Linguistic Insights & Cultural Trivia

'L'oiseau' (/lwa.zo/) is a masculine noun famous in French linguistics because its spelling contains all five traditional vowels (a, e, i, o, u) yet not a single one is pronounced as a single vowel—it forms the smooth /wa.zo/ sound! Its plural is 'les oiseaux' (taking an 'x'). The French idiom 'À vol d'oiseau' means as the crow flies (in a straight line), and 'Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid' is the French equivalent of slow and steady wins the race.

Daily Conversational Example

"L'oiseau chante une douce mélodie printanière."

— The bird sings a sweet springtime melody.

Other Vocabulary in this Scene (The Palace Garden & Balcony)

la rose /la ʁoz/ The Rose la fontaine /la fɔ̃.tɛn/ The Fountain le banc /lə bɑ̃/ The Bench l'arbre /laʁbʁ/ The Tree l'oiseau /lwa.zo/ The Bird

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the grammatical gender of "l'oiseau"?
In French, "l'oiseau" uses the article "l'" which denotes a masculine noun. Remember to match associated adjectives accordingly!
How can I practice pronouncing "l'oiseau" with the native rhythm?
Listen closely to the audio by clicking the "Listen" button in the interactive game above. Practice matching the phonetic transcription /lwa.zo/.