French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "tu" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce tu in French?

tu is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ty/. It means “you (informal, one person).” Like "tea" but with your lips pushed forward into a tight circle. Two letters, one syllable, and one very unfamiliar vowel.

Like "tea" but with your lips pushed forward into a tight circle. Two letters, one syllable, and one very unfamiliar vowel.

tu /ty/

One short syllable that never takes emphasis of its own. Like "je", it leans forward onto the verb, so the beat of "tu viens" falls on VIENS.

Listen: tu

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Sound it out

t A clean "t" with no puff of air behind it. English "t" at the start of a word comes with an audible breath; French does not. Your tongue also sits slightly further forward, against the back of the upper teeth.

u The vowel /y/, which English simply does not have. The recipe: say "ee" and hold it, then, without moving your tongue a millimetre, round your lips as if to whistle. The result is a bright, tight vowel that sounds nothing like "oo".

Hear it in a sentence

Tu viens souvent ici ?

Do you come here often?

Listen: Tu viens souvent ici ?

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"Tu viens souvent ici ?" is a question made purely by intonation — no inversion, no "est-ce que", just a rising pitch on the last syllable, i-CI. Notice "souvent" ends in a nasal vowel with a silent "t", and that in casual speech "tu" before a vowel often reduces further, so "tu es" comes out as "t'es".

Where English speakers slip

The overwhelming error is saying "too", which is not just an accent issue — it collides with "tout" (all) and "tous", real words with the /u/ vowel. The distinction between /y/ and /u/ carries meaning in French, so this is worth drilling. Say "ee" then round your lips: that is /y/. Say "oo" with the tongue pulled back: that is /u/. Also avoid the aspirated English "t" that turns it into "tchoo".