0 in French = zéro

The number 0 in French is "zéro" pronounced "zay-ROH" with stress on the second syllable and a rolled "r".

Quick Answer

Pronunciation

Zéro has two syllables: zé-ro

Step by step:

1. "Zé" - Say "zay" (like English "day" but with "z")
2. The é has an acute accent, making it a closed "ay" sound
3. "ro" - Say "roh" with a French uvular "r"
4. Put stress on the second syllable: zay-ROH

The French "r":

• Made in the back of the throat (uvular)
• Like a soft gargle
• NOT an English "r" or Spanish rolled "r"
• Practice with "Paris" - the "r" is guttural

Common mistakes:

• Using an English "r" sound
• Stressing the first syllable - it should be zay-ROH
• Pronouncing é like "ee" - it should be "ay"
• Saying "zero" like in English

The Word "Zéro"

Spelling: zéro

• Masculine noun: le zéro
• Has acute accent on é
• From Arabic "sifr" via Italian

Origin: Like Spanish and English, French "zéro" comes from Arabic صفر (sifr) through Italian "zero"

Practical Usage

Counting: When counting: zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq...

Phone numbers: Each digit is pronounced separately:

• 0 = zéro
• Example: 01 = zéro un
• In France, phone numbers often start with 0

Prices:

• 0€ = zéro euro
• €0.50 = cinquante centimes (zero is omitted)
• In practice, zéro rarely appears alone in prices

Times:

• 00:00 = zéro heure / minuit (midnight)
• 0:05 = zéro heure cinq (five minutes past midnight)
• More commonly: minuit (midnight) is used instead

Dates:

• Zero doesn't appear in dates (days start from 1)

Temperature:

• 0°C = zéro degré
• Below zero = en dessous de zéro / moins de zéro
• 0° = zéro degré Celsius

Scores:

• In sports: 3-0 = trois à zéro
• Tennis: "love" is not used in French - it's zéro

Grammar Notes

Gender: Zéro is masculine

• le zéro (the zero)
• un zéro (a zero)

With numbers: When zero appears in compound numbers:

• 10 = dix (not "un zéro")
• 100 = cent (not "un zéro zéro")
• 1000 = mille (not "un zéro zéro zéro")

Articles:

• Zero typically doesn't take an article when used alone
• "J'ai zéro euro" = I have zero euros

Common Phrases

partir de zéro: Start from zero, start from scratch

remettre à zéro: Reset to zero

zéro pointé: Zero points, complete failure

avoir un zéro: To get a zero (on a test/assignment)

c'est zéro: It's worthless, it's nothing

zéro défaut: Zero defects (quality control)

en dessous de zéro: Below zero

zéro virgule: Zero point (in decimals)

• Example: 0,5 = zéro virgule cinq (0.5)

Writing Numbers in French

Decimals:

• Use comma, not period: 0,5 (not 0.5)
• Read as "zéro virgule cinq"

Thousands:

• Use space or period: 1 000 or 1.000 (not 1,000)

Regional Variations

France: zay-ROH (standard) Belgium: zay-ROH (same as France) Switzerland: zay-ROH (same as France) Quebec: zay-ROH (same pronunciation, may have slight accent differences)

The pronunciation is consistent across French-speaking regions.

Quick Takeaways

• 0 in French is zéro, pronounced "zay-ROH"
• Stress on the second syllable
• The "r" is a guttural/uvular sound, not English "r"
• Masculine: le zéro
• Use comma for decimals: 0,5 (zéro virgule cinq)
• "Partir de zéro" = start from scratch
• In sports scores: trois à zéro = 3-0
• Comes from Arabic via Italian

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If you're traveling in French-speaking countries, TravelNum shows you how numbers are pronounced in French.