The o sound: au, eau and ô in French

1. 1
   chaud/ʃo/

   hotadjective

   Having a high temperature.
2. 2
   gâteau/ɡato/

   cakenoun

   A sweet, soft pastry baked in the oven.
3. 3
   sauce/sos/

   saucenoun

   A thick liquid served with a dish.
4. 4
   saumon/somɔ̃/

   salmonnoun

   A large fish with pink flesh.
5. 5
   morceau/mɔʁso/

   piecenoun

   A small part broken off from a whole.
6. 6
   couteau/kuto/

   knifenoun

   A bladed tool used for cutting.
7. 7
   jaune/ʒɔn/

   yellowadjective

   The color of a lemon.
8. 8
   aussi/osi/

   alsoadverb

   In addition to what was just said.
9. 9
   veau/vo/

   vealnoun

   The meat of a young cow.
10. 10
    haut/o/

    highadjective

    Rising far above the ground.

The sentences

1. Le pain est encore chaud, vous en voulez ?

   The bread's still warm, would you like some?

2. Je vais prendre ce gâteau pour le dessert de ce soir.

   I'll take this cake for tonight's dessert.

3. Je fais une sauce à la crème pour le poisson.

   I'm making a cream sauce for the fish.

4. Il me faudrait deux pavés de saumon, s'il vous plaît.

   I'd like two salmon fillets, please.

5. Vous pouvez me couper un petit morceau de fromage ?

   Could you cut me a small piece of cheese?

6. Passe-moi le grand couteau pour couper la viande.

   Pass me the big knife to cut the meat.

7. Vous avez du poivron jaune, ou seulement du rouge ?

   Do you have yellow peppers, or just red ones?

8. Et je vais prendre aussi un bouquet de persil.

   And I'll also take a bunch of parsley.

9. Vous auriez une belle escalope de veau pour ce soir ?

   Would you have a nice veal cutlet for tonight?

10. Je voudrais le melon tout en haut de la pile.

    I'd like the melon right at the top of the pile.

Pronunciation

• chaud/ʃo/

  The final d is silent and "au" is said as /o/, with rounded lips.

• saumon/somɔ̃/

  The ending sounds like the on in "bon", without pronouncing the n.

• couteau/kuto/

  The first syllable is said like "cou", as in neck, not "co".

• haut/o/

  The final t is silent: "haut" is said like "eau".

Good to know

marchands

At a market, you go to the stallholder who runs that particular stand rather than one vendor for everything. Each one specializes in something, like cheese, meat or vegetables.

peser soi-même

It's considered rude to touch the fruit and vegetables yourself unless invited to. You ask the vendor to pick or weigh out what you want.

monnaie

Small vendors often prefer to be paid in cash, especially for small amounts.

Questions

How do you ask for a piece of something at a French market?

You can say "Vous pouvez me couper un petit morceau de fromage ?" using morceau, which means a small piece cut off something.

What's the French word for salmon?

Saumon. The ending sounds like the on in "bon", without pronouncing the n.

How do you say "also" in French when adding to an order?

Aussi, as in "Et je vais prendre aussi un bouquet de persil," meaning "And I'll also take a bunch of parsley."