French Elision: l’, j’, n’, qu’ and s’

Level A1

French Elision: l’, j’, n’, qu’ and s’

French often drops a final vowel before a following vowel and marks the change with an apostrophe. English has contractions too, but French elision follows specific grammar rules. Learn which forms elide, how mute and aspirated h differ, and why si elides before il and ils but not elle.

Key words: le, hôtel, héros, que and si

Le means “the” before a masculine singular noun, and que means “that” when it links clauses. Hôtel means “hotel”; héros means “hero.” Si means “if.” These words help show which sounds and forms change in the examples.

The article le becomes l’ before a vowel or mute h

Before a vowel or a mute h, le loses its final e and becomes l’. This elision is obligatory: “L’hôtel est ici.” Before the aspirated h in héros, the article stays le: “Le héros est français.” English “the” does not change this way.

Je becomes j’ before a vowel or mute h

The subject pronoun je becomes j’ before a verb beginning with a vowel or mute h. This elision is obligatory: “J’aime le héros.” and “J’ai une sœur.” Before a consonant or an aspirated h, keep je. The consonant example here is “Je suis français.” English “I” does not change shape before a verb.

je + verbe commençant par une voyelle / je + verbe commençant par une consonne complément.

Ne becomes n’ before a vowel or mute h

In a negative sentence, ne becomes n’ before a vowel or mute h: “Il n’est pas ici.” Before a consonant or aspirated h, keep ne: “Je ne sais pas.” Put pas after the verb. English “not” does not change to match the next sound.

Que becomes qu’ before a vowel or mute h

When que means “that” and comes before a subject beginning with a vowel or mute h, it becomes qu’: “Je crois qu’il est français.” It also becomes qu’ before elle: “Je sais qu’elle est ici.” This elision is obligatory. English “that” stays unchanged.

proposition principale qu’sujet commençant par une voyelle prédicat.

Ce becomes c’ before est

Before est, ce becomes c’: “C’est un hôtel” and “C’est bien.” Use ce sont before a plural noun: “Ce sont mes parents.” English “it is,” “that is,” and “those are” do not use this same French form distinction.

Mute h allows elision; aspirated h blocks it

A mute h allows elision before the word it begins: le + hôtel becomes l’hôtel in “L’hôtel est ici.” An aspirated h blocks elision even though it is not pronounced: “Le héros est français.” In “J’aime le héros,” je elides before aime, but le stays unchanged before héros. In “C’est un hôtel,” ce elides before est; hôtel does not cause that elision. English has no matching h distinction, so learn which French words begin with aspirated h.

Si becomes s’ before il and ils

Si (“if”) becomes s’ before il and ils: “S’il est français, on parle français” and “S’ils sont français, on parle français.” Keep si before elle: “Si elle est française, on parle français.” English “if” never changes form here.

Practise this lesson

Next lessons