How to Say "And" in French: Et (Plus the Traps Around It)
And in French is et, pronounced /ay/ - never /et/. Learn the no-liaison rule, how to tell et from est, and the difference between ou and où.
“And” in French is et, pronounced /ay/ - the t is always silent, even before a vowel, because et never takes liaison. Don’t confuse it with est (“is”), pronounced /eh/, or with ou (“or”) and où (“where”), which sound identical and differ only by the accent.
Quick answer
”And” in French is et, pronounced /ay/ - the t is always silent, even before a vowel, because et never takes liaison. Don’t confuse it with est (“is”), pronounced /eh/, or with ou (“or”) and où (“where”), which sound identical and differ only by the accent.
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Et: pronunciation and the no-liaison rule
Et is /ay/, like café. The iron rule here: et never takes liaison - un chat et un chien is /ay uhn/, never /ay-tuhn/. This exception exists specifically to keep et from sounding like the verb est, which does liaise. Examples: toi et moi (you and me), du pain et du fromage (bread and cheese). For the liaison rules et deliberately breaks, see our French pronunciation guide.
Et vs est: the homophone trap
Est (is, from être) is /eh/ - open, distinct from et’s closed /ay/, though the difference collapses in fast casual speech. Unlike et, est does take liaison: il est anglais becomes /eel eh-tahn-GLEH/.
| Word | Sound | Meaning | Liaison? |
|---|---|---|---|
| et | /ay/ | and | never |
| est | /eh/ | is | always, before a vowel |
A quick test for writing: if “and” fits in the English translation, it’s et; if “is” fits, it’s est. This is a classic trap for both learners and native French children learning to spell - see more like it in common French mistakes English speakers make.
Ou vs où: “or” and “where”
Ou (or) and où (where) sound identical, both /oo/ - the grave accent is the only thing distinguishing them in writing. Thé ou café ? (tea or coffee?) versus où es-tu ? (where are you?). Memory hook: the accent looks like it’s pointing down at a spot on a map - where.
Your starter connector kit
| Connector | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| et | /ay/ | and | toi et moi |
| ou | /oo/ | or | thé ou café |
| mais | /meh/ | but | petit mais fort |
| donc | /dohnk/ | so | je pense, donc je suis |
| ni…ni | /nee/ | neither…nor | ni café ni thé |
| puis | /pwee/ | then | d’abord ça, puis ça |
| car | /kar/ | because (written) | - |
| parce que | /pars kuh/ | because (spoken) | - |
For the full picture of how these connectors build fluent-sounding sentences, see French connecting words for fluency.
Common mistakes recap
- Pronouncing the T in et - it’s always silent.
- Liaising after et - the one exception to the rule.
- Writing ou when you mean où (or vice versa).
Four confusable words - et, est, ou, où - and one shared sound between two of the pairs. Once the /ay/ vs /eh/ distinction and the accent on où feel automatic, this entire cluster of traps disappears from your writing and speech at once.
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Questions about this note
Do you pronounce the t in et?
Never - it's always /ay/, with no liaison, even before a vowel.
How can I tell et from est?
Use a meaning test (and vs is); grammatically, est takes liaison and et does not.
What's the difference between ou and où?
ou means "or," où means "where" - identical sound, distinguished only by the accent in writing.
How do you say "and you" in French?
et toi ? informally, et vous ? formally.
What is "neither…nor" in French?
ni…ni, paired with ne: je ne bois ni café ni thé.