É vs È vs Ê: vowel openness in everyday words
Hear and reproduce the difference between closed ‘é’ and open ‘è/ê’ — and avoid English ‘ay’ drift.
What you’ll learn Hear and reproduce the difference between closed ‘é’ and open ‘è/ê’ — and avoid English ‘ay’ drift.
Key ideas (keep these in your head) • É is typically a closed vowel (more ‘tight’). È/Ê are more open (jaw slightly lower). • Many minimal pairs exist: été/était, péché/pêche, parler/parlé (context). • Don’t over‐diphthong: French vowels are cleaner than English glides.
Real examples (French → what you often hear → English) • J’ai été là. → j’ai été là → I was there. • Il était là. → il était là → He was there. • C’est prêt. → c’est prêt → It’s ready.
Drills é été, café, parlé, clé, bébé è/ê mère, père, tête, prêt, être
Common mistakes (and quick fixes) • Turning é into English ‘ay’ glide. Fix: keep a pure vowel with steady mouth position. • Flattening everything into one sound. Fix: use ‘été’ vs ‘était’ as your anchor contrast.
Quick self-check Record: été / était / mère / clé. Listen for jaw openness differences.
About this lesson
How to practise “É vs È vs Ê: vowel openness in everyday words”
This intermédiaire lesson is part of the Pronunciation series on Chase in French. Train your ear and mouth on the sounds that make French French — nasal vowels, liaison, the R, and the rhythm patterns native speakers actually use.
Follow the Ears → Mouth → Eyes method: first listen to how native speakers say it, then repeat it out loud until it feels natural, and only then look at the spelling. Plan about 17 minutes, and come back to it over several days — short, repeated practice beats one long session.
Want guided feedback on your accent? The Chase in French Academy and live classes turn lessons like this into structured training, and the weekly podcast lets you hear these patterns in real conversation.
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