#Tingal ✮
finite surge
Good question
In the south of France it tends to be /e/ in open syllables (no consonant at the end of the syllable, it's not about it being the end of the word) and /ɛ/ in closed syllables
I say it tends to be because not everyone follows that rule here now
But i do and idk if there are rules in other dialects
So like très is /tʁe/ for me but i think it's /tʁɛ/ in standard french
Idk if you can always rely on spelling
For example how do you say période?
Wow wiktionary says it's /pe.ʁjɔd/ that's kinda bs
To me it's /pɛʁ.jɔd/
Ultimately none of this really matters because you'll be understood anyway
whole basin
To me it's /pɛʁ.jɔd/
that's crazy
whole basin
the one rule i was sure of is that <é> = /e/, and <è> = /ɛ/
finite surge
the one rule i was sure of is that <é> = /e/, and <è> = /ɛ/
If that's always true, great
It answers your question
Im not sure about <ai>
whole basin
It answers your question
Not really
There's a lot of cases where e is unaccented but still sounds like e or ɛ
finite surge
Can you give a few examples?
whole basin
If that's always true, great
Not true anymore considering you and other south of France speakers 😔
whole basin
Can you give a few examples?
"exemple" "lait"
finite surge
As i said it's not that important and you should probably just learn the standard way
whole basin
It's really nice to know different variations
quick tangle
;e
proven nimbusBOT
The story of É and È
The vowel sounds É /e/ and È /ɛ/ fluctuate a lot in current-day French, especially in France. If you're having trouble with them, that's normal!
Traditionally, É /e/ is represented by É, -EZ and -AI, for example "je ferai" /ʒə fə.ʁe/. As for È /ɛ/, it is represented by È, -AIS, -AIT, -AIENT and -ET, for example "je ferais" /ʒə fə.ʁɛ/.
However, many speakers have a merger of the sounds, at least for the word-final vowel. This means that, at the end of words, both vowels tend to become É [e], or an intermediary vowel [e̞~ɛ̝]. All in all, "je ferai" and "je ferais" (and other such cases) are distinguished by a bit less than half of the speakers from France. Some special cases like "j'ai" and "et" are more likely to use an intermediate, “blurry” or fluctuating vowel sound.
However, the merger is blocked by closed syllables. In other words: if the syllable ends in a consonant, it's È not É. Consider "faire", "bête", "j'aime": those normally sound like "fèr" [fɛʁ], "bètt" [bɛt], "jèm" [ʒ‿ɛm].
In francophone countries outside France, the traditional distinction is normally still in use, but may be subject to other dialectal variations (in Canadian French, È /ɛ/ is often realised as AÉ [ae̯]; in Belgian French, Ê can be realised as a long È [ɛː]). Note that the fluctuation between and within dialects can make it a bit difficult to get consistent information from natives about it. Ultimately, it's a semi-important distinction to make. With practice and awareness of the fluctuation, you will be understood in most situations!
-# For phonetics nerds, note that in France, the vowels are typically raised even if they are distinguished, with É /e/ being closer to [ɪ] and È /ɛ/ to [e̞~ɛ̝].
quick tangle
outside of word-final positions, the distinction doesn't exist, e.g. "période" or "exemple" have the intermediary vowel I talk about in the snippet
quick tangle
thats just not entirely true
Do explain
finite surge
as i explained earlier, it works in any open syllable, not just if it's at the end of a word
lait is /le/ to me, like laitier is /letje/
quick tangle
yes, that's what a lot of natives assume
but as I explain in the snippet, it's mostly a matter of perception
it doesn't matter whether you say létier or lètier, in that position the distinction is neutralised and not phonemic, so you can freely see it as one or the other
you may well pronounce it as [e] in that position yourself, but on the whole it tends to be in-between
(that's where a 
transcription is important, if you tell me you say it as [le.tje] personally, well, maybe you do!)
finite surge
i dont get how its differnt at the end of words
quick tangle
at the end of words, it can be phonemic
ferais/ferai, etc.
traditionally it is
though we both know most speakers from France have also neutralised that distinction
finite surge
i mean
neutralizing that distinction is the same merger that happens in the middle of words too right
thats why idk why we're saying its at the end of words
quick tangle
correct
people who neutralise the distinction at the end of words also typically produce an intermediary vowel which they will tend to perceive as [e]
which it may often be, I'm not sure, but French nowadays is raising its vowels so it makes sense
what I find misleading is to present the sound of "p__é__riode" and (when you have the word-final merger) "fer__ai__" as “most definitely /e/”
because /e/ implies that a distinction still exists, when it may not
finite surge
well i said période was "è"