Why that word doesn’t have the same /u/ sound as in salut? And the s in the end is pronounced but I saw in another dictionary that it isn’t. What should I say?
hmm, what i was told was that when plus is used to imply more you hear the “s” when you use plus as in "il n’attend plus (son ami) -no longer waiting for his friend, you would not hear is the “S”
so I use /plu/ when it’s an “anymore” translation
and /plous/ to just “more”?
well it’s spelt the same the meaning changes depending on how it’s being used. but if you mean phonetically i would say yes that is how i understand it
Hi, viniciusgb!
The basic schema is:
- The meaning of “plus”: negation or addition?
- Does the following word start with a consonant or a vowel?
- Special cases: plus … plus, plus as “+”, plus with a number
For a more detailed explanation, see the following Deepl-translation of this blog post in French: Comment prononcer "plus"? - Parlez-vous French (highlighting and simplification by me).
How to pronounce “plus”?
[…]
There are three different ways to pronounce “plus”, depending on its meaning and the context in which it is used. It can be pronounced : [ply], [plyz] or even [plys].
[…]
- When the adverb plus “has a negative” meaning
We never pronounce the “s” when “plus” expresses the idea of negation, the stopping of a situation or an action. Let’s take an example.
- Paul a fini son verre de vin et il n’en veut plus ! [il.nɑ̃.və.ply]
In this sentence, the word “plus” is accompanied by the negation “ne”, so it has a negative meaning. This sentence means that Paul has had enough to drink and does not want another drink. The “s” will not be pronounced.
[…]
- When the adverb plus has a positive meaning
The “s” should be pronounced when “plus” means more or advantage.
- Julie veut manger plus. [ʒy.li.və.plys]
- Ce travail c’est vraiment un plus pour Tom. [sə.tʁa.vaj.sɛ.vʁɛ.mɑ̃.ɛ̃.plys.puʁ.tɔm]
[…]
The pronunciation of “plus”: three special cases
- The locution “plus … plus”
In the locution plus…plus, plus will be pronounced [ply] or [pluz] depending on the letter that follows it (vowel or consonant?).
It is pronounced [ply] if it is followed by a word beginning with a consonant.
- Plus j’apprends, plus j’aime le français. [ply]
- Plus tu manges, plus tu grossis. [ply]
It is pronounced [ply] or [plyz] if it is followed by a word beginning with a vowel. The choice is yours, the link is optional. - Plus il en parle, plus il m’énerve. [ply] forme familière ou standard.
- Plus il en parle, plus il m’énerve. [plyz] forme soutenue.
- The plus sign
When plus is the addition sign (+), the “s” is also pronounced.
- Un plus un égalent deux. [ɛ̃.plys.ɛ̃.e.gal.dø]
- Plus with a number
When plus is used with a number or expresses a share, fraction, distribution, the “s” is not pronounced.
- Plus de 10 kilomètres
- Plus de la moitié
- Plus du quart
- Plus de 15 ans
Hope that helps
Peter
We never pronouce plus /plous/ . Here he says /plus/.
You say /plu/ when it’s “anymore” and before an adjectif starting with consonant : plus grand (we don’t say the s)