l'alphabet
noun, song
The alphabet in French is l'alphabet, and children learn it with a song. The letters are said with French names, such as a, bé, cé and dé.
The French names of the letters are a, bé, cé, dé, e, effe, gé, ache, i, ji, ka, elle, emme, enne, o, pé, ku, erre, esse, té, u, vé, double vé, ixe, i grec and zède.
Meaning: alphabet song (phrase)
Which one should you use?
Several letters sound different from English. The letter e sounds like "uh", g sounds like "zhay" and j sounds like "zhee".
How do you pronounce it?
The letter u is said with rounded lips, like "ee" with an "oo" shape, and r is a throaty sound at the back of the mouth.
Did you know?
- The French name of the letter y is i grec, which literally means "Greek i".
Examples in context
- Je chante l'alphabet.I sing the alphabet.
- Nous apprenons l'alphabet à l'école.We learn the alphabet at school.
Example conversation
A teacher, Madame Roux, sings the alphabet with her class and one Élève answers.
- Madame RouxOn chante l'alphabet ensemble.Let us sing the alphabet together.
- ÉlèveA, B, C, D, E, F, G.A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
- Madame RouxTrès bien, continuez !Very good, keep going!
