French · Difficult words
How to pronounce semaine in French
semaine
Week
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
semaine is pronounced /sə.mɛn/ in French. In semaine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in semaine
Read semaine in these IPA segments: sə · mɛn. 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 open /ɛ/ vowel
In semaine: 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”.
2.A clear /s/
In semaine: Let air pass through a narrow groove near the front of the mouth. Keep the sound unvoiced.
Watch out: Do not add voicing and turn /s/ into /z/.
Hear it in context
On peut se parler en milieu de semaine ?
Can we talk mid-week?
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
semaine 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 semaine
How do you pronounce semaine?
semaine is pronounced /sə.mɛn/ in French. In semaine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In semaine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
