In French, elision is a process in which a vowelNo definition set for vowelLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is replaced by an apostrophe. This happens when two words are grammatically combined if the first word ends with a vowel and the second word starts with a vowel or a mute hNo definition set for mute hLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. When an elision takes place, the last vowel of the first word turns into an apostrophe. Look at the most famous French sentences: they all have an elision!
While elisions are optional in English (you can say “I’m happy” or “I am happy”), they are compulsory in French for pronunciation purposes. Indeed, because French needs to sound like an uninterrupted flow of words, elisions are a way to create fluency.
Wanting to know more? In this post, we’ll review which letters in French undergo an elision, as well as places where there is not an elision, even if you might have expected there to be! Lisez la suite !(keep reading!)
French elision is closely linked to pronunciation, so if you have time (or want a more detailed review of concepts like mute vs aspirated h, liaison, or French phonetic syllables!), check our article about French pronunciation!
Speaking of which, I would like to quickly point out the differences between liaison, another French pronunciation rule, and elision, the topic of discussion in this post.
A liaison is a bridge between two whole words that only affects pronunciation. The last consonant of the first word is pronounced before the second word only if it starts with a vowel or mute hNo definition set for mute hLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. But there is no effect on the syllable count and the written form of the words does not change!
An elision alters both the spelling and pronunciation. Also, unlike liaison, elision means a phonetic syllable disappears. Phonetic syllables in French are parts of a word that are pronounced. In this case, the written form of the first word is changed and shortened!
↳We go from three phonetic syllables (la.é.cole) to two (l’é.cole).
Which French letters are affected by elision?
The letters e, a, and i are the most affected by elision in French. These three letters can undergo elision when they are at the end of a word, and the immediately following word starts with a vowel or a mute hNo definition set for mute hLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. However, elision only affects certain words, and doesn’t affect every vowel the same way. In this section, we’ll look at the words and circumstances where we see elision of each of these vowels, and we’ll discuss some cases where you might expect to see elision, but you do not.
There are two kinds of h in French: mute h (silent) and aspirated (pronounced). Only a mute h can trigger an elision or a liaison, so it is important to learn French words starting with an aspirated h to avoid elisions (and liaisons) which should not happen. Note, however, that an aspirated h in French is still not pronounced like an English h, as in "I have."
❌ l’hérisson
✅ le hérisson
❌ Il vient d’Hollande.
✅ Il vient de Hollande
We’ve got you covered, we have made a list of the most useful words starting with an aspirated h.
Before we get into the details, remember one important tip:
You will never form an elision between two verbs!
❌ Il v’acheter le pain.
✅ Il va acheter le pain.
He is going to buy the bread.
Which words ending in ‘e’ form an elision in French?
Elision of e in French occurs when a function word ending in e is followed by a word beginning with a vowel or a mute h. Function words include articlesNo definition set for articlesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (le, la, les), pronouns (je, me, se, le), conjunctionsNo definition set for conjunctionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (que), prepositionsNo definition set for prepositionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (de), and negation words (ne). The elision of an e is the most common elision in French. As a matter of fact, the letter e is the most used letter in French! But, let’s get back to the elision.
Keep in mind that the first word which undergoes the elision needs to be grammatically linked to the following word. Let’s have a look at the question “Is she Emma?”:
→ ce is linked to est , not Emma so no elision: Est-c’Emma
(remember, est-ce is pronounced [ehs] not [eh seuh])
The elision with the letter e occurs when the first word ending in e is one of the following function words:
| |
pronoun + vowel or mute h | |
conjunction + vowel or mute h | Parce qu’avec le dessert, ça risque de faire beaucoup. Because with the dessert, it might be much. |
preposition + vowel or mute h | |
| |
Here’s the complete list of all the French words ending in -e which could undergo an elision!
himself, herself, oneself, themselves who, whom, which, that, what
|
There is no elision of the neuter pronoun ce(this) in the relative phrase ce à quoi(what).
C’est exactement ce à quoi j’ai pensé !
This is exactly what I thought!
There is no elision of the article le(the) in front of the numbers un(one) and onze(eleven).
C’est le onze, pas le un !
It’s number eleven, not one!
Whether que is used as a conjunction or an interrogative pronoun or relative pronoun, it undergoes an elision:
conjunction
Je pense qu’elle a raison.
I think (that) she’s right.
relative pronoun
C’est la chemise que j’ai achetée hier.
This is the shirt that I bought yesterday.
However, the similar word qui never undergoes elision! Qui always remains qui! This means you won’t ever be confused about if qu’ is que or qui!
❌ Avec qu’il parle ?
✅ Avec qui il parle ?
Which words ending in ‘a’ form an elision in French?
Elision of the letter a only affects the word la, when it is used as a definite article and when it is used as a feminine direct object pronoun in French. Don’t be tempted to have an elision with French possessive adjectives like ma(my) or ta(your), elision only works with la.
la→ l’
before a noun/verb starting with a vowel or mute h:
❌ Il la a vue la année dernière.→
✅ Il l’a vue l’année dernière
❌ Julie ? Je vais la inviter. →
✅ Julie ? Je vais l’inviter.
There is no elision in front of the word une when it stands for the front page of a newspaper.
L’une (+ de) would mean "one of."
Ce doit être l’une d’entre elles !
Have you ever come across the phrase Ç’a été ?(How did it go?) and wondered what ç’ stood for?
Because the word la is the only word ending in a that is affected by elision, there is no elision with the pronoun ça, so this ç’ does not stand for ça. Instead, ç’ stands for ce, because être works with ce and not ce and not ça. Ç’a été is spelled with a cedilla (ç) for pronunciation purposes. A c followed by a sounds like “k” while ç is always pronounced like “s.”
So we spell Ç’a été with a ç to show that ç’a is pronounced "sa" and not "ka"!
Which words ending in ‘i’ form an elision in French?
The only word ending in the letter i that undergoes elision in French is the conjunction si(if), followed by a French subject pronoun also starting with the letter i.
si→ s’
before il(he) or ils(they)
Therefore, when si is followed by pronouns starting with other vowels, like elle(she), elles(they), or on(one), there is no elision.
S’il ne pleut pas et si elle arrive à l’heure, on pourra y aller.
If it doesn’t rain and she arrives on time, we’ll be able to go.
Remember elision only affects the conjunction si, not the adverb!
Ce serait si intéressant s’il venait avec nous !
It’d be so interesting if he came with us!
Notice that we did NOT say ❌ s’intéressant!
You now know the rules of the French elision. Check our list of expressions with an elision before reading any further to learn where elisions don’t occur!
Where is there no elision in French?
There are cases in French where elision will not occur as expected, such as before words beginning with the vowel y, before foreign words and names, and at the end of the word presque(almost).
While we have been focusing on the first word which undergoes the elision, here, we will also focus on cases where the second word should trigger an elision…but doesn’t! I will also show you that French speaking creates its own rules. Feeling puzzled? Read ahead!
Should you use elision before French words starting with ‘y’?
You should use elision before some French words that start with the vowel y.
Do not use elision before a noun/name starting with a y + vowel
J’adore le yaourt à la grecque.
I love Greek-style yogurt.
↳While le would typically be elided before a vowel, yaourt is a "y + vowel word," so there is no elision.
Le frère de Yohann habite au Canada.
Yohann’s brother lives in Canada.
Do not use elision before a noun/name starting with a y + consonant
L’huile d’ylang-ylang est bonne pour la peau.
I love Greek-style yogurt.
Il vient parce qu’Yves vient aussi.
He’s coming because Yves is too.
Should you use elision before foreign words that start with ‘h’?
Most foreign nouns starting with an h like hamburger are pronounced with an aspirated h, just like in its original language, so they don’t trigger elision.
aspirated h
Did you enjoy the hammam?
However, some foreign words are so used in French that they have assimilated into the French language. Therefore, the same rules for elision that we have seen above would apply.
mute h
L’hamburger au poulet est meilleur.
The chicken burger is better.
↳ Here, the h of hamburger is considered mute. BUT the elision is optional depending on the speaker's attitude toward how assimilated the word is in French.
As for names, it’s also a question of preference. Let’s say Helen is referred to in a conversation. A French person could either say her name the French way, with a mute h or closer to the English way, with an aspirated h.
mute haspirated H
✅ C’est le sac d’Helen / de Helen ?
Should you use elision at the end of ‘presque’ (almost)?
While we’ve seen that some conjunctions like que(that) or puisque(since) undergo an elision before a pronoun or preposition, the adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. presque(almost) almost never loses its last e, although it seems like it would.
Sounds like [prehskareevay] and not [prehskeuh areevay]
Presque only loses its last e to elision in the word presqu’île(peninsula).
Should you use elision across punctuation marks in French?
In French, you should not use elision across punctuation. It’s a simple rule: punctuation annuls any elision.
C’est le film que, avec un peu de chance, j’irai voir au festival.
This is the film I may be lucky to watch at the festival.
→ no elision because there is a comma between que and avec!
What are the informal elisions in French?
French speaking can be quite remote from French writing, and speaking sometimes follows slightly different informal rules. For instance, in speech, the pronoun je can undergo an elision in front of verbs starting with a consonant and the vowel u can also undergo an elision, even though this doesn’t affect their formal spelling. (Sometimes the elision can appear in very informal writing, though!) Let’s have a look!
What are the informal elisions with the letter ‘e’ in French?
While we have seen that only certain words ending with e + vowel or mute h can have a true elision, informal elisions can happen in casual pronunciation when the second word starts with a consonant. Sometimes, a whole word even disappears! It is very common when speaking.
Je n’sais pas.
jeuh nsay pa
The negation ne can even be completely skipped!
Here’s another example:
What are the informal elisions with the letter ‘u’ in French?
There is no formal elision with the letter u, but an informal elision happens with tu(you) when speaking.
Have you ever eaten there?
Where I’m from (a region in the southwest of France called l’Occitanie) the pronunciation of this elision sounds like a "t + y."
Standard pronunciation: [tay oo]
Southern pronunciation: [tyay oo]
‘Bref,’ a few things to remember about the French elision
When using elision in French, keep the following tips in mind:
E: elision of je, me, te, se, le, ce, de, ne, que + word beginning with vowel or mute h.
A: elision of la + noun or verb starting with a vowel.
I: elision of the conjunction si + il(s) only and not to si as an adverb.
U: informal elision of tu when speaking or in informal contexts.
Right! You are all set. You can now practice elision in French with our activities and feel confident to speak fluently thanks to your new skill!
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