-eu

The ending -eu in French can appear in adjectives, nouns, or past participles. When it comes to forming the feminine form of words ending in -eu, here’s the general rule:

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Rule for adjectives and nouns ending in -eu:

• Masculine singular ends with -eu
• Feminine singular adds an -e → -euse

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Examples:

Masculine	Feminine	Meaning
heureux	heureuse	happy
curieux	curieuse	curious
chanceux	chanceuse	lucky
paresseux	paresseuse	lazy

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In plural:

• Masculine plural: add -x → heureux
• Feminine plural: add -es → heureuses

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Summary:

Form	Ending
Masculine sing	-eu
Feminine sing	-euse
Masculine pl	-eux
Feminine pl	-euses

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Write your examples in sentences or other adjective endings explained.

Pronounce « eu » 

The French sound « eu » can be tricky because it has two main pronunciations depending on the word and context:

1. Close-mid front rounded vowel [ø]

• Pronounced like the “eu” in peur, deux, peu.
• Lips are rounded, tongue is positioned between “e” and “i” sounds but closer to “e”.
• Similar to the German ö or the “eu” in the English word “bird” (but with rounded lips).

Example words:

• peur (fear) — [pøʁ]
• deux (two) — [dø]
• peu (little) — [pø]

2. Open-mid front rounded vowel [œ]

• Pronounced like the “eu” in leur, sœur, cœur.
• Mouth is more open than [ø], lips still rounded.
• Similar to the vowel in English “fur” but rounded.

Example words:

• leur (their) — [lœʁ]
• sœur (sister) — [sœʁ]
• cœur (heart) — [kœʁ]

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Quick tip to practice:

• Say “eh” with lips rounded (like blowing a small kiss), you get [ø] or [œ].
• The difference between [ø] and [œ] is openness (œ is more open).

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