French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "si" in French?

see — a hissing "s" and a pure "ee". Two letters, one clean syllable.

si /si/

One unstressed syllable opening a conditional clause. It hands the beat straight to the verb that follows: si tu VEUX, s'il PLEUT.

Listen: si

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Sound it out

s A voiceless "s" at the start of the word, never a "z".

i A tense, pure "ee" as in "machine". Hold it steady — no drift toward "ih".

Hear it in a sentence

S'il pleut, je reste ici.

If it rains, I'll stay here.

Listen: S'il pleut, je reste ici.

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"S'il pleut, je reste ici" shows the one elision "si" makes: before "il" and "ils" it contracts to "s'", giving /sil/. It does NOT elide before "elle" or any other vowel — "si elle vient" stays in full. That is an oddly specific rule and it is the only place "si" ever loses its vowel. "Pleut" ends in a silent "t" and has the rounded /ø/ vowel.

Where English speakers slip

The sound is easy; the traps are elsewhere. Learners over-elide, writing "s'elle" — which does not exist. And they confuse this "si" (if) with the other "si" that means "yes" in answer to a negative question, and with the "si" that means "so" in "si beau". All three are the same syllable, distinguished only by context. Also keep the vowel long and pure; an English short "ih" makes it sound clipped and unclear.