4 Pronouncing the sounds [ s ] and [ z ]

In this section you will practise pronouncing the sounds [ s ] and [ z ].

Where there is a single ‘s’ between two vowels in a word, it is pronounced [ z ] as in ‘zero’, for example in the word poison. Where there is a double ‘s’ between two vowels this is pronounced [ s ] as in ‘mass’, for example in the word poisson. It is very important to distinguish between these sounds, as some words with quite similar spellings but very different meanings could otherwise be confused, e.g. dessert (‘dessert’) and désert (‘desert’)!

Activité 15

Task 1

Listen to the audio track and select whether you hear an ‘s’ sound (as in poisson) or a ‘z’ sound (as in raisin).

Audio 17

Transcript

Question 1

assiette

[s]

[z]

 

Question 2

raisin

[s]

[z]

 

Question 3

parmesan

[s]

[z]

 

Question 4

soupe

[s]

[z]

 

Question 5

croissant

[s]

[z]

 

Question 6

pissaladière

[s]

[z]

 

Question 7

boisson

[s]

[z]

 

Question 8

cuisine

[s]

[z]

 

Question 9

spécialités

[s]

[z]

 

Question 10

soufflé

[s]

[z]

 

Question 11

poisson

[s]

[z]

 

Question 12

poison

[s]

[z]

 

Question 13

désert

[s]

[z]

 

Question 14

dessert

[s]

[z]

 

Activité 16

Task 1

In this activity you will practise the pronunciation of the sounds [ s ] and [ z ].

Listen to each of the recordings below, then practise repeating the words with the appropriate pronunciation.

1.

Audio 5a

Transcript

2.

Audio 5b

Transcript

3.

Audio 5c

Transcript

4.

Audio 5d

Transcript

5.

Audio 5e

Transcript

6.

Audio 5f

Transcript