French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "quelque chose" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce quelque chose in French?

quelque chose is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /kɛl.kə ʃoz/. It means “something.” kel-kuh SHOHZ — three beats, with a "ch" pronounced "sh" and an "s" pronounced "z".

kel-kuh SHOHZ — three beats, with a "ch" pronounced "sh" and an "s" pronounced "z".

quelque chose /kɛl.kə ʃoz/

The phrase peaks on CHOSE, with the two "quel-que" beats running quickly into it. In fast speech the schwa disappears and you hear roughly "kelk-SHOHZ".

Listen: quelque chose

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Sound it out

quel A bare "k", an open "eh", and a light "l". No "w" sound.

que Another bare "k" plus a weak schwa, often reduced almost to nothing in speech.

ch "sh", as French "ch" always is.

ose A closed "oh" plus a single "s" between vowels, which is therefore pronounced "z". The final "e" is silent but keeps the "z" audible.

Hear it in a sentence

J'ai oublié quelque chose.

I've forgotten something.

Listen: J'ai oublié quelque chose.

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"J'ai oublié quelque chose" links "j'ai" into the vowel of "oublié" with no break — three words that sound like two. "Oublié" is the past participle, ending in a closed "ay": oo-blee-AY. The phrase "quelque chose" is treated as masculine, so an adjective after it takes "de": "quelque chose de beau".

Where English speakers slip

Two consonants go astray at once, giving "kelk CHOHSS": an English "ch" and an unvoiced "s". Both are wrong: "sh" then "z". Learners also over-articulate the middle schwa. And note the grammar: to add an adjective you need "de" — "quelque chose d'intéressant" — which has no English equivalent and is easy to forget.