There are some French words that do not translate in a way that you would expect. One such word is un photographe. You would expect this to be a photograph but it is a photographer. If you talk about une photographie or une photo it is a photograph. The verb to photograph is photographier.
I was in Caen in Normandy and there are two abbeys, deux abbayes (where abbayes has three syllables), l’abbaye des hommes and l’abbaye des femmes. They are well worth a visit and Guillaume le Bâtard (better known to us as William the Conqueror) is buried in l’abbaye des hommes. However if you ask to visit un abbé (two syllables) then you will be asking to visit the abbot.
These words show just how important it is to get to grips with the correct pronunciation. Start with the simple words and make sure you get them right. You will find them useful when the words are more complicated.
A bientôt
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