French Chapter 1: Greetings, Accents, Alphabet, Numbers & Gestures: quick revision, 15 bites

Greetings Set the Tone in French

One wrong greeting can sound rude.

French greetings change with **time of day** and **formality** — choosing correctly is your first social signal.

Takeaway. Match the greeting to the time of day AND the person's formality level.

The Five French Accents

Accents change sound AND meaning.

Takeaway. Accents are not decoration — they change pronunciation and sometimes meaning (ou vs où).

The French Alphabet Has 26 Letters

Same letters, very different sounds.

French uses the **same 26 letters** as English, but letter names and sounds differ — especially **R** (guttural), **U** (rounded lips), and **E** (closed 'uh').

Takeaway. Learn letter names in French — they're needed for spelling aloud.

Numbers 0–10: The Building Blocks

Ten numbers unlock all counting.

Takeaway. Memorize 0–10 first — 11–19 and tens build directly on these.

French Phonetics: Silent Letters & Nasal Sounds

Half the letters are silent!

Takeaway. Don't pronounce every letter — French rhythm depends on silence and linking.

French Gestures You'll Actually See

French people talk with their hands.

Takeaway. Gestures carry meaning — using them correctly signals cultural fluency.

Don't Say 'Bonne Nuit' as Hello

This greeting mistake is embarrassing.

Takeaway. Bonsoir = greeting; Bonne nuit = farewell before sleep.

Remember Accent Directions

A tiny rhyme locks in accents.

Takeaway. Aigu up, grave down, circonflexe roof, tréma dots, cédille tail.

A Full Greeting Exchange

See a real conversation in action.

Takeaway. Bonjour → Comment allez-vous ? → Très bien, merci → Au revoir.

Practice Drill: Spell & Count

Two minutes a day builds fluency.

Takeaway. Active recall beats passive reading — speak every drill aloud.

Exam Favourites: Accents & Numbers

These appear in every paper.

Takeaway. Accent identification and number matching are guaranteed exam questions.

The Cédille Only Appears Before A, O, U

One rule, zero exceptions.

The **ç (cédille)** only appears before **a, o, u** to keep the 's' sound — before e or i, C is already soft, so no cédille is needed.

Takeaway. ç before a/o/u = soft s. Before e/i, plain c already sounds like s.

Liaison Is Like Word Glue

Words stick together in French.

Think of **liaison** as glue between words — a normally silent final consonant 'wakes up' and attaches to the next word's starting vowel, like **les amis → lay-zah-mee**.

Takeaway. Liaison = silent consonant + vowel start = smooth connection.

Don't Roll Your R

Rolled R screams 'foreigner'.

Takeaway. French R = throat, not tongue. Light and soft, never rolled.

Why These Basics Matter Beyond Class

First impressions last.

Takeaway. Greetings + numbers + accents = the minimum viable French for real life.