When to pronounce “s” at the end of words?

Question

For instance, “*vous*” has a silent “*s*”, unless it's something like “*Je vous ai vu.*” (I'm not sure that I constructed that properly, but you get the point — the *s* is pronounced in that case.)But what if you have "*Je voudrais acheter un billet.*"? Is it "voo-drez"?Basically, I'm asking do you *always* pronounce it if the next word begins with a vowel, or only under certain circumstances?

Answer 1

Great question--and no, you don't always have to use the liaison--when you pronounce a normally silent letter because it is followed by a vowel, as in your example with vous. Vous regardez un film-- voo ruh-gar-day uhn feelm. But Vous avez voyagé--voo zavay voi-yah-zhay. In your specific example, I'd say it is a matter of dialect. Much like you will find different pronunciation in the US (Because you know--you PAHK the CAH in HAH-VAHD YAHD) you can find different pronunciation in France-- Je voudrais acheter could have the Z sound before that A in acheter or not. Best advice? Memorize it the way you hear it in class with your teacher or in your online pronunciation.