Question

I have a hard time hearing the difference between et and est in speaking. For example, I'm not sure how to audibly differentiate:

Jacob et son frère.
Jacob est son frère.
They both make sense (Jacob and his brother; Jacob is his brother), so how do you tell them apart in speaking, since et and est make similar sounds? Do you just have to ask for clarification?

Answer 1

I completely relate to this issue! In French the last letter is not often pronounced however in this case it’s still difficult to hear the difference 2 tips; listen to the context and est is usually said a bit softer than et which is pronounced similar to é.
If you are unsure its ok to ASK.
I hope this was helpful!

Answer 2

My parents are native french speakers and i can tell when they say est or et. i don't know how to describe it as best as i can, but et has a different sound to est. To help put est in google translate, hear how it sounds then do the same to et and you will hear a slight difference or ask your french teacher if you have one. hopefully i was a little helpful

Step-by-step explanation: