When “em” and “en” are used as prefixes (meaning at the start of a word) in French, they are always nasal vowels.
| Prefix | Example | Phonetics | Audio |
| em- | emmener | ɑ̃mne | emmener |
| em- | empirer | ɑ̃piʀe | empirer |
| en- | enamourer | ɑ̃namuʀe | enamourer |
| en- | ennuyer | ɑ̃nɥije | ennuyer |
“én” (with an acute accent) is not the same as “en” (without an accent). As a prefix with an acute accent, it is oral, not nasal.
Some French words ending in -ille are pronounced with a “y” sound (like fille → [fij], meilleur → [mɛjœʁ]), while others keep a regular l sound (mille → [mil], ville → [vil]). This difference goes back to the history of French and how Latin words evolved over time. Two Pronunciations of -ille French actually has…
In French, there are two types of “h”: the h muet (mute h) and the h aspiré (aspirated h). Both are silent in pronunciation, but they behave differently in grammar. This distinction is important for correct French grammar and pronunciation and must be learned word by word. Words starting with an h aspiré come from…
One of the trickiest aspects of French pronunciation for learners is liaison – the smooth linking of a normally silent final consonant to the beginning of the following word when that word starts with a vowel or a silent “h”. Knowing when to do a liaison and when to avoid it is key to sounding…
Why isn’t the French word oignon (onion) pronounced like the French word moi (me)? The short answer is that the irregular pronunciation of oignon (approximately “ohn-yon”) is a fossil of its historical spelling and etymology. The difference between it and a word like moi (“mwa”) comes down to a specific spelling reform. Let’s break it…
Some French words, like contact, have a clearly pronounced -ct, while others, like aspect, have a silent -ct. This difference is due to phonetic evolution, word stress, and borrowing history. 1. The Role of Stress and Borrowing History 2. When is -CT Pronounced in French? The -ct is pronounced when: 3. When is -CT Silent?…
One of the classic pronunciation pitfalls for French learners is the word “cours” (as in un cours de français)—which is often confused with “corps” (as in le corps humain). Although these words are spelled similarly, they sound quite different in French. 1. The Basics: What Do These Words Mean? 2. Pronunciation Breakdown “Cours” [kuʁ] ✅…