LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "les" in French?
lay — a light "l" and a closed "ay". The "s" is silent, unless a vowel follows.
Unstressed and quick. Its main job in the rhythm is to signal plurality — since most plural "-s" endings on nouns are silent, this article is often the only audible clue that a noun is plural at all.
Listen: les
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Les magasins sont fermés le dimanche.
The stores are closed on Sundays.
Listen: Les magasins sont fermés le dimanche.
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"Les magasins sont fermés le dimanche" is a good listening test: "magasins" and "fermés" both carry silent plural endings, so "les" and the verb form "sont" are the only audible clues that it is plural. No liaison happens in "sont fermés", since "fermés" begins with a consonant — but put "les" in front of a vowel-initial noun and the link is compulsory. The single "s" in "magasins" sits between vowels and is therefore pronounced "z": ma-ga-ZAN.
Where English speakers slip
Two vowel confusions dominate. First, "les" is often flattened into "le", erasing the singular/plural distinction that this article exists to mark — the difference between /lə/ (schwa) and /le/ (closed ay) is small but it carries real meaning. Second, learners pronounce the "s", saying "less". Reserve that "s" for liaison, where it becomes a "z", not an "s".