In the imperative, what is the rule for pronouncing the letter vs the letter sound ? I’ve heard both and don’t understand the difference.
Y vs Ygreck in impératif
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Hi Marilyn,
I agree with Maarten that 'i grec' is only said for the letter -y when chanting the alphabet or spelling out a word.
In -
Allez-y ! = Go!
the -y is pronounced -i
Hope this helps!
Maarten K. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Marilyn, I am not sure I understand your question, but you would never pronounce the name of the letter ‘y’, when you mean the pronoun ‘y’ (pronounced similarly to French ‘i’ in words).
You pronounce the letter only when doing the alphabet, or spelling words etc
If you have heard someone pronounce ‘igrec’ for the pronoun, it was wrong.
Listen to the pronunciation of ‘ on y va’ in attached lesson, and you will hear the correct pronunciation.
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Ask a question
Find your French level for FREE
Test your French to the CEFR standard
Find your French level