French · Difficult words
How to pronounce cheval in French
cheval
Horse
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cheval is pronounced /ʃə.val/ in French. In cheval: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in cheval
Read cheval in these IPA segments: ʃə · val. 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.An open vowel
In cheval: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.
Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.
Hear it in context
Je monte à cheval le samedi matin.
I ride horseback on Saturday mornings.
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
cheval 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 cheval
How do you pronounce cheval?
cheval is pronounced /ʃə.val/ in French. In cheval: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In cheval: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
