Learn Hardcore French: Elle rit un peu, parce que son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux. - She laughs a little, because his snoring sounds like a small cough.

There is never an -s at the end for il/elle/on in the present of rire, so *elle ris is wrong, and *elle rits is also wrong. The t is usually silent, but it is pronounced in liaison before a vowel (see below).

How do you pronounce Elle rit un peu? Is there a liaison?

Roughly in IPA: [ɛl ʁi t‿œ̃ pø]

Elle → [ɛl]
rit → [ʁi] in isolation
But in rit un, there is a liaison: the t of rit is pronounced: [ʁi t‿œ̃]
un → [œ̃] (nasal vowel, like a French nasal “uh”)
peu → [pø] (similar to peu in “peu de gens,” rounded lips)

So spoken smoothly: > Elle rit un peu → el ree-tun peu (very approximate English-style rendering).

What does un peu do here? Could I say Elle rit without it?

Un peu literally means a little / a bit and softens the verb:

Elle rit = She laughs.
Elle rit un peu = She laughs a little / She chuckles / She laughs a bit.

You can absolutely say Elle rit; it’s just less specific. Un peu here suggests it’s a small, light laugh, not loud or long. You often put un peu after the verb:

Je suis un peu fatigué.
Il pleut un peu.
Elle rit un peu.

*Elle un peu rit is incorrect word order.

What is the difference between rire and rigoler?

Both can mean to laugh, but:

rire is the standard, neutral verb. It’s what you learn first and can use in all contexts.
- Elle rit un peu.
rigoler is more informal/colloquial, like to giggle / to have a laugh / to joke around.
- Elle rigole un peu.

In writing (especially formal writing), rire is more common. In spoken French, you’ll hear both, with rigoler used very frequently in casual speech.

Why is it parce que and not car or puisque?

All three can express a cause, but their use and tone differ:

parce que = because
Neutral, most general causal conjunction. Works almost everywhere.
- Elle rit un peu, parce que son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.
car = for / because
More literary or formal, often used in writing. It sounds slightly heavier and is not so common in casual everyday speech.
- Elle rit un peu, car son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.
puisque = since / given that / seeing that
Implies the reason is already known or obvious to the listener.
- Puisque son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux, elle rit un peu.

Here, parce que is the most natural, neutral choice.

Is the comma before parce que necessary?

It’s optional and mostly a matter of style.

Elle rit un peu, parce que son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.
Elle rit un peu parce que son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.

Both are correct.

French tends to use more commas than English, so many writers put a comma before a longer parce que clause, especially in more careful writing. In short sentences it’s common to drop it.

Why is it son ronflement and not sa ronflement, since “she” is feminine?

French possessive adjectives agree with the gender and number of the thing owned, not with the owner.

ronflement (snoring, snore) is masculine singular.
So we must use son (his/her/its, masculine singular).

Examples:

son ronflement = her/his snoring (because ronflement is masculine)
sa voix = her/his voice (because voix is feminine)
ses habitudes = her/his habits (because habitudes is plural)

So:

Elle rit… parce que son ronflement… = She laughs… because her snoring… → son refers to elle, but it agrees with ronflement (masc.), not with elle.

What is the difference between ronflement and ronfler?

ronfler is the verb: to snore.
- Il ronfle la nuit. = He snores at night.
ronflement is the noun: snore / snoring.
- Son ronflement est très fort. = His/Her snoring is very loud.

In the sentence:

son ronflement = her snoring, the sound or phenomenon of her snoring.

Why do we say ressemble à and not just ressemble?

The verb ressembler (to resemble, to look like) almost always takes the preposition à:

ressembler à quelqu’un / quelque chose = to look like / to resemble someone or something
- Elle ressemble à sa mère.
- Son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.

You can’t drop the à:

*Son ronflement ressemble une petite toux. ❌ (incorrect)
Son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux. ✅

Can you explain toux and its gender? How is it pronounced?

toux (cough) is feminine: une toux.
The x is silent: IPA [tu], like “too” in English (but shorter and pure).
In the plural, it is written the same (des toux) and also pronounced the same [tu].

Because toux is feminine, we say:

une petite toux (feminine: petite
- toux) not
*un petit toux (masculine – incorrect)

Why is it une petite toux and not un petit toux?

Because toux is a feminine noun.

Adjectives and determiners must match the noun:

une (feminine singular article)
petite (feminine singular form of petit)

So:

une petite toux ✅ (correct agreement)
*un petit toux ❌ (wrong gender and adjective form)

How would you pronounce the full sentence naturally?

Approximate IPA: > [ɛl ʁi t‿œ̃ pø, paʁs kə sɔ̃ ʁɔ̃fləmɑ̃ ʁəsɑ̃bl a yn pətit tu]

Key points:

Elle rit un → liaison: rit pronounced [ʁi t] before un.
son and ronflement both have nasal on: [sɔ̃], [ʁɔ̃fləmɑ̃].
Final -ent in ronflement is [ɑ̃], a nasal vowel, not pronounced “ent”.
ressemble: [ʁəsɑ̃bl], final -e is silent.
petite: [pətit], final t pronounced here.
toux: [tu], final x silent.

Spoken smoothly: > Elle ritun peu, parse que son ronfl’man ressamble a une peti(t) tou. (very rough English-style hint)

Could I say comme instead of ressembler à, like “because her snoring is like a little cough”?

Yes, you can use comme in a similar meaning, but the structure changes slightly:

Original:
… parce que son ronflement ressemble à une petite toux.
With comme:
- … parce que son ronflement est comme une petite toux. (= because her snoring is like a little cough)

Both are correct.
Ressembler à is a very standard way of saying “looks/sounds like” and is a bit more idiomatic here. Être comme is also fine and maybe a bit more literal for learners (“to be like”).

What’s the difference between rire and sourire?

rire = to laugh (sound + physical reaction)
- Elle rit un peu. = She laughs a little.
sourire (verb) = to smile (mainly facial expression, usually no sound)
- Elle sourit un peu. = She smiles a little.
un sourire (noun) = a smile
- Elle a un joli sourire.

So rire implies an audible laugh, while sourire is just smiling. In this sentence, Elle rit un peu means she’s actually laughing, not merely smiling.