French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "prêt" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce prêt in French?

prêt is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /pʁɛ/. It means “ready.” preh — one syllable. A "p" into a throat "r", then a flat open "eh". The "t" is silent.

preh — one syllable. A "p" into a throat "r", then a flat open "eh". The "t" is silent.

prêt /pʁɛ/

One syllable ending in open air. The feminine "prête" adds a real "t", so gender is clearly audible with this adjective — worth listening for.

Listen: prêt

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Sound it out

pr An unaspirated "p" straight into the uvular "r". No puff of air on the "p", and no tongue-tip involvement in the "r".

ê An open "eh" /ɛ/. The circumflex marks a lost "s" — the old spelling was "prest", which is where English "presto" and "press" trace from the same root.

t Silent in the masculine. The feminine "prête" makes it audible.

Hear it in a sentence

Tu es prêt à partir ?

Are you ready to leave?

Listen: Tu es prêt à partir ?

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"Tu es prêt à partir ?" uses "prêt à" plus an infinitive, the fixed construction for being ready to do something. "Tu es" links smoothly and in casual speech contracts to "t'es". The question is made by rising intonation on -TIR, with no inversion. A woman would be asked "tu es prête ?", with the "t" pronounced.

Where English speakers slip

The circumflex makes learners expect something exotic; it is just an open "eh", and the accent is a historical marker. The real errors are the final "t", which English speakers release out of habit, and the "pr" cluster, which picks up an American "r". Also do not confuse "prêt" with "près" (near) — they sound identical but mean different things, and only context separates them.