10.4: The Vowel [ɛ̃] - IN, IM, YM, YN, AIN, EIN, AIM, EIM and [œ̃]- UN, UM
- Page ID
- 269276
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)In this section, you will learn about the vowel sounds [ɛ̃] and [œ̃].
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
In the audio players, you can slow down the audio by clicking on the turtle and speed up by clicking on the rabbit. The turtle and rabbit are located at the bottom right corner of each audio player.
Let's get started!
The Vowel [ɛ̃]
As a nasal vowel, the grapheme in is pronounced [ɛ̃] as in:
fin, vin, invité, mince
This sound can also be written with the following graphemes:
im, ym, yn, ain, ein, aim and eim
If any of these graphemes are followed by a vowel, they will no longer produce the nasal sound [ɛ̃].
In the case of in, im, yn and ym, the i and the y will be pronounced [i] and n and m will be pronounced [n] and [m]. There are exceptions to this. For example, in the words gym and gymnase the ym is not nasal and is pronounced [im].
When followed by an e, ain, ein, aim, and eim, the ai or ei will be pronounced [ɛ] and the n and the m will be pronounced [n] and [m]:
saine, aime, pleine, seime
Sometimes, the e in eim will be part of a prefix and therefore take on a different pronunciation. Take, for example: réimaginer. In a word like téléimpression, the im will be nasal because it is followed by a consonant, because there's an accent aigu on e, and because e is part of the prefix télé.
Here is summary of these differences:
| Graphemes pronounced [ɛ̃] | When they are nasal vowels (examples) | When they are not nasal vowels (examples) |
|---|---|---|
| in | vin, singe, individuel, printemps | fine, pinot, féline, innovant |
| im | impatient, grimper, simple, imbiber | imitation, grimace, immortel, régime |
| yn | synchronie, syntaxe, larynx | synapse, dynamique, cynique |
| ym | thym, symbole, symphonie | anonyme, gymnastique, antonyme |
| ain | pain, Alain, demain | Maine, centaine, cubaine |
| ein | plein, tein, atteint | peine, baleine, Seine |
| aim | faim, essaim | aime, vraiment |
| eim | Reims | seime |
Practice pronouncing in, ym, aim, ain, ein, eim.
The vowel [œ̃]
When un or um is the end a word, or when it is followed by another consonant, it is pronounced [œ̃]:
un, brun, lundi, humble, parfum
When it is followed by a vowel, the sound is no longer nasal:
une, brune, fumé, allumer
Let's practice!
Activity
Listen and repeat.
- un, une
- brun, brune
- l'un, lune
- parfum, résume
- lundi, lunaire
- plein, pleine
- bain, laine
- teint, peine