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Orthography
Objective: Recognise the four nasal vowels in writing, pronounce them without closing the vocal tract, and distinguish them from the oral vowel plus n sequences.
| Nasal vowel | Common spellings | Examples | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| an | an, am, en, em | dans, chambre, enfant, temps | in, within, room, child, time |
| in | in, im, ain, ein, un | vin, important, pain, plein | wine, important, bread, full |
| on | on, om | bon, nombre, maison | good, number, house |
| un | un, um | un, brun, parfum | one, brown, perfume |
The nasal vowel on passes air through the nose while the tongue stays in place, so the final n is never pronounced as a separate consonant.
The letters ai plus n produce a single nasal vowel, and the n is part of the spelling only, not a consonant sound of its own.
The sentence contains both the in nasal in vin and the on nasal in bon, and neither final consonant is pronounced.
The an nasal appears twice in enfant and dans, the un nasal appears in un, and the on nasal appears in maison.
The on nasal appears in bonjour, and the an nasal appears in comment. The final vous ends in a silent s and an oral vowel.
Pain carries the in nasal, and chaud carries the oral vowel au. The two sounds contrast clearly.
Chambre carries the an nasal in the spelling am, and the m is not pronounced as a consonant.
6 exercises · about 9 minutes
The nasal vowel un is produced entirely in the nasal cavity, so the final consonant in the spelling never appears as a separate sound.
The double nn blocks the nasal vowel. A doubled nasal consonant always separates the vowel from the nasal, producing an oral vowel plus a consonant.
Important carries the in nasal in the spelling im. The final t of the word is silent.
Personne has a doubled nn, which blocks the nasal vowel, so the o stays oral and the n is pronounced.
Parfum carries the un nasal in the spelling um, and the m is not pronounced as a consonant.