s" at the end both silent.

luh pran-TAHN — two different nasal vowels, with the "p" and "s" at the end both silent.

le printemps /lə pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/

le prin-TEMPS, weight on the second syllable. Two contrasting nasals in one word makes it excellent practice: /ɛ̃/ is front and open, /ɑ̃/ is back and open.

Listen: le printemps

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Sound it out

prin An unaspirated "p" into a uvular "r", then the nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ — an open "eh" through the nose.

tem An unaspirated "t" plus the other nasal vowel, /ɑ̃/, open and unrounded. Written with "m" because a "p" follows, but the sound is the same as in "dans".

ps Both silent, exactly as in "temps", which is the word hiding inside this one — "printemps" is historically "prime temps", the first season.

Hear it in a sentence

Au printemps, les fleurs poussent.

In spring the flowers grow.

Listen: Au printemps, les fleurs poussent.

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"Au printemps, les fleurs poussent" uses "au" — the odd one out among the seasons, since the other three take "en". "Les fleurs" makes no liaison because "fleurs" begins with a consonant. "Poussent" has a silent "-ent" ending, so the verb is one syllable: POOSS.

Where English speakers slip

Both nasals get real consonants and the final "ps" gets pronounced, producing something like "prin-TEMPS" as an English reader would guess. Neither "p" nor "s" sounds, and neither "n" nor "m" is a consonant. The preposition is the other trap: "en printemps" is wrong, it must be "au printemps".