When to pronounce the French E as E and not as É or È? Good question! Let’s have a look!
In this French lesson, we are going to learn when to pronounce the French E as E (like in the alphabet). E in French can be pronounced as é, as è, or it can be silent. It can also be part of a group of letters forming a specific sound (en – ein – eu – etc).
In this French lesson, I listed 100 common French words where E is pronounced as E, with examples. I highlighted the E in each word to make it easy for you.
As usual, remember to download your free PDF to keep and review. This one is especially useful, as it is 10 pages full of information.
When to Pronounce the French E as E
What is the rule for E pronounced as E in French?
The general rule is that if e is followed by one consonant, e will stay e.
Petit – pronounced as e
If it’s followed by two consonants, it usually turns into the sound è.
Dernier – pronounced as è
In small words, two to three letters, the final e is also pronounced as e.
Not included in this lesson – French words where e can be silent or pronounced. Acheter – Ach’ter (to buy).
100 Examples with French Audio
In small words
Pronouns
Je – I
Je m’appelle Dylane.
My name is Dylane.
Me – Me
Il me donne une pomme.
He is giving me an apple.
Te – You
Il te demande quelque chose.
He is asking you something.
Se – part of a reflexive verb
Il se regarde dans le miroir.
He is looking at himself in the mirror.
Articles
Le – The
Le chat est sur la table.
The cat is on the table.
De l’ – De la – Some
J’ai toujours de la chance.
I’m always lucky.
Pronouns
Ce – This/That
Ce n’est pas bien de se moquer des gens.
It’s not good to make fun of people.
Cela – This/That
Cela ne me regarde pas.
This does not concern me.
Celui – This one/That one/The one
Celui que j’ai commandé est rose.
The one I ordered is pink.
Lequel – Which one
Lequel est-ce que tu veux ?
Which one do you want?
Negation (all types)
Ne … pas – Not
Je ne regarde pas la télévision le matin.
I don’t watch television in the morning.
Ne … plus – Not anymore
Elle ne me parle plus.
She doesn’t talk to me anymore.
Ne … que – Only
Tu ne veux qu’une tranche de pain ?
Do you just want a slice of bread?
Preposition
De – To/Of
Je refuse de travailler plus.
I refuse to work more.
Words with que
Que – That
C’est la maison que nous voudrions acheter.
This is the house we would like to buy.
Lorsque – When
Appelle-moi lorsque tu arrives.
Call me when you arrive.
Parce que – Because
Il ne peut pas venir parce que ses ne sont pas bonnes.
He can’t come because his health isn’t good.
Presque – Almost
Presque toute la famille sera là.
Almost the whole family will be there.
Puisque – Since
Puisque tu le dis !
Since you say so!
Quelques – A few
J’ai quelques achats à faire cet après-midi.
I have some shopping to do this afternoon.
Specific words
Days of the week
Mercredi – Wednesday
Le mercredi est mon jour préféré.
Wednesday is my favorite day.
Vendredi – Friday
Est-ce que tu travailles ce vendredi ?
Are you working this Friday?
Adverbs
Au-dessous – Below
Le livre est au-dessous de la table.
The book is under the table.
Au-dessus – Above
Ma chambre est au-dessus de la salle-de-bain.
My bedroom is above the bathroom.
Debout – Standing
Il ne peut pas rester debout très longtemps.
He can’t stay up for very long.
Dedans – Inside
Qu’est-ce que tu as mis dedans ?
What did you put in it?
Dehors – Outside
Le chien est dehors.
The dog is outside.
Demain – Tomorrow
Est-ce que tu es libre demain ?
Are you free tomorrow?
Depuis – Since
Depuis quand est-ce que tu travailles ?
How long have you been working?
Selon – According to
Selon moi, ce n’est pas une bonne idée.
In my opinion, this is not a good idea.
Simplement – Simply/Just
Réponds simplement à la question.
Just answer the question.
Nouns
L’Angleterre – England
L’Angleterre est une île.
England is an island.
Du céleri – Some celery
Est-ce que tu veux un peu de céleri ?
Do you want some celery?
Une cerise – A cherry
Ces cerises sont délicieuses.
These cherries are delicious.
Un cerisier – A cherry tree
Le cerisier est en fleurs.
The cherry tree is in bloom.
Une chemise – A shirt
Sa chemise blanche est tachée.
His white shirt is stained.
Un cheval – A horse
Le cheval est dans le pré.
The horse is in the meadow.
Des cheveux – Hair
Je perds mes cheveux depuis des mois.
I’ve been losing my hair for months.
Une crevette – A shrimp
Ces crevettes sont délicieuses.
These shrimps are delicious.
Une demi-heure – A half hour
Cela fait une demi-heure que je t’attends.
I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour.
Une demoiselle – Miss/ A young lady
Cette demoiselle est arrivée avant vous.
This young lady arrived before you.
Un devoir – A homework
Est-ce que tu as fait tes devoirs ?
Have you done your homework?
Une fenêtre – A window
La fenêtre est ouverte.
The window is open.
Un genou – A knee
J’ai de plus en plus mal au genou.
My knee hurts more and more.
Une grenade – Pomegrenate
Les grenades poussent en Tunisie.
Pomegranates grow in Tunisia.
Une grenouille – A frog
La grenouille saute dans l’étang.
The frog jumps into the pond.
Un melon – A watermelon
Rien de tel qu’une tranche de melon.
Nothing like a slice of melon.
Une menace – A threat
Il doit aller à la police car il a reçu des menaces.
He has to go to the police because he has received threats.
Un menuisier – Une menuisière – A carpenter
Elle veut devenir menuisière.
She wants to become a carpenter.
Une mesure – A measurement
Est-ce que tu as la mesure de la porte ?
Do you have the measurement of the door?
Un pamplemousse – A grapefruit
J’ai envie d’un pamplemousse.
I want a grapefruit.
La pelouse – The lawn
Il va tondre la pelouse ce soir.
He’s going to mow the lawn tonight.
Un portefeuille – A wallet
Tu as encore perdu ton portefeuille ?
Did you lose your wallet again?
Une recette – A recipe
Est-ce que je peux avoir ta recette ?
Can I have your recipe?
Une recherche – A search
La recherche contre le cancer avance doucement.
Cancer research is progressing slowly.
Un renard – A fox
Le renard vit près de l’arbre.
The fox lives near the tree.
Une ressource – A resource
Cette association a peu de ressources.
This association has few resources.
Le retard – The delay
Ton retard est inexcusable.
Your delay is inexcusable.
Le retour – The return
On sera de retour demain matin.
We’ll be back tomorrow morning.
Une seconde – A second
Il y a soixante secondes dans une minute.
There are sixty seconds in a minute.
Un – une secrétaire – A secretary
Le secrétaire vient d’envoyer les documents.
The secretary has just sent the documents.
Une semaine – A week
Cette semaine est interminable.
This week is endless.
Un semestre – A semester
Un semestre est fait de 6 mois.
A semester is made up of 6 months.
Un vigneron – une vigneronne – A winemaker
Mon voisin est vigneron.
My neighbor is a winegrower.
Verbs
Demander – To ask
Tu as demandé à ton professeur pour partir plus tôt ?
Did you ask your teacher to leave early?
Deviner – To guess
Devine ce que j’ai reçu ce matin !
Guess what I got this morning!
Enregistrer – To save
J’ai oublié d’enregistrer mon document.
I forgot to save my document.
Épeler – To spell
C’est important de savoir épeler son nom.
It’s important to know how to spell your name.
Geler – To freeze
Il va geler ce week-end.
It’s going to freeze this weekend.
Jeter – To throw away
Il faut éviter de jeter ce qui peut encore servir.
Avoid throwing away anything that can still be used.
Mener – To lead/To conduct
Il a mené la réunion sans problèmes.
He conducted the meeting without problems.
Mesurer – To measure
Elle a oublié de mesurer la fenêtre.
She forgot to measure the window.
Obtenir – To get
Il a réussi à obtenir une bourse d’études.
He managed to get a scholarship.
Peler – To peel
Tu n’es pas obligé de peler les carottes.
You don’t have to peel the carrots.
Peser – To weigh
Il faut peser les ingrédients pour la recette.
You must weigh the ingredients for the recipe.
Recycler – To recycle
Recycler est important pour la planète.
Recycling is important for the planet.
Regarder – To look
Regarde cet oiseau dans l’arbre !
Look at that bird in the tree!
Regretter – To regret
Je regrette de ne pas avoir voyagé plus.
I regret not having traveled more.
Rejoindre – To join
On vous rejoindra dans la soirée.
We will join you in the evening.
Remarquer – To notice
Tu n’as rien remarqué ?
Didn’t you notice anything?
Remercier – To thank
Nous avons remercié nos invités.
We thanked our guests.
Repasser – To iron
Je déteste repasser.
I hate ironing.
Ressembler – To look like
Tu ressembles beaucoup à ton père.
You look a lot like your father.
Ressentir – To feel
Qu’est-ce que vous ressentez ?
What do you feel?
Retirer – To take off
Retire tes pieds de la table.
Take your feet off the table.
Retrouver – To find
On a retrouvé nos clés.
We found our keys.
Se reposer – To rest
Ils ont besoin de se reposer.
They need to rest.
Tenir – To hold
Est-ce que tu peux tenir mon sac ?
Can you hold my bag?
Retenir – To remember
Il arrive toujours à tout retenir.
He always manages to remember everything.
Contenir – To hold (as space)
Ma valise ne peut pas contenir plus de vêtements.
My suitcase can’t hold more clothes.
Venir – To come
Tu penses pouvoir venir avec nous ?
Do you think you can come with us?
Devenir – To become
Il veut devenir astronaute.
He wants to become an astronaut.
Revenir – To come back
On pense revenir ce soir.
We’re thinking of coming back this evening.
Re + verb
Recharger – To recharge
On a rechargé nos batteries pendant les vacances.
We recharged our batteries during the holidays.
Recommencer – To restart
Est-ce que tu peux recommencer ?
Can you start again?
Recopier – To copy
Il a tout recopié sur son ordinateur.
He copied everything onto his computer.
Redémarrer – To start again
La voiture a redémarré après quelques minutes.
The car started again after a few minutes.
Revoir – To see again
J’aimerais beaucoup vous revoir.
I would love to see you again.
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