grève versus grave
/ɡʁɛv/ vs /ɡʁav/
Change the contrasting sound while keeping the other sounds steady.
A2- · Français du voyage
Face à la grève: French dialogue with IPA and English
Follow all six turns, inspect the pronunciation, and practise the contrasts that matter inside this situation.
Six turns for this web role-play
French conversation, IPA, and English meaning
- VoyageurMon train est annulé, que faire?1
/mɔ̃ tʁɛ̃ ɛt‿anyle | kə fɛʁ/
My train is canceled, what should I do?Train has /ɛ̃/ and no final /n/. The link in est annulé is shown in this careful reading.
- AgentIl y a un mouvement de grève national.2
/il ja œ̃ muvmɑ̃ də ɡʁɛv nasjɔnal/
There is a national strike movement. - VoyageurEst-ce que je peux être remboursé?3
/ɛs kə ʒə pø ɛtʁ ʁɑ̃buʁse/
Can I be reimbursed? - AgentOui, déposez votre réclamation en ligne.4
/wi depoze vɔtʁ ʁeklamasjɔ̃ ɑ̃ liɲ/
Yes, submit your claim online. - VoyageurEt pour le prochain train vers Paris?5
/e puʁ lə pʁɔʃɛ̃ tʁɛ̃ vɛʁ paʁi/
And for the next train to Paris? - AgentIl faut échanger votre billet au guichet.6
/il fo eʃɑ̃ʒe vɔtʁ bijɛ o ɡiʃɛ/
You need to exchange your ticket at the counter.
How to read this IPA. These are broad French reference readings, edited as complete sentences. Accent, schwa and optional liaison vary; many speakers use /ɛ̃/ where this reference keeps /œ̃/. The mark ‿ highlights a word link; | marks a rhythmic break; ↑ and ↓ suggest pitch movement.
Word readings adapted from Lexique 3.83, Boris New and Christophe Pallier et al.; sentence readings and notes edited by Parle. Revised IPA and notes: CC BY-SA 4.0. See OQLF on obligatory, forbidden and optional liaison. Reviewed .
Culture and context in French
Read the situation beyond the individual lines.
En cas de grève, certains trains sont annulés. La SNCF propose parfois d'autres solutions. Vérifiez votre train sur l'application avant de partir.
Four focused comparisons
Compare words before another full read.
Follow each card’s label and note. Some words differ by one sound, some share a pronunciation, and others differ more broadly. Use the sentence context when the words sound alike.
bus versus but
/bys/ vs /byt/
This reference uses bus /bys/ and but /byt/. Some speakers also use /by/ for but.
gare versus garde
/ɡaʁ/ vs /ɡaʁd/
Compare the complete words. This is not a one-sound minimal pair.
ligne versus linge
/liɲ/ vs /lɛ̃ʒ/
Compare the complete words. This is not a one-sound minimal pair.
Word IPA adapted from Lexique 3.83, Boris New and Christophe Pallier et al., with contextual readings and notes edited by Parle. Comparison transcriptions and notes: CC BY-SA 4.0. Broad reference readings vary with accent and speaking style. See OQLF’s liaison guidance and prosody reference. Reviewed .
Role-play routine
Keep the intention; change one detail.
- Read the exchange once for meaning without stopping at every IPA symbol.
- Repeat one speaker's turns and keep the other turns as prompts.
- Change one time, place, object, or preference while preserving the structure.
- Switch roles and answer without reading the original line word for word.
- Use the sound chart for a reference clip when a sound is difficult.
Build a guided speaking habit in Parle.
The app follows a separate 120-mission course with model audio, recording and practical replies. The first 4 missions on greetings and introductions are free; Premium opens the complete course.