Silent final consonants: what disappears (and what doesn’t)

What you’ll learn Stop guessing. Learn the high-frequency rules for silent finals, plus key exceptions (C-F-L-R). Key ideas (keep these in your head) • Many final consonants are silent in French (parle, petit, grand). • A useful heuristic: final C, F, L, R are more likely to be pronounced (avec, neuf, miel, hiver) — with exceptions. • Liaison can ‘reactivate’ a final consonant before a vowel sound (petit ami). Real examples (French → what you often hear → English) • Il est petit. → il è pe ti → He is small. • Un petit ami → un pe ti ta mi → A boyfriend (liaison). • C’est neuf. → c’est neuf → It’s new (final f pronounced). Drills silent petit, grand, parlent, beaucoup, froid often_pronounced avec, neuf, hiver, avril, miel Common mistakes (and quick fixes) • Pronouncing every final consonant. Fix: learn common silent endings (‐t, ‐d, ‐s). • Never pronouncing liaison. Fix: practice article + noun patterns where liaison is common. Quick self-check Say: petit / petit ami / petit enfant. Only liaison contexts ‘wake up’ the consonant.