French isn't as deterministic as you make it sound. For example many letters are silent and it's not always obvious why. Contrast the last sounds of these word

French isn't as deterministic as you make it sound. For example many letters are silent and it's not always obvious why. Contrast the last sounds of these words: grec (ɡʁɛk) and tabac (ta.ba), chef (ʃɛf) vs nerf (nɛʁ), six (sis) vs prix (pʁi), etc. There are also some heteronyms, for example, les poules couvent (ku.v) but les soeurs restent au couvent (ku.vɑ̃).