This deep dive covers The Five Tricky Combinations within Tricky combinations: ç, qu, ch, gn and liaison for GCSE French. Revise Tricky combinations: ç, qu, ch, gn and liaison in Phonics: French Sounds and Spellings for GCSE French with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📖 The Five Tricky Combinations
| Combination | Sound | IPA | English equivalent | Key examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ç (c cédille) | always [s] | [s] | Like «s» in «sun» — never like [k] | le garçon, français, ça va, la leçon, recevoir |
| qu | always [k] | [k] | Like «k» in «key» — the u is silent | que, qui, quand, quatre, la qualité |
| ch | always [ʃ] | [ʃ] | Like «sh» in «sheep» — never [tʃ] (English «ch») | chercher, chez, le chocolat, la chambre, choisir |
| gn | [ɲ] | [ɲ] | Like «ny» in «canyon» or «ni» in «onion» | mignon, la montagne, espagnol, le champignon, magnifique |
| -tion | [sjɔ̃] | [sjɔ̃] | Like «syon» — NOT the English «shun» | la station, la nation, l'attention, la direction, la révolution |
💡 Liaison — the bonus combination
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.
| Written | Pronounced | Liaison consonant |
|---|---|---|
| les enfants | [le zɑ̃fɑ̃] | -s → [z] |
| deux amis | [dø zami] | -x → [z] |
| vous avez | [vu zavɛ] | -s → [z] |
| les hommes | [le zɔm] | -s → [z] (h is silent) |
| en France | [ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s] | no liaison (en + consonant) |
Remember: liaison is obligatory after articles (les, des, mes, tes, ses, ces), subject pronouns (nous, vous, ils, elles), and the numbers deux, trois, six, dix before a vowel.
Annotated model sentences
Le garçon cherche son ami qui habite dans une maison magnifique.
The boy looks for his friend who lives in a magnificent house.
- garçon [ɡaʁsɔ̃] — ç = [s], never [k]; on = nasal [ɔ̃]
- cherche [ʃɛʁʃ] — ch = [ʃ] both times, never "ch" as in English
- qui [ki] — qu = [k], the u is completely silent
- magnifique [maɲifik] — gn = [ɲ] (like "canyon"); qu = [k] again
Quelle est la direction de la station de métro?
What is the direction of the metro station?
- Quelle [kɛl] — qu = [k], u is silent
- direction [diʁɛksjɔ̃] — -tion = [sjɔ̃], not "shun"
- station [stasjɔ̃] — -tion = [sjɔ̃] again
Practice questions for Tricky combinations: ç, qu, ch, gn and liaison
What does the cédille (ç) do in French?
How is the word 'garçon' pronounced in French?