French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "mais" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce mais in French?

mais is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /mɛ/. It means “but.” meh — one short open vowel, with the "s" silent. Rhymes with English "met" minus the "t".

meh — one short open vowel, with the "s" silent. Rhymes with English "met" minus the "t".

mais /mɛ/

One light syllable acting as a hinge between clauses. It usually sits in a dip between the two stressed groups it joins, and is often followed by a slight pause.

Listen: mais

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Sound it out

m A normal "m".

ai This vowel pair is pronounced /ɛ/, an open "eh" as in "bed". It is not "ay" and not "eye" — French "ai" almost always lands on this open sound.

s Silent, though it can surface as a "z" in careful liaison before a vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

J'aimerais venir, mais je travaille.

I'd like to come, but I'm working.

Listen: J'aimerais venir, mais je travaille.

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"J'aimerais venir, mais je travaille" gives "mais" its typical position, right after a comma, launching the contrasting clause. "J'aimerais" is the conditional — the polite "I would like" — built on the same "ai" spelling, again pronounced /ɛ/. And "travaille" ends with the "-aille" spelling that makes a "y" sound: tra-VYE.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers read "ai" as they would in "maid" or "rain" and produce "may", which is the wrong vowel and collides with "mes". Others land on "mice", reading "ai" as in English "aisle". The target is a short, flat "eh". Pronouncing the "s" is the other reflex — "mace" or "maze" — and it should stay silent unless you are deliberately linking into a following vowel.