LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "l'herbe (f.)" in French?
lehrb — one syllable. The "h" is silent, the article fuses on, and the "b" is pronounced.
One syllable, article included. The "(f.)" note tells you the hidden article is "la" — useful, since the elision conceals the gender entirely.
Listen: l'herbe (f.)
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Les enfants jouent sur l'herbe.
The children are playing on the grass.
Listen: Les enfants jouent sur l'herbe.
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"Les enfants jouent sur l'herbe" carries an obligatory liaison at the start: "les enfants" is /le.z‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/. "Jouent" has a silent "-ent" ending, so the verb is one sound after the "zh": /ʒu/. "Sur l'herbe" shows the same elision as the headword.
Where English speakers slip
Learners aspirate the "h", producing "la-HERB" with a break, and give the apostrophe a beat. There is no "h" and no extra syllable. The vowel also gets absorbed by an American "r" — keep the "eh" flat, then rasp at the back before the "b". And note that English "herb" also silences its "h" in American usage, which is a helpful coincidence.