The ui sound at night and in the kitchen in French

1. 1
   nuit/nɥi/

   nightnoun

   The time between sunset and sunrise, when it's dark.
2. 2
   minuit/minɥi/

   midnightnoun

   The middle hour of the night, twelve hours after noon.
3. 3
   cuisine/kɥizin/

   kitchennoun

   The room where meals are prepared.
4. 4
   cuire/kɥiʁ/

   to cookverb

   To heat food so it is good to eat.
5. 5
   cuillère/kɥijɛʁ/

   spoonnoun

   A utensil with a hollow end.
6. 6
   huile/ɥil/iAlso said wil.

   oilnoun

   A greasy liquid that does not mix with water.
7. 7
   fuite/fɥit/

   leaknoun

   Liquid or gas escaping through a hole.
8. 8
   essuyer/esɥije/

   to wipeverb

   To run a cloth over something to dry it or make it clean.
9. 9
   bruit/bʁɥi/

   noisenoun

   A sound that you hear, often bothersome.
10. 10
    appuyer/apɥije/

    to pressverb

    To push on something, like a button.

The sentences

1. Tu as bien dormi cette nuit ?

   Did you sleep well last night?

2. Il est minuit, on ne fait pas de bruit.

   It's midnight, let's keep the noise down.

3. La lumière de la cuisine est encore allumée.

   The kitchen light is still on.

4. Combien de temps faut-il cuire le riz ?

   How long does the rice need to cook?

5. Passe-moi une petite cuillère pour le sucre.

   Pass me a teaspoon for the sugar.

6. Mets un peu d'huile dans la poêle.

   Put a little oil in the pan.

7. Il y a une fuite sous l'évier de la cuisine.

   There's a leak under the kitchen sink.

8. Je vais essuyer l'eau par terre avec un torchon.

   I'm going to wipe up the water on the floor with a dish towel.

9. Fais moins de bruit, tout le monde dort.

   Make less noise, everyone's asleep.

10. Il faut appuyer fort sur le bouton pour allumer.

    You have to press hard on the button to turn it on.

Pronunciation

• nuit/nɥi/

  "ui" is said in one go, with the u of "rue," never "ou."

• minuit/minɥi/

  The u is said /ɥ/, never like "ou", and the final t is silent.

• cuisine/kɥizin/

  The "ui" is said in one go, as in "nuit", never "kou-i".

• cuire/kɥiʁ/

  The u glides into the i as in "lui", without an "oo" sound.

• cuillère/kɥijɛʁ/

  The two l's sound like the y of "yeux".

• huile/ɥil/

  The h is silent and does not block elision: you say "l'huile".

• fuite/fɥit/

  The final t is pronounced, as in "suite".

• essuyer/esɥije/

  The u is said like in tu, never like 'ou': é-sui-yé.

• bruit/bʁɥi/

  The final t is silent and ui is said in one go, /ɥi/.

Good to know

tapage nocturne

Noise that disturbs neighbors at night can be penalized, so people avoid making noise in the evening in an apartment building. The exact hour when night begins varies with the building's rules and the town's.

syndic

In a building owned by several owners, a leak in the shared areas is reported to the syndic (the managing agent) or the caretaker. A leak in your own home is usually reported to the landlord if you rent.

torchon

In the kitchen, people dry dishes and wipe surfaces with a torchon, a reusable cloth. It is very often used instead of paper towels.

Questions

How do you say "leak" in French?

The word is fuite, as in "Il y a une fuite sous l'évier de la cuisine." The final t is pronounced, as in suite.

What do you say to ask for a spoon in French?

You can say "Passe-moi une petite cuillère pour le sucre." Cuillère is the word for spoon.

What should you say if someone is making noise at night?

You can say "Fais moins de bruit, tout le monde dort." Or, at midnight: "Il est minuit, on ne fait pas de bruit."