French for English speakers House · Lesson 2

Spelling a name

Spell names in French using city names — B comme dans Bretagne (B as in Bretagne) — the French equivalent of the NATO alphabet.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Excusez-moi, comment écrivez-vous "Bolin" ?

    Excuse me, how do you spell Bolin?

  2. Cassian Cassian

    B comme dans Bretagne

    B as in Bretagne

  3. Lindo Lindo

    O comme dans Otranto

    O as in Otranto

  4. Cassian Cassian

    L comme dans Lille

    L as in Lille

  5. Lindo Lindo

    I comme dans Iville

    I as in Iville

  6. Cassian Cassian

    N comme dans Nice

    N as in Nice

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you spell names in French?

B comme dans Bretagne, A comme dans Avignon. Using French place names as references for each letter.

What does comment écrivez-vous mean?

'How do you spell?' — literally 'how do you write?'. Écrire = to write. Comment épelez-vous? is also used.

French letter pronunciation tips?

G/J sound similar but different. Y is 'i grec' (Greek i). W is 'double-v'. Watch out for accents: é (acute), è (grave), ê (circumflex).

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