FlexiLingoIn one line
etis and,ouis or,maisis but. All three join two words or two sentences, and they never change form.
The forms on this page
| Form | Means | Sound |
|---|---|---|
et | and | /e/ |
ou | or | /u/ |
mais | but | /mɛ/ |
The table
| Joins | Example | Means | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| two nouns | Marc et moi | Marc and me | /maʁk e mwa/ |
| two adjectives | Elle est belle et intelligente. | she is beautiful and smart | /ɛl ɛ bɛl e ɛ̃.tɛ.li.ʒɑ̃t/ |
| two sentences | Il est canadien et elle est française. | he is Canadian and she is French | /il ɛ ka.na.djɛ̃ e ɛl ɛ fʁɑ̃.sɛz/ |
| a choice | Du thé ou du café ? | tea or coffee? | /dy te u dy ka.fe/ |
| a choice | Je prends le bus ou le métro. | I take the bus or the metro | /ʒə pʁɑ̃ lə bys u lə me.tʁo/ |
| a contrast | C'est cher, mais c'est bon. | it's expensive, but it's good | /sɛ ʃɛʁ mɛ sɛ bɔ̃/ |
| a contrast | Je suis fatigué mais content. | I'm tired but happy | /ʒə sɥi fa.ti.ɡe mɛ kɔ̃.tɑ̃/ |
Exceptions
| Exception | What |
|---|---|
et never takes a liaison | its t is always silent, even before a vowel: Il est grand et il est fort. /il ɛ ɡʁɑ̃ e il ɛ fɔʁ/ |
ou without an accent ≠ où with one | same sound (/u/), different meaning: ou = or Où est la gare ? /u ɛ la ɡaʁ/ = where |
a comma usually comes before mais | when it separates two sentences: Il pleut, mais je sors. /il plø mɛ ʒə sɔʁ/ |
mais also adds emphasis | mais oui /mɛ wi/ = of course! |
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I speak English and French | Je parle anglais et français. | /ʒə paʁl ɑ̃.ɡlɛ e fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ |
| Do you prefer the sea or the mountains? | Tu préfères la mer ou la montagne ? | /ty pʁe.fɛʁ la mɛʁ u la mɔ̃.taɲ/ |
| Are you coming or not? | Tu viens ou pas ? | /ty vjɛ̃ u pa/ |
| I like coffee, but not tea | J'aime le café, mais pas le thé. | /ʒɛm lə ka.fe mɛ pa lə te/ |
| He is small but strong | Il est petit mais fort. | /il ɛ pə.ti mɛ fɔʁ/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Il est grand et‿il est fort. (with a t) | Il est grand et il est fort. | et never takes a liaison |
Où tu préfères, la mer ou la montagne ? | Tu préfères la mer ou la montagne ? | or has no accent; où means where |
Je suis fatigué, et content. | Je suis fatigué mais content. | it's a contrast, not a continuation — but is needed |