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Hey y'all, I know there are people from all over the world that go to the forum. Any French folks here? I am having a friendly argument with a friend about the pronunciation of this French word: "Jet'aime". She says it is pronounced as "Jaymee". I say it pronounced as "Jaytahm" or "Jay-time". Who is correct? I kow how the "J" is pronounced in French, just don't know how to express it with typing. Thanks.

Dave

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I'm not good in writting phonetically. So here is a link with some pronounciations .

I think your friend is pronouncing "j'aime" rather than "je t'aime"?

Thanks y'all. It turns out I was correct. But she still says you can say it either way, dependign on whether male or female.

Thanks,Dave

?? The pronunciation of "je t'aime" doesn't depend on whether anyone is male or female. I think your friend must be thinking of another expression?

"j'aime" is "I love"--J'aime la cinema = I love the movies.

"je t'aime" is simply "I love you".

There is a decided difference.

Thanks so much. that clarified it for me.

 

listen here http://translate.google.com/#auto|en|Jet%27aime..........Je tm....Je t-em

we must go by the pronunciation of the french alphabet to have a close pronunciations

You wrote Jet'aime it is Je  t'aime it is not jet     je t' aime 3 words 2 pronunciations

"Jaymee>"Ja T-me"    (Ja-tahm"  cole not close enough)    or "Jay-time" no at all

listen fallow the linck http://www.reverso.net/translationresults.aspx?lang=EN&directio...

bon chance mon ami (listen:http://translate.google.com/#auto|en|bon%20chance%20mon%20ami)

well, the question is about the pronunciation of the word JE in French, depending on what you have after, we use a lot of abbraviation. Before a word starting with C, F, P or T, je becomes sh, so je t'aime is said sh't'aime when we speak, a good lesson about Je is here: http://www.frenchspanishonline.com/magazine/?p=2291.

Yes -- I assume that the original poster was talking about a "careful" pronunciation of "je". But in general, the "j"consonant will actually undergo alterations depending (in particular) on the following sound(s), style of speech, rhythmic considerations... But I don't suppose they were wanting to go into this level of detail.

well, if you know that's good! I had a student in London and once in Paris he asked for his way, and the French guy replied something like shépa and my student thought it was a new word he did not find in his dictionary. he did not see this with his previous tutor, that shépa means je ne sais pas. So a correct pronunciation is, of course, good to know, but if you can't understand French people when they speak to you, you are going to question the lessons you took and maybe your tutor too. ;)

You can alway sask  the person to slow down when he or she speaks to you.  Parisians with their French, just like us New Yorkers with our English, have a tendency to speak rapidly, often smashing their words.  A polite, "doucement, s'il vous plait.  Je ne suis pas un vrais francais" ought to do the trick.  Of course, languages in the street are never the languages in books or in classrooms--that's true every where, not just in France.  If you can't truely understand someone, ask someone else. 

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