French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "les parents (m. pl.)" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce les parents (m. pl.) in French?

les parents (m. pl.) is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /le pa.ʁɑ̃/. It means “parents.” lay pa-RAHN — a throat "r", a nasal ending, and three silent letters at the end.

lay pa-RAHN — a throat "r", a nasal ending, and three silent letters at the end.

les parents (m. pl.) /le pa.ʁɑ̃/

les pa-RENTS, weight on the last syllable. The "(m. pl.)" note reflects that the word is used in the plural for a couple, and the masculine plural covers a mixed group.

Listen: les parents (m. pl.)

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Sound it out

les A light "l" plus a closed "ay", with the "s" silent here since "parents" begins with a consonant.

pa An unaspirated "p" plus a short open "ah".

ren A uvular "r" plus the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/, open and through the nose.

ts Both silent. The "t" can surface in liaison before a vowel, but the plural "s" stays quiet.

Hear it in a sentence

Mes parents arrivent demain.

My parents are arriving tomorrow.

Listen: Mes parents arrivent demain.

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"Mes parents arrivent demain" makes a liaison between the noun and the verb: "parents arrivent" links the silent "t" into the vowel, /pa.ʁɑ̃.t‿a.ʁiv/. "Mes" makes no liaison because "parents" starts with a consonant. "Arrivent" has a silent "-ent" ending, so the verb is two syllables: a-REEV.

Where English speakers slip

English "parents" stresses the first syllable and gives a real "n" and a released "ts". French moves the weight to the end, nasalizes with nothing touching, and leaves both final letters silent. Note also the meaning is broader than English: "mes parents" usually means mother and father, but "des parents" can mean relatives in general.