Lesson 2: Vowels, Accents & How Are You?
Comment ça va ? — French Vowels, Accents & Rhythm · A0 → A1 · Part 0 · Absolute Start
You will ask and answer How are you? in both formal and informal French. You will also learn the five French vowel letters, what each accent really does, and the two rhythm rules that make French sound French: no strong word stress, and a question that rises while a statement falls.
In this lesson
- French vowels a e i o u
- accents é è ê à ç ù
- asking how someone is
- question ↗ vs statement ↘
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comment ça va ? | How are you? (informal) | ko-man sa va ↗ کومان سا وا | The friendliest everyday version. Use it with friends, family and classmates. |
| Comment allez-vous ? | How are you? (formal) | ko-man ta-lay voo ↗ کومان تالے وُو | The vous form. Use it with elders, a teacher, a boss or a shopkeeper. |
| Ça va ? | You okay? / How is it going? | sa va ↗ سا وا | The shortest version. Extremely common between friends. |
| Ça va. | I am fine. / It is okay. | sa va ↘ سا وا | The voice falls. A calm, neutral answer. |
| Ça va bien. | I am doing well. | sa va byan ↘ سا وا بیاں | The in of bien is a nasal sound — full coaching comes in lesson 3. |
| Très bien. | Very well. | treh byan ↘ تْرے بیاں | è gives an open eh, like in the English word bed. The final s is silent. |
| Comme ci comme ça. | So-so. / Not great, not bad. | kom see kom sa ↘ کوم سی کوم سا | A very French answer. Literally like this, like that. |
| Pas mal. | Not bad. | pa mal ↘ پا مال | In France this often means quite good. |
| Ça ne va pas. | I am not okay. / Things are not going well. | sa nuh va pa ↘ سا نُہ وا پا | The little word ne says no. Use it to admit a real problem. |
| bien | well / good | byan بیاں | The in is nasal. The tongue never closes the n. |
| très | very | treh تْرے | Open eh. The final s is completely silent. |
| Et toi ? | And you? (informal) | ay twa ↗ اے توا | You answer with toi because the first speaker used tu. |
| Et vous ? | And you? (formal / plural) | ay voo ↗ اے وُو | Answers vous. The t of Et is silent. |
| un ami / une amie | a friend (m / f) | uh-na-mee اَنَمی | Masculine ami, feminine amie. Same sound, one extra letter. |
| une école | a school | ün ay-kol اُن اے کول | Feminine. The é is a short ay — that is its whole job. |
| un hôtel | a hotel | uh-n o-tel اَن او ٹیل | Masculine. The h is completely silent — start straight on the o. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comment ça va ? | ko-man sa va ↗ | ko ... man ... sa ... va | Four even syllables. No syllable is louder than another — only the last one rises for the question. The final a is a short open ah, not the English ay. |
| Très bien | treh byan ↘ | treh ... byan | Two things at once: è is an open eh (mouth relaxed and slightly open, like bed), and the in of bien is nasal. There is no honest English or Urdu spelling for the nasal in — say ee and push the air out through your nose without touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Final s is silent. |
| une école | ün ay-kol | ün ... ay ... kol | The ü at the start of une has no English or Urdu equivalent * — lock your lips into a tight whistle shape and say ee. The é is a clean short ay. Do not say aykol as one stressed word; both parts are equal. |
| un hôtel | uh-n o-tel | uhn ... o ... tel | The h is completely silent — French h is never breathed out. So it is not hutel, it is o-tel, starting directly on the vowel. The ô is the same sound as an ordinary o. |
| Comme ci comme ça | kom see kom sa ↘ | kom ... see ... kom ... sa | Four even beats, like a little song. Both com sounds are nasal — the air goes through the nose and the m is not fully closed. The ç in ça is an s. |
| Pas mal | pa mal ↘ | pa ... mal | The final s of pas is silent, but the a is long and open. This is a falling statement, never a question — if you make it rise, it sounds like you are asking whether it is bad. |
This lesson is about sound, not grammar. Slow every word down, watch your vowel shapes, and never put stress on one syllable. Say each word from this lesson three times: Play, then Slow, then you.
Grammar
The five French vowels — and what the accents really do
French has five vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u. Each one has one main sound, and that sound stays steady. Accents do NOT add stress. They change the quality of the vowel itself. é is a short ay. è and ê are an open eh (like bed). à and ù do not change the sound at all — they exist only because of spelling history. And ç (c with a cedilla) is simply always an s sound, even before a, o and u, where c would normally be a k.
French rhythm: no stress, and questions go up
English and Urdu both press hard on one syllable of a word (com-PU-ter). French does NOT. Every syllable is more or less equal, and the only thing that changes is length: the last syllable of a spoken group is held very slightly longer. The loudness never changes. That is why French sounds smooth and even. On top of this, the melody carries the meaning: a statement falls ↘ and a question rises ↗. If you get the melody right, your French sounds understood even with a small vocabulary.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Salut ! Ça va ? | Hi! How are you? | sa-lü, sa va ↗ |
| Ça va, merci. Et toi ? | Fine, thanks. And you? | sa va, mehr-see, ay twa ↗ |
| Très bien, merci. | Very well, thank you. | treh byan, mehr-see ↘ |
| Comment allez-vous, madame ? | How are you, madam? | ko-man ta-lay voo, ma-dam ↗ |
| Ça va bien, merci. Et vous ? | I am well, thank you. And you? | sa va byan, mehr-see, ay voo ↗ |
| Comme ci comme ça. | So-so. | kom see kom sa ↘ |
| Pas mal, merci. | Not bad, thanks. | pa mal, mehr-see ↘ |
| Ça ne va pas, merci. | I am not okay, thank you. | sa nuh va pa, mehr-see ↘ |
| C'est une école. | It is a school. | seh tün ay-kol |
| C'est un hôtel. | It is a hotel. | seh tuh-n o-tel |
| C'est un ami. C'est une amie. | He is a friend. She is a friend. | seh tuh-na-mee, seh tü-na-mee |
| Très bien, et vous ? | Very well, and you? | treh byan, ay voo ↗ |
| Ça va ? Ça va ! | How are you? Fine! | sa va ↗ , sa va ↘ |
Dialogue: Two classmates, then the teacher
Watch the switch: friends use tu and say Ça va ?. To the teacher you must switch to vous and say Comment allez-vous ?. Mixing them is the mistake to avoid.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Salut ! Ça va ? | Hi! How are you? | sa-lü, sa va ↗ |
| B | Salut ! Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ? | Hi! I am well, thanks. And you? | sa-lü, sa va byan, mehr-see, ay twa ↗ |
| A | Pas mal, merci. Bonjour, madame ! | Not bad, thanks. Hello, madam! | pa mal, mehr-see, bon-zhoor, ma-dam |
| C | Bonjour ! Comment allez-vous ? | Hello! How are you? | bon-zhoor, ko-man ta-lay voo ↗ |
| B | Très bien, merci. Et vous ? | Very well, thank you. And you? | treh byan, mehr-see, ay voo ↗ |
| C | Comme ci comme ça, mais ça va. Au revoir, à bientôt ! | So-so, but I am okay. Goodbye, see you soon! | kom see kom sa, meh sa va, o ruh-vwar, a byan-to |
Say it out loud
- Ça va ? — How are you? Two even syllables, then lift the very end.
- Ça va bien, merci. — I am well, thank you. Let the voice fall. No stress on any syllable.
- Très bien. — Very well. Open eh plus a nasal in.
- Comme ci comme ça. — So-so. Keep four even beats, like a rhythm.
- Pas mal, merci. — Not bad, thanks. Final s of pas is silent.
- Comment allez-vous ? — How are you? (formal) Link ta-lay-voo smoothly, no gap.
- Ça ne va pas. — I am not okay. The ne is quick and light: sa-nuh-va-pa.
- Et vous ? Et toi ? — And you? (formal) / And you? (informal) Both rise, because both are questions.
- C'est une école. C'est un hôtel. — It is a school. It is a hotel. Say the two statements flat, with a small fall at the end.
Listening practice: Two friends in the school yard
Salut, Ali ! Ça va ? Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ? Pas mal, merci. Très bien ! Bon, au revoir, à demain ! À bientôt !
Hi, Ali! How are you? I am well, thank you. And you? Not bad, thanks. Very well! Right, goodbye, see you tomorrow! See you soon!
Questions
- How many people speak in this script? One / Two / Three → Two
- What does the first person ask? Your name / How are you / The time → How are you
- How does the second person answer at first? Not bad / I am well / I am not okay → I am well
- How does the first person feel? Very well / Not bad / So-so → Not bad
- How do they say goodbye? Merci beaucoup / See you tomorrow / Excuse me → See you tomorrow
Remember this
- Ça va ? = informal how are you. Comment allez-vous ? = formal how are you.
- Answers: Ça va / Ça va bien / Très bien / Comme ci comme ça / Pas mal / Ça ne va pas.
- Et toi ? is informal, Et vous ? is formal or plural — never mix them.
- Five vowels: a = ah, e = uh, i = ee, o = oh, u = a tight sound with no English or Urdu letter *.
- é = short ay (école). è and ê = open eh (très). à and ù change nothing at all.
- ç is always an s sound, in every position (ça, français).
- [object Object]
- Only the last syllable of a group is slightly longer, never louder.
- Question rises ↗. Statement falls ↘. This melody carries the meaning.
- Recycled from lesson 1: bonjour, merci, au revoir, à bientôt, madame, monsieur.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ça va ? (said to your boss) | Comment allez-vous ? | Ça va ? is informal and uses tu-thinking. With a boss, an elder or a stranger, use the vous form. |
| ÇA-va, with a hard stress on the first word | sa-va, both syllables equal | French words have no strong stress. Pressing one syllable sounds English and is the biggest give-away in a beginner accent. |
| ça pronounced ka | ça pronounced sa | The cedilla makes c an s sound in every position. Ça is sa, never ka. |
| très said like tray | très said with an open eh | è is an open eh, not the long ay of English day. Open your mouth a little more. |
| Comment allez-vous. said with a falling voice | Comment allez-vous ? rising ↗ | It is a question. If your voice falls, the other person hears a statement and may not answer. |
Practice questions
- You meet your French teacher in the corridor. How do you ask how she is? Ça va ? / Comment allez-vous ? / Et toi ? / Pas mal ? — Comment allez-vous ?
- How do you ask the same thing to your best friend? Comment allez-vous ? / Comment ça va ? / Ça ne va pas. / Très bien. — Comment ça va ?
- Which answer means so-so? Très bien / Pas mal / Comme ci comme ça / Ça va bien — Comme ci comme ça
- In the word très, how does the è sound? ay as in day / open eh as in bed / ee as in see / oo as in food — open eh as in bed
- Which accent changes the SOUND of the letter e? à / ù / é / ç — é
- The letter ç (c-cedilla) is pronounced: k / s / sh / z — s
- In French, where does the strong stress fall in a word? On the first syllable / On the last syllable / Nowhere — the syllables are equal / On every second syllable — Nowhere — the syllables are equal
- When you ask a question in French, your voice should: fall ↘ / rise ↗ / stay totally flat / get much louder — rise ↗
- Which of these is a statement, so the voice falls? Ça va ? / Comment allez-vous ? / Ça va bien. / Et toi ? — Ça va bien.
- Which is the INFORMAL way to say 'and you?' Et vous ? / Et toi ? / Et moi ? / Et ça ? — Et toi ?
Homework (15 minutes)
1) Play every word in this lesson three times: Play, then Slow, then repeat out loud. 2) Ask three people at home Ça va ? and answer them out loud with three different answers from the list. 3) Record yourself saying Ça va ? and Ça va. Then listen back and check ONE thing only: does your voice really go up on the question and down on the statement? 4) Say these words out loud and check the vowel: ça, très, école, hôtel, bien.
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