French · Food & drink
How to pronounce restaurant in French
restaurant
Restaurant
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
restaurant is pronounced /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/ in French. In restaurant: The final written t is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in restaurant
Read restaurant in these IPA segments: ʁɛs · tɔ · ʁɑ̃. 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.The final written t
In restaurant: The final written t is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/.
Watch out: Connected speech can differ, especially where liaison is possible. Do not generalize this word’s ending to every French word.
2.Nasal vowels
In restaurant: 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.
3.The French r /ʁ/
In restaurant: 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.
4.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In restaurant: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide.
Watch out: Avoid turning this vowel into English “ay”.
Hear it in context
On mange au restaurant ce soir ?
Shall we eat at a restaurant tonight?
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
restaurant 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 restaurant
How do you pronounce restaurant?
restaurant is pronounced /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/ in French. In restaurant: The final written t is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In restaurant: The final written t is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
