French on: the nasal vowel in bon, pont and nom
Meet French /ɔ̃/ in bon, pont and nom. Compare bon with bonne, practise useful phrases, and see what changes in mon oncle and bon ami.
In short
Bon, pont and nom end in the nasal vowel /ɔ̃/. Say one vowel, with some air passing through the nose; the written n or m adds no final consonant in these words. Compare bon /bɔ̃/ with bonne /bɔn/: bonne has an oral vowel followed by /n/.
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Five short words with the same vowel
| French | Broad pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bon | /bɔ̃/ | good, masculine |
| pont | /pɔ̃/ | bridge |
| nom | /nɔ̃/ | name |
| non | /nɔ̃/ | no |
| mon | /mɔ̃/ | my, before a masculine singular noun |
Nom and non sound alike. In pont, the final t is silent too. Keep the vowel steady through each word; adding a separate English “n” at the end changes the sound. The symbol /ɔ̃/ labels the vowel category; its exact quality varies with the speaker’s accent.
Quel est votre nom ?
What is your name?
Nom ends in /ɔ̃/. The first /n/ is pronounced; the final written m is part of the vowel spelling.
Le pont est près de la gare.
The bridge is near the station.
Pont is /pɔ̃/: /p/ followed by the nasal vowel.
Why do bon and bonne sound different?
bongood, masculine
Focus: nasal vowel /ɔ̃/
bon + masculine noun
Le repas est bon.
The meal is good.
C’est un bon repas.
It’s a good meal.
bonnegood, feminine
Focus: oral vowel /ɔ/ + consonant /n/
bonne + feminine noun
La soupe est bonne.
The soup is good.
C’est une bonne soupe.
It’s a good soup.
In bonne /bɔn/, the final written e adds no extra syllable. Practise the two short groups together: bon repas — bonne soupe. The gender change is visible in the spelling and audible in the vowel and final consonant.
Keep the first consonant; change the vowel
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bon | /bɔ̃/ | good |
| banc | /bɑ̃/ | bench |
| bain | /bɛ̃/ | bath |
Use bon — banc — bain to compare the vowels. Use bon — pont for a different purpose: the vowel stays /ɔ̃/ while the first consonant changes from /b/ to /p/.
Is there a liaison after bon?
| Phrase | Broad pronunciation | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| mon oncle | /mɔ̃.nɔ̃kl/ | Mon keeps its nasal vowel; /n/ links to oncle. |
| bon ami | /bɔ.na.mi/ | Bon has an oral vowel and a linking /n/. |
Mon oncle est un bon ami de Paul.
My uncle is a good friend of Paul’s.
Say mon oncle and bon ami as complete groups. The two linking patterns have different vowels.