French · Difficult words
How to pronounce centre-ville in French
centre-ville
City center (downtown)
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
centre-ville is pronounced /sɑ̃.tʁə.vil/ in French. In centre-ville: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in centre-ville
Read centre-ville in these IPA segments: sɑ̃ · tʁə · vil. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. French prominence belongs to the spoken phrase. Do not impose a heavy English-style stress on every isolated word.
1.Nasal vowels
In centre-ville: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization.
Watch out: Do not automatically add a separate n or m after the nasal vowel.
2.The French r /ʁ/
In centre-ville: Use gentle friction toward the back of the mouth. Keep the tongue tip relaxed while connecting r to its neighboring vowel.
Watch out: Avoid a strong English curled r or adding a vowel before the consonant.
3.Front-vowel position
In centre-ville: Listen for the distinction between the closer /i/ and the more relaxed /ɪ/ when shown. Keep your tongue toward the front.
Watch out: Do not decide vowel quality from English spelling alone.
Hear it in context
On se balade en centre-ville cet après-midi ?
Shall we wander downtown this afternoon?
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
centre-ville is presented using French of France. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about centre-ville
How do you pronounce centre-ville?
centre-ville is pronounced /sɑ̃.tʁə.vil/ in French. In centre-ville: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In centre-ville: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
