In this French lesson, you will learn to read the letters an, am, en, em, gn.
an, am, en, em = [ã] (like in “song”)
Letter combinations an, am, en, em are pronounced as [ã] either when they appear at the end of a syllable or when they are followed by any consonant letter except m, n. The word femme f (woman) is pronounced as [fam].
[ma:z — mã], [da:z — dã],
[mã — tã — dã — ʃã — ʒã — lã — kã],
[mã:t — tã:t — ʃã:t — gã:t — pã:t],
[kã:p — lã:p — rã:p — vã:p],
[sã:s — dã:s — lã:s — pã:s — ʃã:s].
maman [mamã] f – mom, mama
lampe [lãp] f – lamp
dans [dã] – in (preposition)
sans [sã] – without
temps [tã] m – time; weather (the letters ps in this word are silent)
dimanche [dimã:ʃ] m – Sunday; on Sunday
la France [lafrã:s] – France
français [frãsɛ] m, française [frãsɛ:z] f – French (masculine/feminine)
langue [lã:g] f – language (in different meanings)
centre [sã:tr] m – center
décembre [desã:br] m – December
souvent [suvã] – often
enfant [ãfã] m – child
chanter [ʃãte] – to sing
chanson [ʃãsɔ̃] f – song
encore [ãkɔ:r] – still, yet, again
étudiant [etydjã] m – student (male)
étudiante [etydjã:t] f – student (female)
If the sound [ã] at the end of a word appears before a vowel of the following word, a sound [n] or [m] is inserted between [ã] and the following vowel – depending on what is written in the word with the sound [ã]. For example:
en hiver [ãnivɛ:r] – in winter (during winter time).
However, there will be no liaison between a subject expressed by a noun (not a pronoun) and its predicate:
maman arrive [mamã ari:v] – mom is arriving
If the prepositions dans [dã], sans [sã] appear before a word beginning with a vowel, the sound [z] is inserted between [ã] and the vowel of the following word. For example:
dans une ville [dãzynvil] – in a city
sans un mot [sãzœ̃mo] – without a single word
If the linking verb est [ɛ] appears before a word beginning with a vowel, the sound [t] is inserted between [ɛ] and the vowel of the following word. For example:
il est étudiant [ilɛtetydjã] – he is a student
le temps est admirable [lətãmɛtadmirabl] pour se promener – the weather is wonderful for a walk
Il est encore un enfant.
Ma maman aime la France et la langue française.
Où est le centre de la France?
Il veut chanter une belle chanson italienne.
En hiver le garçon est souvent malade.
Un étudiant peut faire ce travail.
Il veut habiter dans une ville italienne.
Le père de cette femme est écrivain.
gn = [ɳ] The French “gn” is pronounced as [ɳ], similar to the “ny” sound in English “canyon” or the “ñ” in Spanish “señor”.
montagne [mɔ̃taɳ] f – mountain
ligne [liɳ] f – line
signer [siɳe] – to sign
compagnie [kɔ̃paɳi] f – company (group of people spending time together; firm)
campagne [kãpaɳ] f – countryside
magnifique [maɳifik] m, f – magnificent, splendid
espagnol [ɛspaɳɔl] m, espagnole [ɛspaɳɔl] f – Spanish (masculine/feminine)
vignoble [viɳɔbl] m – vineyard
Elle aime les montagnes.
Il travaille dans une compagnie espagnole.
Signez votre livre!
Mon vignoble est loin de la maison.
Le temps est magnifique aujourd’hui.