LinguaThe vowels that go through the nose
You met the idea in oncle and garçon: after a vowel, n (or m) is not said as a consonant. It disappears into the vowel, and the vowel goes out through the nose. French has three such nasal vowels, and each has several spellings. an and en are a nasal “ah”: dans, vent, enfant. on is a nasal “oh”: bon, montagne. in, ain and ein are a nasal “eh”: vin, main, plein. A fourth one, un (brun, un), has almost merged with in: say it like in with rounder lips. The n wakes up again as soon as a vowel follows it: bon is nasal, bonne is “bon-n” with a real n, exactly as the final e woke the t of petite. Four consonant pairs finish the picture: ch is “sh” (chat), gn is “ny” as in “canyon” (montagne), ill after a vowel is the y of “yes” (fille), and ph is simply f (photo).
Write a, then n, and read ONE nasal vowel: open your mouth for “ah” and let the air out through the nose. The n itself is silent. Written an or en: dans, grand, vent, enfant.
The o and the n together: a nasal “oh”. Round your lips as for o, then send the sound through the nose without ever closing the tongue for an n. bon, oncle, garçon, montagne.
A nasal “eh”: start from the open è of très and let it go through the nose. Three spellings, one sound: in (vin), ain (main, pain), ein (plein).
The pair un, the word for “a” and “one”: a nasal vowel too. Most French speakers today say it just like in, with slightly rounder lips. un, brun, lundi. Followed by e the n wakes up: une, brune.
Two pairs with an h that changes its partner. ch is “sh”, the sound you make to ask for silence: chat, chou. ph is a plain f, kept in words that come from Greek: photo, pharmacie.
Write g, then n, and say “ny” as in “canyon”: the tongue is flat against the roof of the mouth. Neither g nor n is heard on its own. montagne, agneau, ligne.
An i and two l: after a vowel it is not “ill” at all but the y of “yes”. fille is “fee-y”, famille is “fa-mee-y”. Two famous exceptions keep a real l: ville and mille.
| Spelling | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| an, en | nasal “ah”, mouth open | dans, vent, enfant |
| on | nasal “oh”, lips round | bon, montagne |
| in, ain, ein | nasal “eh” | vin, main, plein |
| un | nasal “uh”, today almost the same as in | un, brun |
| Pair | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| ch | “sh” | chat, chou |
| gn | “ny” as in “canyon” | montagne, ligne |
| ill | the y of “yes”, after a vowel | fille, famille |
| ph | f | photo, pharmacie |
| Nasal | The n is awake |
|---|---|
| bon | bonne |
| un | une |
| brun | brune |
un bon vina good wine
la photo du chatthe photo of the cat
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dans | in, inside | Dans le sac de Léa. In Léa’s bag. |
| vent | wind | Le vent et la neige. The wind and the snow. |
| bon | good | Un bon pain. A good bread. |
| vin | wine | Un verre de vin. A glass of wine. |
| main | hand | La main de l’enfant. The child’s hand. |
| brun | brown; dark-haired | Le vélo brun. The brown bike. |
| chat | cat (masculine) | Le chat de Zoé. Zoé’s cat. |
| montagne | mountain | La neige sur la montagne. The snow on the mountain. |
| fille | girl; daughter | La fille de Fabien. Fabien’s daughter. |
| photo | photograph, picture | Une photo de la fête. A photo of the party. |
| enfant | child | L’enfant a un vélo. The child has a bike. |
| pain | bread | Du pain et du lait. Some bread and some milk. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
In which word does the vowel go through the nose, so that the n is NOT said as a consonant?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.