The letter H
In French, the letter /h/ is not pronounced. But there are two different kinds of /h/, and it is necessary to know this distinction to know if a liaison should be made, and if « le, la » or « l’ » should be used.
The H muet (mute):
Most /h/ are mute in French, that is to say that the words are pronounced as if they did not exist. The liaisons are then spoken, and « l’ » and « d’ » are used, not « le, la » or « du, de la ».
– l’hôtel not le hôtel
– les hôtels is pronounced with a liaison: les z hôtels
– l’habitude not la habitude
– les habitudes is pronounced with a liaison: les z habitudes
The H aspiré:
It behaves like a consonant, so no liaison, no l’ or d’.
– le haricot not l’haricot
– les haricots is pronounced without a liaison.
– la hateur not l’hauteur
– les hauteurs is pronounced without a liaison.
How to know which H to use?
There is no rule to know if a word has a /h/ muet or aspiré. It is often linked to the origin of the word. Words formed from Latin often have a /h/ muet, when words from other origins may have a /h/ aspiré.
The only way to know for sure, is to check in a dictionary that writes a phonologic transcription. In general, if the word, in its phonological form starts with a sign like this: *, it means that the /h/ is aspiré.
A few frequent words:
| H muet | H aspiré |
|---|---|
|
l’habitant (the inhabitant) |
la haie (the edge) |
|
l’habitude (the habit) |
la hanche (the hip) |
|
l’hésitation (the hesitation) |
le hareng (the herring) |
|
l’heure (the hour) |
le hasard (the luck, the chance) |
|
l’histoire (the story) |
la hâte (the haste) |
|
l’hiver (the winter) |
le havre (the haven) |
|
l’homme (the man) |
le hérisson (the hedgehog) |
|
l’hôpital (the hospital) |
le héron (the heron) |
|
l’horizon (the horizon) |
le héros (the hero) |
|
l’huile (the oil) |
le hibou (the owl) |