French Pronunciation - IN/EN Sounds in French

Nov 28 / Ellie Louis

The "IN" sound in French

French phonetic symbol [ɛ̃]
Use the word "pain = bread" as your reference word.

All these letter combinations are pronounced the same way which is why they all come under the same phonetic symbol

  • IN - IM - Vin - Important
  • YN - YM -  Syndicat - Sympa
  • EIN - EIM - Plein - Reims
  • AIN - AIM - Pain - Faim
  • (I)EN - (Y)EN - (E)EN - Mien - Moyen - Européen

Mouth Position for French phonetic symbol [ɛ̃]

The lips are wide and the mouth is practically closed. The tongue is forward and the air passes through the mouth.

Or easier than that just take the word "HANG" as your base word and use that sound whenever you see these letter combinations!

The "EN" sound in French

French phonetic symbol [ɑ̃]
Use the word "dans = in" as your reference word

All these letter combinations are pronounced the same way which is why they all come under the same phonetic symbol

  • EN - EM - Vent - Novembre
  • AN - AM - Dans - Ambulance
  • AEN - AON - Caen - Laon 

Mouth Position for French phonetic symbol [ɑ̃]

It is a nasal sound which you produce by sending air up your nose! Lips are gently rounded and the mouth is open.

See how you can learn and practise these sounds with my help here > 


If you're curious how adults gradually become fluent in French, these two pages explain how you learn French for fluency at The French Room is designed.

How The French Room Works
https://thefrenchroom.org/how-the-french-room-works

How Adults Become Fluent in French
https://thefrenchroom.org/how-adults-become-fluent-in-french
Created with