French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "trouver" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce trouver in French?

trouver is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /tʁu.ve/. It means “to find.” troo-VAY — the "tr" is made with a throat "r", and the "-er" ending is a bare "ay".

troo-VAY — the "tr" is made with a throat "r", and the "-er" ending is a bare "ay".

trouver /tʁu.ve/

trou-VER, lift on the final syllable. Note that this word contains both kinds of "r": the first is pronounced and the second, in the infinitive ending, is silent.

Listen: trouver

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Sound it out

tr An unaspirated "t" straight into the uvular "r". Keep your tongue tip down and low; all the friction is at the back.

ou The back "oo" of "soup", lips forward.

ver A "v" plus the -er infinitive ending, pronounced as a closed "ay" with a silent "r".

Hear it in a sentence

Je ne trouve pas mon billet.

I can't find my ticket.

Listen: Je ne trouve pas mon billet.

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"Je ne trouve pas mon billet" wraps the negation around the conjugated "trouve" /tʁuv/, where the final "e" is silent but keeps the "v" audible. French says "I do not find my ticket" where English says "I can't find it" — no "can" is needed. "Billet" has the "ll" after "i" making a "y" sound and a silent final "t": bee-YAY.

Where English speakers slip

The word contains a small trap that catches almost everyone: two "r"s, one sounded and one silent. Learners either pronounce both ("troo-VAIR") or, having learned the -er rule, soften the first one too. The initial "tr" must be a real cluster, and it must be made in the throat rather than with the curled English tongue that turns "trouver" into something like "trrooo-vay".