Free taster
5 of 6 sections open
Les combinaisons surprenantes — Letters That Break English Rules
🔤 Les combinaisons surprenantes — Letters That Break English Rules
In English, «ch» sounds like «church», «qu» sounds like «queen», and «gn» doesn't really exist. In French, all three are completely different — and once you know the rules, they unlock hundreds of words instantly. «Ch» makes a «sh» sound. «Qu» is just [k] with a silent u. And «gn» creates a soft «ny» sound like the middle of «canyon». Knowing these five combinations is a fast, high-yield win for your AQA Read-Aloud: they appear in very common French words and examiners notice when students mispronounce them.
The Five Tricky Combinations
Liaison is when a normally-silent final consonant links to the next word's vowel. The most common liaison consonants are -s and -x — both sound like [z] in liaison.
Earn the mark scheme marks
💡 Read-Aloud Tips & Common Errors
- Every time you see ch, say [ʃ] (like «sh»). There are almost no exceptions in everyday GCSE vocabulary.
- Every time you see qu, say [k] and ignore the u completely — «qui» = [ki], «que» = [kə], «quand» = [kɑ̃].
- The ç only appears before a, o, u — before e or i the plain c already makes [s], so you don't need the cédille there.
- For gn, practise the word «montagne» — once you can say [mɔ̃taɲ] fluently, you've got the sound.
- For liaison, remember the formula: les / des / mes / tes / ses + vowel = obligatory [z] link. Mark these in the text before you read aloud.
- «-tion» at the end of a word is always [sjɔ̃] in French. Do not apply the English «shun» rule.
❌ Common error: Pronouncing «qui» as "kwee" — applying the English «qu» = "kw" rule.
✓ Correct: «qui» = [ki] — in French, the u after q is always silent. «Qui» sounds like the English letter «key».
Why it costs marks: This anglicism is immediately audible to a French speaker and to the AQA examiner. The word «qui» (who / which) appears very frequently in connected speech and in the Read-Aloud text. Pronouncing it as "kwee" rather than [ki] signals a fundamental misunderstanding of French phonology and reduces your AO7 mark.