French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "vous" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce vous in French?

vous is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /vu/. It means “you (polite, or plural).” voo — one syllable, with the "s" silent and the lips pushed well forward for the "oo".

voo — one syllable, with the "s" silent and the lips pushed well forward for the "oo".

vous /vu/

A single unstressed syllable in most sentences, though "vous" can be emphasised on its own when it is the answer to a question. Inside a phrase it stays quick and leans on the verb.

Listen: vous

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Sound it out

v The same "v" as in English: upper teeth on lower lip, voice running.

ou A deep, tight "oo" as in "boot", but with the lips protruded more than English requires and the vowel held perfectly steady — no drift.

s Silent when the word stands alone. It comes to life only in liaison, when the next word begins with a vowel, and then it is pronounced "z".

Hear it in a sentence

Vous êtes très aimable.

You are very kind.

Listen: Vous êtes très aimable.

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"Vous êtes très aimable" is a liaison showcase: "vous êtes" is /vu.z‿ɛt/, with that silent "s" surfacing as a "z", and "très aimable" is /tʁɛ.z‿ɛ.mabl/, where the silent "s" of "très" does exactly the same thing. Skip either link and the sentence sounds chopped up. The final "-ble" of "aimable" is a consonant cluster with barely any vowel after it.

Where English speakers slip

The obvious slip is pronouncing the "s", giving "voose", which happens because English never leaves a final "s" silent. Just as common is confusing this vowel with the "u" of "tu": "vous" has the back, rounded /u/, while "tu" has the forward /y/. Getting them backwards swaps formal and informal address, so the two are worth learning as a contrasting pair.