A1 · Vowels
French u vs ou
English has one “oo” sound and hopes for the best. French splits it. ou is the one you already have (vous, beaucoup). u is the one that makes natives blink (tu, une, rue). Mix them up and you said a different word — not a cute accent.
Two different “oo”s
ou is close to English food, too, you. Round the lips, keep the tongue back. vous, nous, beaucoup, où. You already do this.
u is not in most English accents. Start with “ee” as in see. Do not change the tongue. Now round the lips as if you were saying “oo”. The sound that comes out is tu, une, rue, du. If it feels slightly ridiculous, you are close.
Same spelling family, different word
ou — the English “oo”
vous
you (plural / formal)
tout
all / everything
lourd
heavy
où
where
u — “ee” with rounded lips
tu
you (singular, informal)
une
a / one (feminine)
rue
street
du
some / of the (masculine)
eu sits next to them
eu is a third sound. Lips rounded, tongue more central — peu, deux, bleu, sœur. English speakers often drag it toward “uh” or toward ou. Hold the lips; do not open into an English “er”.
Three rounded vowels you will actually say
| Spelling | Feel | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ou | English food | vous, nous, beaucoup, jour |
| u / û | ee + tight round lips | tu, une, plus, sûr |
| eu / œu | rounded, central | peu, deux, sœur, œuf |
plus is [ply] when it means “more” in many sentences, and [plys] when it means “plus” or in plus de. Hear it in the phrase, not alone.
Minimal pairs worth drilling
tu / tout
you / all — the pair everyone mixes up rue / roue
street / wheel dessus / dessous
on top / underneath peu / poux
a little / lice — eu vs ou
How to practise without a recording studio
A mirror helps more than an app. For u: smile an “ee”, then round. If you see teeth, you drifted back to ou. Record one sentence, not a word list. “Tu as tout vu dans la rue” uses both sounds. If a tutor winces, it is usually the u, not your grammar.
Try this out loud
Say these slowly. Watch your lips on every u.
Tu as tout.
You have everything.
Une rue.
A street.
Du jus.
Some juice.
Peu de tout.
A little of everything.
Questions this page usually raises
Keep going
Next pronunciation pages — same English, next sound.
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