Vocabulary list
French an and en: twelve words with the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/
Learn an and en through twelve useful French words, family examples and picture cards. Check the nasal vowel in enfant, dans, grand and pendant.
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In short
The spellings an and en often share the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/: dans /dɑ̃/, grand /ɡʁɑ̃/ and enfant /ɑ̃fɑ̃/. Let some air pass through your nose during the vowel; keep it as one sound rather than adding an English n afterwards.
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How do you pronounce an and en in French?
Family and everyday phrases
Things, actions and time
Words to picture and say
Find:
Is the n pronounced in French an and en?
Ma tante chante.
My aunt is singing.
Tante /tɑ̃t/ and chante /ʃɑ̃t/ keep a pronounced /t/ after the nasal vowel.
In enfant, the two nasal vowels are separated by /f/. In pantalon, the first vowel is /ɑ̃/ and the last is /ɔ̃/. Keep the whole word in view: one nasal spelling does not decide every vowel in it.
| Word or phrase | Reading clue |
|---|---|
| année /ane/ | Double nn: an oral vowel followed by /n/. |
| animal /animal/ | The n starts the next syllable before a vowel. |
| ils parlent /il paʁl/ | The verb ending -ent is silent. |