French liaisons can be required – optional – forbidden. Today, we are focusing on French Required Liaisons, which you can’t miss. Remember that French liaisons are made for the language to have a good flow and not sound broken. Here are the 7 required French liaisons with examples and audio.
Watch the video for the little quiz for you at the end.
Free PDF at the bottom of the page 📄
Liaisons happen when a word ends with a consonant, and the next one starts with a vowel.
In French, we have 6 different sounds made by liaisons.
Mes amis = Mes Zamis
My friends
Deux ans = Deux Zans
Two years
Chez elle = Chez Zelle
At hers
Un grand arbre = Un grand Tarbre
A tall tree
Un petit objet = Un petit Tobjet
A small object
Mon ami = Mon Nami
My friend
Neuf ans = Neu Vans
Nine years
Cinq ans = Cinq Kans
Five years
Le premier enfant = Le premier Renfant
The first child
French liaisons are required between:
And after short adverbs / prepositions / conjunctions and in some expressions.
Let’s see some examples for each situation.
Liaisons between an article and a noun are required in French.
Un homme = Un Nhomme
A man
Les enfants = Les Zenfants
The children
Des idées = Des Zidées
Some ideas
Liaisons between a number and a noun are required in French.
Deux oiseaux = Deux Zoiseaux
Two birds
Trois éléphants = Trois Zéléphants
Three elephants
Six ans = Six Zans
Six years
Liaisons between an adjective and a noun are required in French.
Un petit œuf = Un petit Tœuf
A little egg
Mes achats – Mes Zachats
My purchases
De beaux yeux – De beaux Zyeux
Beautiful eyes
Liaisons between a pronoun and a verb are required in French.
Vous allez = Vous Zallez
You are going
J’en aurai = J’en Naurai
I will have some
On a acheté = On Na acheté
We bought
Liaisons between 2 pronouns are required in French.
Ils y seront = Ils Zy seront
They will be there
Nous en aurons – Nous Zen Naurons
We will have some
Vous en parlerez – Vous Zen parlerez
You will talk about it
Liaisons after short adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions are required in French.
Nous sommes bien arrivés = Nous sommes bien Narrivés
We arrived safely
Ce pull est très abordable = Ce pull est très Zabordable
This sweater is very affordable
Je suis chez elle = Je suis chez Zelle
I am at hers
Finally, liaisons in some expressions are required as well.
De temps en temps = De temps Zen temps
From time to time
De plus en plus = De plus Zen plus
More and more
Plus ou moins = Plus Zou moins
More or less
C’est-à-dire = C’est-Tà-dire
That is to say
Quand est-ce que … = Quand Test-ce que …
When …
Comment allez-vous ? = Comment Tallez-vous ?
How are you?
If you prefer to watch a video lesson, you can watch this video.
