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Orthography
Objective: Identify when the unaccented e is pronounced, when it drops, and how the drop shapes the rhythm of spoken French.
| Context | Example | Pronunciation | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| before a single consonant | je parle | the e can drop | consonant allows the drop |
| before two consonants | je prends | the e stays | cluster requires the vowel |
| after a written double consonant | appeler | the e stays in careful speech | the register determines retention |
| in a final syllable | grande | the e is silent | written but not pronounced |
| in a monosyllable at the start of a phrase | le petit | the e can drop | weak position allows the drop |
| with an accent | lève | the è stays | accented vowels never drop |
In everyday speech, the unaccented e drops when the surrounding consonants allow it, so petit is commonly pronounced as a single syllable in natural conversation.
The e in se is a weak unaccented vowel that can drop before a consonant-initial word, while the accented è of lève marks a real vowel that stays pronounced.
The careful register pronounces every written vowel, while conversational speech drops the ne and often the e of je.
The e of le and petit both drop in a single rhythm group, producing l'pti garçon.
The e of se drops before the consonant-initial lève, while the accented è of lève stays pronounced.
The e of le drops before the consonant-initial petit, producing l'pti enfant.
The e in the middle of appeler stays in careful speech because the drop is only made in casual registers; the surrounding consonants do not require its retention. The final e is always silent.
6 exercises · about 9 minutes
The drop of the unaccented e affects pronunciation but not spelling. The written form always keeps every unaccented e, even when speech drops it.
The unaccented e drops more predictably inside a rhythm group, and pauses break the cadence that governs the drop.
The e of je stays pronounced, since dropping it would leave a single consonant directly before the cluster pr.
The proverb shows the drop throughout the rhythm group, producing a compact pronunciation that has become the standard form of the expression.
All three unaccented e sounds can drop in conversational speech, producing the compact j'te l'dis.