LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "à gauche" in French?
ah GOHSH — a hard "g", a pure "oh", and a "ch" pronounced "sh".
The phrase peaks on GAUCHE, with "à" as a light lead-in. Two beats total, and worth drilling as a pair with "à droite" since directions come in twos.
Listen: à gauche
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
La banque est à gauche.
The bank is on the left.
Listen: La banque est à gauche.
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"La banque est à gauche" ends on the direction, so the "oh" and the "sh" both get their full value. "Banque" has a nasal vowel plus a hard "k" from the "qu", with the final "e" silent: BAHNK. The two "a" vowels of "est à" sit side by side with no liaison and a slight hiatus between them.
Where English speakers slip
Give the "ch" its English "church" value and you get "gowch". French "ch" is "sh". The "au" also picks up an English glide toward "ow" or "oo"; it is one steady "oh". And note "gauche" doubles as an adjective meaning clumsy — which is where the English word comes from, though the English borrowing has drifted in both sound and sense.