Exercises: Module 01 — Introduction: Sounds, Alphabet, and First Words¶

Instructions¶

Complete each exercise in order. Exercises increase in difficulty. For spoken exercises, say the answer aloud — if possible, record yourself and listen back. For written exercises, write your answer without looking at the module first, then check. All exercises use only vocabulary from Module 01.

Easy Exercises (1–3)¶

Exercise 1¶

Difficulty: Easy Objective: Recognize accent marks and their functions.

For each word below, identify the accent mark(s) used and state what function each performs (changes pronunciation, distinguishes meaning, or marks historical usage). Write one sentence per accent mark.

Words to analyze:
1. été (summer)
2. père (father)
3. garçon (boy/waiter)
4. forêt (forest)
5. à (to/at)
6. Noël (Christmas)

Exercise 2¶

Difficulty: Easy Objective: Identify which words contain nasal vowels.

Read each French word below. Mark each word as (N) if it contains a nasal vowel, or (O) if it does not. Then write the IPA transcription for the vowel sound in the word.

Words:
1. bon      → ___  IPA: ___
2. bonne    → ___  IPA: ___
3. an       → ___  IPA: ___
4. âne      → ___  IPA: ___
5. vin      → ___  IPA: ___
6. vigne    → ___  IPA: ___
7. main     → ___  IPA: ___
8. manger   → ___  IPA of 'an' sound: ___
9. animal   → ___  IPA: ___  (careful — is the 'an' before a vowel or consonant?)
10. dans    → ___  IPA: ___

Exercise 3¶

Difficulty: Easy Objective: Select the correct greeting for the context.

Choose the most appropriate French phrase for each situation. Write the phrase and briefly explain your choice.

Situations:
1. You walk into a pharmacy at 10am. You make eye contact with the pharmacist.
2. You answer your phone and don't know who is calling.
3. You are leaving your friend's apartment at midnight.
4. A colleague you know well passes you in the hallway.
5. You want to say "thank you very much" to a shopkeeper.
6. You want to say goodbye to someone you'll see later that same afternoon.
7. You bump into someone accidentally in the street.

Medium Exercises (4–6)¶

Exercise 4¶

Difficulty: Medium Objective: Apply liaison and elision rules.

For each phrase, decide whether liaison applies (L), elision applies (E), neither applies (N), or the liaison is forbidden (F). Then write how the phrase is pronounced as a connected phonetic unit.

Phrases:
1. les + amis          → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
2. le + ami            → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
3. vous + avez         → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
4. Marie et + Antoine  → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
5. un + enfant         → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
6. je + ai             → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
7. les + haricots      → Rule: ___ (aspirate h!) Pronunciation: ___
8. ils + ont           → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
9. de + eau            → Rule: ___ Pronunciation: ___
10. le chat + arrive   → Rule: ___ (singular noun!) Pronunciation: ___

Exercise 5¶

Difficulty: Medium Objective: Choose tu or vous and write the appropriate greeting.

For each scenario, decide whether you would use tu or vous, and then write an appropriate opening exchange (greeting + one sentence) using the correct pronoun form. Use vocabulary from Module 01.

Scenarios:
1. You are meeting your professor for the first time in her office.
2. You run into your 8-year-old nephew on the street.
3. You are being introduced to a colleague's spouse at a dinner party.
4. You are at a café and you've been chatting with another customer your age for 20 minutes; they have started using tu with you.
5. You are calling your bank's customer service line.

Exercise 6¶

Difficulty: Medium Objective: Transcribe numbers with pronunciation notes.

Write out the following numbers in French words, then write the IPA pronunciation and note any special pronunciation features (silent consonants, liaison possibilities, etc.).

Numbers to transcribe:
7, 11, 18, 20, 5, 9, 15, 17, 1 (one book), 1 (one friend — female)

Note for un/une: un livre vs. une amie — explain why the number changes form.

Hard Exercises (7–8)¶

Exercise 7¶

Difficulty: Hard Objective: Analyze and correct a mispronounced dialogue.

The following dialogue contains six pronunciation errors typical of English speakers learning French. Identify each error, explain why it is wrong, and provide the correct pronunciation.

Dialogue with errors (errors marked with *):

A: Bonjour*-r*. Je m'appelle David.
B: Enchant*-EY*. Je suis Isabelle.
A: Vous êtes de Pari*-ss*?
B: Non, je suis de Lyo*-n-n* et vous?
A: Paris. Et toi*-z* aussi, Isabelle? (Error: attempted liaison after 'toi')
B: Au revoir*-r*, monsieur.

For each starred error, write: - What the speaker likely said (English-influenced pronunciation) - What the correct French pronunciation is (use IPA or description) - Why English speakers make this particular error

Exercise 8¶

Difficulty: Hard Objective: Write and analyze a dialogue demonstrating module concepts.

Write a 10-line dialogue (5 lines per speaker) between two people meeting for the first time at a formal professional event. Your dialogue must:

1. Use the formal register (vous) throughout
2. Include at least 2 examples of mandatory liaison (mark them with _)
3. Include at least 2 examples of elision (mark them with ')
4. Include a farewell using the appropriate time-of-day expression
5. Include at least one nasal vowel word per speaker line
6. Be grammatically correct using only vocabulary from Module 01

After writing the dialogue, provide a brief annotation explaining your liaison and elision choices.

Expert Exercise (9)¶

Exercise 9¶

Difficulty: Expert Objective: Synthesize phonological knowledge to explain French music/poetry.

French poetry and song have a special relationship with liaison and elision — features that are mandatory in speech become subject to artistic choice in verse. Read the following excerpt from a French children's song (Frère Jacques) and answer the questions.

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Din, din, don. Din, din, don.

Questions:

1. In the line Dormez-vous?, identify the type of construction (inversion question). Where does the liaison occur? Write the phonetic form of Dormez-vous.

2. In Sonnez les matines, identify which word pair could create a liaison, whether it is obligatory/optional/forbidden, and what the liaison consonant sound would be.

3. The word Frère contains an accent mark. Name it, explain its phonological function, and write the IPA of Frère.

4. Compare the pronunciation rules in French song vs. French speech. In formal sung French, elision is sometimes suppressed for musical reasons (a syllable that would be elided in speech is instead pronounced to fill a musical beat). How would singing Frère Jacques syllable-by-syllable help a language learner — and what risk does it carry?

5. Write a 4-line simple verse in French (you may invent nonsense content using Module 01 vocabulary) that demonstrates at least one obligatory liaison, one elision, and one nasal vowel. Mark each phenomenon.