Welcome back: let's talk through your nose
In Level 1 you saw that French leaves lots of final letters silent. Today you'll learn two new skills. The first is nasal vowels, the humming sounds in pain (bread), bon (good) and vin (wine). The second is liaison, where French joins one word to the next.
That might sound technical, but you know more than you think. Ready? Let's go.
What is a nasal vowel?
Try this. Say "ah" and pinch your nose. Nothing changes, right? Now hum "mmm" and pinch your nose. The sound stops, because it was coming out through your nose.
A French nasal vowel sits in between. Air comes out through your mouth and your nose at the same time. And here's the key point: you don't say the n. In these words the n (or m) isn't a letter you say. It just tells you to send the vowel through your nose.
In our guide we'll mark a nasal vowel with (n). That means "let the sound buzz in your nose, but don't touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth."
The three sounds you need
You'll often read that French has four nasal vowels. But in everyday speech across much of France, especially Paris and the north, un now sounds the same as in. You'll still hear the fourth sound in southern France, Belgium and Quebec. To start with, though, three sounds will do.
1. an / en / am / em sounds like "ah(n)". Open your mouth wide, as if you were saying "ah" for the doctor, and add the nose. Examples: France ("frah(n)ss"), enfant ("ah(n)-fah(n)"), trente, chambre.
2. on / om sounds like "oh(n)". Round your lips, as in "oh", and add the nose. Examples: bon ("boh(n)"), pont (bridge), nom (name), allons.
3. in / ain / ein / un sounds like the "a" in "bag" sent through your nose. We'll write it "a(n)". Examples: vin ("va(n)"), pain ("pa(n)"), train ("tra(n)"), plein (full), un.
So how do you tell vent (wind), vont (they go) and vin (wine) apart? Only by the vowel. "Vah(n)", "voh(n)" and "va(n)" are three different words, so watch your lips. Wide open is an, rounded is on, and a flatter smile is in.
When the n comes back
Here's a handy rule. A vowel is nasal only when the n or m is not followed by a vowel or by a second n or m.
Compare américain ("a-may-ree-ka(n)") with américaine ("a-may-ree-ken"). The first is nasal and you don't hear the n. In américaine an e comes after the n, so the vowel isn't nasal any more and you say the n clearly. Bon and bonne work the same way: "boh(n)", but "bonn" with a clear n.
So does spelling help you here? It does. Look at the letters around the n and you'll know what to do.
Liaison: when words hold hands
In Level 1 you learned that the s in vous is silent. That's true in vous parlez ("voo par-lay"). But put vous in front of a vowel and something changes:
vous avez becomes "voo-za-vay"
That sleeping s wakes up and joins onto the next word. This is liaison. Think of the two words holding hands so the sentence runs smoothly, with no awkward gap between two vowels.
Did you notice that the s came out as a z? That's normal. In liaison a linking s or x sounds like "z", and a linking d sounds like "t". So grand hôtel comes out as "grah(n)-toh-tel".
The links you always make
You don't need every rule today. These are the common ones:
- After les, des, un and numbers: les amis ("lay-za-mee"), un ami ("a(n)-na-mee")
- After nous, vous and on before a verb: nous allons ("noo-za-loh(n)"), vous êtes
- After short words like en, dans and chez: en avion ("ah(n)-na-vyoh(n)")
Here's a small surprise: les hôtels links too ("lay-zoh-tel"). The h in hôtel is silent, so French treats the word as if it began with a vowel.
The links you never make
There are also a few places where you must not link.
After et (and). In un café et un croissant there's a clean break after et: "ay / a(n)". The t in et is never pronounced.
Before an "aspirated h". Some words that start with h act like a wall. Les haricots (beans) is "lay / a-ree-ko", with no z. You'll see it on menus, so it's worth remembering. No simple rule tells you which h words do this, so you learn them one by one. The good news is that only a small group are common.
Putting it together
Let's read a real travel sentence:
Nous allons à l'hôtel en train avec les enfants. (We're going to the hotel by train with the children.)
Here's how you work through it. First, find the links: nous‿allons (z) and les‿enfants (z). Next, find the nasals: allons (oh(n)), en (ah(n)), train (a(n)) and enfants (ah(n)…ah(n)). Then cross out the silent final letters. Finally, say it in smooth groups:
"noo-za-loh(n) / a loh-tel / ah(n) tra(n) / a-vek lay-zah(n)-fah(n)"
French keeps an even beat and puts a little extra weight on the last syllable of each group. So try not to hit the first syllable hard, the way English does. Say it three times, a bit faster each time. How does it feel? It should start to flow, with each group sounding like one long word.
Key takeaways
- In a nasal vowel you don't say the n or m. The vowel goes through your nose.
- Learn three sounds: ah(n) (an/en), oh(n) (on) and a(n) (in/ain/un).
- If a vowel or a second n/m comes next, you say the n: américaine, bonne.
- Liaison joins a silent final letter to a following word that starts with a vowel. S and x sound like "z", and d sounds like "t".
- Always link after les, des, un, nous and vous. Never link after et or before an aspirated h, as in haricots.