French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "nous" in French?

noo — like English "new" without the "y" glide, or simply "noo" as in "noodle". The "s" is silent.

nous /nu/

One unstressed syllable in most sentences, though it can take emphasis when standing alone as a stressed pronoun: "Nous ? On y va." In ordinary speech the beat belongs to the verb.

Listen: nous

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Sound it out

n A normal "n", tongue on the ridge behind the upper teeth.

ou A back, rounded "oo" as in "soup". Lips pushed forward, tongue pulled back, vowel held steady.

s Silent on its own, but it becomes a "z" in liaison. "Nous avons" is /nu.z‿a.vɔ̃/, and that link is compulsory.

Hear it in a sentence

Nous allons à la mer.

We are going to the seaside.

Listen: Nous allons à la mer.

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"Nous allons à la mer" is a liaison you cannot skip: "nous allons" must be /nu.z‿a.lɔ̃/. Get it wrong and the sentence sounds broken. In casual conversation, though, most French speakers would replace "nous allons" with "on va" — "nous" survives mainly in writing and formal speech. "Mer" ends in a pronounced "r".

Where English speakers slip

Two habits to fix. English speakers pronounce the "s", giving "noose" — it is silent unless a vowel follows, and then it is a "z", not an "s". And they often add the "y" glide from English "new", producing "nyoo". French "ou" is a plain back vowel with no glide in front of it.