How to u pronounce Hermes??

LVmarcJ

LVmarcJ

Bag freak
Dec 13, 2008
80
0
#1
Hi All

I'm relatively new here, just wondering how do you guys pronounce 'Hermes'?

I heard it is pronounced with e silent H meaning its 'AR-MES'

then also some says its 'AR-MAE' without e 's'

So which is which?

Cheers.
 
#4
LittleH said:
air-mess
Click to expand...

I wish you could actually say this over the internet for me LittleH!!
Whenever I phone up the store or the online customer help, they say it different every time.
I have actually asked them on the correct pronounciation, and its still different every time :P
DH says its so sweetly and naturally, whenever I say it , it comes out stilted, as if I know I am saying it wrong, if you know what I mean :P

so is it mez or mess??
 
#6
I'm a french native speaker and I've always heard it said with SS not Z. If you call the FSH switchboard and listen to how they say it, it is most definitely with a SS.
 
#7
allanrvj said:
Click this.

Select "French - Claire" or "French - Julie" from the "Select a voice" menu.

Enter Hermès in the text field and press "Say it!".
Click to expand...

oh, that is definately mess! I had to copy and paste your Hermès though, because I dont know how to put the accent over the last e. If you just type Hermes, its totally different.
Thanks allan, I could listen to that all day :P
 
#9
I was telling my French-speaking, Belgian friend the other day that I sometimes tune in to French news, just so I could hear people speak. I like the sound of it.

I want a French boyfriend. :heart:
 
#10
Raz said:
I wish you could actually say this over the internet for me LittleH!!
Whenever I phone up the store or the online customer help, they say it different every time.
I have actually asked them on the correct pronounciation, and its still different every time :P
DH says its so sweetly and naturally, whenever I say it , it comes out stilted, as if I know I am saying it wrong, if you know what I mean :P

so is it mez or mess??
Click to expand...

I pronounce it Air Mess as well.

The easy way to hear it pronounced, is through Youtube. Look for the video "Fashion File: Making Hermes Bags". They pronounce it a few times. And listen when the the lady says "Hermes is a luxury product in the sense that you can repair". (Around 50 seconds into the almost 8 minute video). I'd link the video for you, but I'm at work, and my work's firewall blocks out Youtube.

I will say that I visited the BH store recently, and one of the ladies picked up the phone and pronounced Hermes as "ER-MEZ" w/ a manager standing beside her. There are a few variations to saying it here in the US. I guess it is accepted. As long as you are not pronounced it as "HER MEEZ". haha.
 
#11
I love that link to the french voice!!! Thanks so much for posting allanrvj! Here in the UK if you call Selfridges and ask for Air-mes they don't know what your talking about at the switchboard unless you say "Can you put me through to Herr-mez please??":rolleyes:. I guess it's one of those difficult ones like Yves Saint Laurent :P
 
#12
Claire on the website Allan posted definitely says airr-mez but Julie sounds more like airr-mess. I am not a native speaker but I had several years of French and I've always said it with the z sound at the end...but not a hard z. You'd probably be ahrd pressed to hear which way I say it because there's hardly any difference in the ss and the z with the accent in place.
 
#13
i have taken the cab several times to get to the H stores and everytime i say to Air-mess please, the cabbies would always say 'WHAT LOVE????'

I would repeat and they would give me a blank look..until i spell it out and they would say 'OH YOU MEAN HERMEEEEES'

Sheesh......
 
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