Learning to Read French, Lesson 10

in, im, ain, aim, ein = [ɛ̃]

The French in, im, ain, aim, ein are pronounced as a nasal vowel [ɛ̃]. It’s made by directing air through both your mouth and nose simultaneously while pronouncing something close to the ‘an’ in “bank” but more nasal.

[ɛ — ɛ̃], [mɛ — mɛ̃], [tɛ — tɛ̃], [vɛ — vɛ̃], [ʃɛ — ʃɛ̃], [lɛ — lɛ̃], [dɛ — dɛ̃], [rɛ — rɛ̃], [sɛ — sɛ̃], [kɛ — kɛ̃].

vin [vɛ̃] m – wine
fin [fɛ̃] f – end
faim [fɛ̃] f – hunger
matin [matɛ̃] m – morning
le matin [ləmatɛ̃] – in the morning
magasin [magazɛ̃] m – store, shop
jardin [ʒardɛ̃] m – garden
médecin [medsɛ̃] m – doctor
train [trɛ̃] m – train
pain [pɛ̃] m – bread
vingt [vɛ̃] – twenty (the letter g in this word is exceptionally silent; the letter t is also silent as it’s at the end of the word)
demain [dəmɛ̃] – tomorrow
écrivain [ekrivɛ̃] m – writer
peintre [pɛ̃:tr] m – painter

When the sound [ɛ̃] at the end of a word appears before a vowel in the next word, a sound [n] or [m] is inserted between [ɛ̃] and the following vowel – depending on what is written in the word with the sound [ɛ̃]. For example:

le train [lətrɛ̃] – train
arrive [ari:v] – arrives
le train arrive [lətrɛ̃nari:v] – the train arrives

une faim [ynfɛ̃] – hunger
affreuse [afrø:z] – horrible
une faim affreuse [ynfɛ̃mafrø:z] – terrible hunger

ce magasin est… [səmagazɛ̃nɛ],
le jardin est… [ləʒardɛ̃nɛ],
le médecin aime… [ləmedsɛ̃nɛm],
ce vin est… [səvɛ̃nɛ].

However, the appearance of the sound [n] in the highlighted positions is either optional (dialects) or an archaic element, so its pronunciation remains at your discretion.

The letter combination ien at the end of a syllable is pronounced as [jɛ̃]. The letter combination ienn in any position is pronounced as [jɛn], that is, with a pure, non-nasal sound [ɛ].

Parisien [parizjɛ̃] m – Parisian (male)
Parisienne [parizjɛn] f – Parisian (female)

Lucien [lysjɛ̃] – Lucien (male name)
Lucienne [lysjɛn] – Lucienne (female name)

chrétien [kretjɛ̃] m – Christian
chrétienne [kretjɛn] f – Christian

italien [italjɛ̃] m – Italian
italienne [italjɛn] f – Italian

un, um = [œ̃] The French ‘un’ is pronounced as a nasal vowel [œ̃]. It’s made by directing air through both mouth and nose while pronouncing something similar to the ‘u’ in “put” but with a nasal quality.

The letter combinations un, um are pronounced as [œ̃] either when they appear at the end of a syllable or when they are followed by a consonant letter.

[œ — œ̃], [lœ — lœ̃], [dœ — dœ̃], [kœ — kœ̃], [fœ — fœ̃], [bœ — bœ̃], [œ̃ — lœ̃ — dœ̃ — kœ̃ — fœ̃].

brun [brœ̃] m, brune [bryn] f – brown
chacun [ʃakœ̃] m – each one, everyone
parfum [parfœ̃] m – perfume
lundi [lœ̃di] m – Monday; on Monday

The indefinite article for masculine singular un is pronounced according to the general rule, specifically as [œ̃], for example: un livre [œ̃li:vr] – a book.

When the sound [œ̃] at the end of a word appears before a vowel in the next word, a sound [n] or [m] is inserted between [œ̃] and the following vowel – depending on what is written in the word with the sound [œ̃]. For example:

un écrivain [œ̃nekrivɛ̃] – a writer
un hymne [œ̃nimn] – a hymn
chacun a peur [ʃakœ̃napœ:r] – everyone is afraid
le parfum est cher [ləparfœ̃mɛʃɛ:r] – the perfume is expensive

Lucien arrive lundi.
Lucienne aime ce parfum.
Chacun veut visiter Paris.
Le médecin travaille chaque matin.
Le verre est plein.
Nana aime les peintres italiens.
Une revue chrétienne est sur la table.